Obama has only one request in return, they have to promise to address him as “mein Führer” going forward.
Via Roll Call:
Important parts of President Barack Obama’s political coalition — Hispanics, the gay and lesbian community, and women — are looking to the White House to act on its own via executive order given that their issues are going nowhere in Congress.
The White House so far has resisted executive orders on the DREAM Act and discrimination by federal contractors as it continues, publicly at least, to push for legislation that appears doomed.
But Obama’s allies on Capitol Hill suggest it’s time to reconsider that cautious approach — and they say the White House is taking another look.
“You’d have to say that the last year and a half of tea party dominance in the House has been a very unproductive period, and they’ve been unwilling to take and even consider some of these issues, so I can understand the frustration of many people on the outside and the dilemma facing the White House,” Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said. “I wouldn’t rule it out. . . . The president needs to consider taking action by executive order when Congress will not respond to a major national challenge.” […]
Gay rights groups, meanwhile, have been pressing the Obama administration for an order banning LGBT discrimination by federal contractors. And there have also been rumblings about an executive order applying pieces of the filibustered pay equity bill to contractors as well. So far, the White House has resisted.
Several liberal lawmakers, however, say Obama would help his constituencies by acting more on his own.
“Slow isn’t working,” said Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), a liberal who has long complained of a too-cautious White House. “These groups need to know that there is support for them. The time for not ruffling feathers is past. It’s not worked. It’s time to ruffle feathers and show the people that support this White House that he supports them.”
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said, “We would far prefer that they move forward and vindicate people’s rights as soon as possible.” He noted that when Obama came out for marriage equality, it helped, not hurt, and that his base would like to see more.
“You can have tepid support or you can have enthusiastic support, and we can use all we can,” Ellison said.