Today, John Aravosis has a little photoshop fun (well, someone else did and sent it his way), and — at the same time — has a little AmericaBlogReality moment involving fun with facts. He posted the picture of President Obama signing the same-sex partners benefits memorandum in the Oval Office — with Chairman Frank, Frank Kameny and others behind him — with the infamous Bush “Mission Accomplished” banner photoshopped into the picture above and behind the group. (The picture can be seen below the jump.)
Rather than responding with my “take” on how inaccurate this representation is, I’m simply going to post a portion of President Obama’s remarks that immediately preceded the time the picture was taken and readers can determine whether Obama declared mission accomplished with the signing of that memorandum or said something altogether different. In part, Obama said:
It’s a day that marks a historic step towards the changes we seek, but I think we all have to acknowledge this is only one step. Among the steps we have not yet taken is to repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. I believe it is discriminatory, I think it interferes with states’ rights, and we will work with Congress to overturn it.
We’ve got more work to do to ensure that goverment treats all of its citizens equally, to fight injustice and intolerance in all its forms, and to bring about that ‘more perfect union.’
The full clip is available below the jump.
(And, as I’ve stated before, it’s not John’s words — or in this case, pictures — that in and of themselves lead me to respond. It’s the fact that his words and pictures and videos have a large enough viewership that his skewed views become other people’s reality.)
The altered picture:
The reality (which, if it’s not loading on here, is available on YouTube here):
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VasC9lDsw_4]
Popularity: 1% [?]
Chris Geidner is the award-winning senior political writer at D.C.'s Metro Weekly and has written for The Atlantic Online, Advocate.com, Salon and other publications, as well as at his blog, Law Dork. In 2011, he received the Excellence in News Writing Award from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his coverage of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal. Prior to moving to D.C. in 2009, he served as an attorney on the senior staff at the Ohio Attorney General's Office and had earlier worked for a leading Columbus law firm. An extended biography can be found
“The reality” below the fold is a blank
But good point with this post. Aravosis seems to have the vendetta against Obama, at the point that he blatantly ignores what the president actually said about more work to be done, in favor of playing with Photoshop. I guess Aravosis figures he can get more hits and donations to his website by playing the big opposition to Obama.
Why does he continue this mess?
Today I started to see on some of the gay blogs some ads from what was apparently the health insurance industry lobby showing Obama’s face on a dartboard, and linking to sites criticizing his public option health care plan.
This is exactly what i was afraid would happen with this out of control anti-Obama rhetoric coming from Americablog–an attempt to drive a wedge between gays and the rest of Obama’s progressive agenda.
Those actions could really set us back.
Did you let it load? It’s the YouTube clip, and it’s coming up on my computer …
He’s a self-absorbed sociopath that would throw everyone under the bus for his own personal gain. He gets more than enough ad revenue by whacking away at hornets’ nests and would gladly see the gay community further damaged in order to drive traffic to his daily shrill bleating.
Just a guess, there.