Thomas Roberts talks to Joe Solmonese about Obama's LGBT Outreach Campaign

Obama campaign co-chair Joe Solmonese shares with Thomas what's coming in Obama's LGBT initiative.
 

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Joe Solmonese is a National Co-Chair for Obama Campaign

Joe was named one of Obama's 35 co-chairs of Obama 2012 Campaign.

He said:

 “President Obama has made it clear that LGBT Americans deserve a fair shot and has taken steps across his Administration to make the lives of those most in need in our community better. As a national co-chair, I am determined to do whatever I can do to help reelect President Obama so this progress can continue for our community."

Good luck, Joe.

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Interesting Quote: Joe Solmonese

“If we care about continuing with the forward motion that we’ve experienced, then we as a community need to do everything possible to re-elect Barack Obama. And we can talk about and debate and press the administration on his ability to do more, and him coming out for marriage, or anything else that we want to talk about, but now is the time to sort of decouple that from all of the work we need to put into getting him re-elected. Because at the end of the day, it comes down to a choice, and the choice isn’t even hard for me: It’s Barack Obama or any of these other people who are running against him.”

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My Rant: Joe Solmonese, Understanding HRC and Playing the Political Game

I know many gays are glad Joe Solmonese is leaving the HRC in March. But to be honest, I really don't see what the hate is all about.

Some of the comments I've read are not really anything of substance. They blame him for the failure of ENDA and DOMA, or the dragging of DADT. But seriously, what do folks think the HRC is, the Masters of the Universe?

The reality is many people had an unrealistic view of the HRC's power. They were a consultant group to the major political peeps and they raised awareness to many LGBT activities. Yes, they gave pretty parties, but that's what fundraising is. If they were going to lobby, fight for ballot initiatives and keep the organization running, they had to raise money. And those $1000 a plate event paid the bills.

Also when it came to DOMA, DADT and other issues; many gays believed Joe was a Shaman or Wizard. I guess he was going to weave a spell to make all things gay pass every vote. That's not how politics works. It is a game; a hard, tough serious game. I'm sorry, but some of the gay bloggers and activists would fail badly trying to play this game. You can't bring grassroot philosophies on a true political playing field. I believe Joe knew that, but many within the community didn't get it. The sad part is, I don't think they would understand the game until it was too late.

So, please think about what leadership of a powerful org like HRC entails. It's not like running your local letter writing campaign, it's serious wheeling and dealing. This job ain't for the 'Pollyannas', it's for the true strategic players of the game. Joe may not have been the best leader, but for 6 years he took the HRC to a better place. He understood the responsibilities of the job. I'm not so sure that we actually do.  

HRC Confirms Joe's Departure, Will stay to the end of his Contract

HRC confirms that Joe will not renew his contract.

Here some of the press release:

The co-chairs of the Human Rights Campaign Board of Directors and the HRC Foundation Board today announced that HRC President Joe Solmonese has informed the boards that he will not renew his contract which expires March 31, 2012. Solmonese will remain at the helm of the organization until the completion of his contract to ensure a smooth leadership transition.

At the same time, the co-chairs announced the formation of a search committee to be co-chaired by board members Joni Madison of Hillsborough, N.C., and Dana Perlman of Los Angeles.

"Joe Solmonese is an outstanding leader," said Anne Fay who co-chairs the Foundation Board of Directors with Andy Linsky. "While we will miss his extraordinary leadership, we enter this next phase, thanks to Joe, in the best place the organization has ever been. Not only has our community secured historic victories, but our membership is larger and more active than at any time in our history, and our financial health is secure even in these difficult economic times."

"From the repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell', to the recent passage of marriage equality in New York, Joe has made sure that HRC is an effective and strategic force for positive change," said Tim Downing, who co-chairs the HRC Board of Directors with Rebecca Tillet. "Over the course of his tenure, he's set the tone for delivering real reform that matters in peoples' everyday lives."

"Leading HRC has been an inspiring experience and a complete privilege," said Solmonese. "I could not be more proud of our staff, our volunteer leadership and of the extraordinary progress we've made together as a community."

Solmonese's leadership has taken the organization from 750,000 members and supporters to more than 1,000,000. Additionally, he oversaw significant expansion of HRC's public education and outreach programs including the launch of the Healthcare Equality index, a more robust Religion and Faith Program and wider reach and success of the Corporate Equality Index. The HRC Foundation also launched the Welcoming Schools program to address family diversity, gender stereotyping, bullying and name calling in schools, as well as the All Children All Families initiative that helps open up adoption agencies to prospective LGBT parents. The grassroots field operation also expanded – most recently mounting the largest state-level campaign in LGBT movement history resulting in the passage of marriage equality in New York.

Hot Rumor! Joe Solmonese may be Stepping Down from the HRC

Metro Weekly reports that Joe Solmonese may be stepping down earlier than his contract.

On Friday night, Aug. 26, Pam Spaulding at Pam's House Blend reported that Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese will be stepping down in the coming months from his leadership role at the nation's largest LGBT political organization, a fact confirmed by Metro Weekly. His most recent contract expires in March 2012, and an informed source tells Metro Weekly that "a full candidate selection process will take place" to find his successor.


A second source familiar with the situation said that a board conference call that originally was scheduled for Aug. 29 was rescheduled on the evening of Aug. 26 to take place later today, Aug. 27. The change was made after Spaulding published her report, which stated that an announcement about his departure was to be made public on Aug. 30.

So, I guess we will know more on Tuesday; however if he leaves, will this be a change in the organization? Honestly, I'm not so sure. Joe made the HRC a powerful money making machine and donors kept giving even when LGBT activists were up in arms about every move they made. I wasn't always pleased with EVERYTHING the HRC did, but I give them credit for they staying firm our their beliefs and tactics.

