One Fired Up Obama

It was a traffic-clogged evening on La Cienega Blvd. right on the border between West Hollywood and the city of Los Angeles, since presidential hopefuls John Edwards and Barak Obama were having dueling after-forum events across the street from one another. I was a guest at the Obama soiree at the too-cool-for-school nightclub Area, rubbing bronzed shoulders with his very successful, well-heeled and sexy supporters, who each paid $250 a pop to attend.

The LGBT contingent was well represented, with Emmy winning director Paris Barclay one among many from the Hollywood set cheering Obama on. "Six Feet Under" producer Alan Poul was also there, as was straight ally and "Ugly Betty" star Eric Mabius (not too tall, way too cute).

The fantastically dressed multi-culti's couldn't have been more excited to see their guy in the flesh. I walked in soon after he started his modified stump speech, which included a host of LGBT references.

I was struck by the campaign swag being handed out by Obama staffers--a round rainbow sticker with a kinda geeky, kinda charming superimposed black and white image of a smiling Obama. As I was snapping a shot of one affixed to the back of one guy's jacket, a lovely woman offered to model her clutch (see above).   

Obama said presidential forum was significant because it flew in the face of politicians who have used the marginalization of LGBT people to win elections.  The forum was "was calling out that kind of tactic--suggesting that is not only contrary to the values of those of us who care about equality, care about liberty, care about justice, it is contrary to what America is about."

Some other quotes from the speech:

"If you are treating someone different on the basis of sexual orientation, then you are diminishing the very essence, the very promise of America..."

"It is no longer acceptable to be closed minded, its no longer acceptable to try to use bigoted rhetoric to advance your own political agenda. We have a different notion of what it means to be patriotic and be American..." 

"If there is a young man or woman somehwere in this country who is frightened and feeling alone because of their sexual identity, that is a betrayal of all of our hopes and dreams. That's somebody we have to reach out to and say you're not alone, you're part of the American family. And we are going to protect you. and we are going to look after you..."

Obama repeated the charges some of his critics in Washington have thrown at him, that he overindexes on the concept of hope, and that he is a "Hope monger," an epithet that got laughs from the crowd.

"I'm guilty, guilty as charged," he said with a big smile.

"I am hopeful because I have met the Amercian people across the country," Obama said, people who have "a core decency."

They are "sometimes distracted, sometimes misinformed," he said. "Fundamentally they want to do the right thing. in the abstract--it is hard for them to hate someone they know."

"We're in that moment right now. America's heart, America's soul is up for grabs. We have an opportunity to make a difference of the sort that hasn't been seen in a very long time."

The crowd loved the Obama's "Audacity of Hope" rhetoric, but they also enjoyed one partisan jab in particular. After mentioning Scooter Libby, Obama noted his good friend and fellow Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin made an interesting observation about the recently pardoned, former Bush Administration official. "Even Paris Hilton got some justice," Obama repeated to laughs. Maybe the laughs were coming from people who know Hilton likes hanging out at Area. Hell, maybe the laughs were coming from people who know Hilton. Any other night, she might have been there... 

Comments

[Laura]

Taking a look at the forum from a media perspective, I was grateful to Logo for putting LGBT issues on the political agenda, on the record, on national television. I just wish CBS on Logo had covered the event with a little more respect for the importance of the event. I blogged about some of the weakness of the the CBS post-forum coverage at www.lifeonq.com.

could not agree more with you - the CBS News on LOGO segment after the forum was disapointing - Jason Bellini seemed nervous and unprepared