So I personally think (if this true) the HRC will stick close to a Joe Clone with slight changes. But the real question is... Who will lead?

VIDEO: HRC's Joe Solmonese on NOM and NY Marriage Equality

Interesting Quote: Joe Solmonese

There can be no doubt that President Barack Obama has improved the lives of LGBT Americans more than any president in history. As with any movement for sweeping social change, our opponents have put up roadblocks along the way, but the president has been an unwavering ally who has delivered on promises both great and small. Much more remains to be done, which is why ensuring that President Obama is able to continue the forward momentum toward equality for another term must be a top priority of our community.

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HRC's Joe Solmonese talks about DADT and Next Steps

I know some folks are not fans of Joe. But we can't deny that he played a part in the repeal of DADT. He actually explains how the repeal returned from the dead (with his help of course)

Wednesday is when President Obama will end DADT

President Obama will sign off on the repeal of DADT this Wednesday.

President Obama is likely to sign the repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy Wednesday, and may hold a news conference this week, spokesman Robert Gibbs said today.

Officials have discussed a presidential news conference after the Senate wraps up its end-of-the-year business, including the proposed arms cut treaty with Russia -- but no one knows when that might happen.

A news conference is "certainly possible," Gibbs said.

Though the schedule is being finalized, Gibbs said he expects a formal White House signing ceremony Wednesday morning to sign the "don't ask, don't tell" repeal.

"I think there are a lot of people who are interested in attending," Gibbs said.

Oh, and about that. I'm told Joe Solmonese will be there, but Dan Choi wasn't invited. I don't mean no harm, but after some of the carrying on he did at the White House and calling Obama the worst president, he shouldn't be surprised.

UPDATE: Dan's invited
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HRC's Joe Solmonese sends an Open Letter to President Obama

Dear Mr. President:

Years from now, students of the movement for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality (LGBT) will no doubt see this fall as a pivotal period in the history of our struggle for fundamental fairness.  In January, we were all inspired by your State of the Union pledge to end our nation’s discriminatory ban on open service by gays and lesbians.  Equally inspiring was the testimony in support of repealing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law by the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  We have come so far, but the only true measure of success is whether the thousands of brave gay and lesbian Americans who are serving their country, and the many more who want to serve their country, can do so openly and honestly.  We have not yet met that goal, and without your leadership and unparalleled efforts, this historic opportunity to remove a stain of discrimination from our nation will pass all of us by. 

Last week, lawyers for your administration asked for an emergency stay from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, seeking to end a worldwide injunction of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law while they work to overturn a federal judge’s conclusion that this law – one that you have called discriminatory and contrary to our national security on many occasions – offends the protections of our Constitution.  I continue to struggle with how your administration can defend a law you oppose, and how it could be even remotely constitutional for a statute to single out one group of brave Americans, because of who they are and who they love, and order them serve in silence and deception.  How can our government have a duty to defend a statute that is clearly so contrary to our Constitution’s guarantee of equality for all?

The Ninth Circuit’s decision to stay Judge Phillips’s decision further frustrates repeal advocates and puts a bright spotlight on you to reconcile this endless legal wrangling with your public promise to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”  While we continue to call on your Administration not to appeal, if the Justice Department does insist on defending this discriminatory law, I strongly urge you to instruct government lawyers to inform the appellate court that the Executive Branch believes that the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law is unconstitutional. I agree with the esteemed lawyer and former head of the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice, Walter Dellinger, that such a move would send the Ninth Circuit a critically important message.

Furthermore, the litigation strategy challenging “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is made all the more critical by the challenges a legislative repeal has faced in Congress.  While the House approved repeal by a wide margin, the Senate’s first and second attempts to move forward on the critical Defense Authorization bill were stymied by Republican obstructionists looking to score political points before the midterm elections.  There is still an opportunity for the Senate to send the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to your desk in the lame duck session, but it will not happen if you do not put the full weight of the Office of the President of the United States behind it.  Republican opponents would rather see the Defense Authorization and everything in it – military pay raises, critical armor and equipment for our troops, health coverage for their families on the home front – fail than let gays and lesbians serve their country openly.  This is an outrageous insult to our troops, to their Commander-in-Chief, and to the Defense Department charged with their operations and their care.  You and Secretary Gates must be full partners in making clear to Senators that it is doubly unacceptable to hold hostage the needs of every soldier, sailor, airman and Marine in a desperate attempt to preserve a law that flies in the face of the American ideals they sacrifice to protect every day. 

It is because “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is contrary to our core values as a nation that it must end.  And we must have a durable solution – legislative repeal or a solid judicial decision.  But if those fail, you must not allow another day to go by in which a brave gay or lesbian service member is discharged based simply on sexual orientation.  HRC has urged your administration, privately and publicly, for more than a year to use every tool at your disposal as Chief Executive to at least significantly reduce discharges, if not end them entirely.  More can be done in this regard.


You can and should issue a stop-loss order suspending enforcement of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”  This discriminatory law has already deprived our military thousands of service members, many with critical skills in fighting terrorism.  You have acknowledged that it harms our national security.  If we fail to achieve legislative repeal this year, and if you will not abandon the defense of this discriminatory law in court, then it is imperative that you use your clear authority as President to end the discharges.  Anything less is unacceptable.    
We have fought long and hard to get this close to ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”  We pledge to continue that fight, every step of the way, until this unjust law is gone for good.  Future generations will look back at this moment – we must not let it become a setback in the long march toward full equality, but instead make it the turning point it is poised to become. 

Sincerely,
Joe Solmonese
President

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