Dishonest Discussion: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" And "Dream Act"

Would it be too terribly much to ask that we have HONEST disagreements about public policy, and HONEST reporting about those disagreements?

Here's why I ask:

Today, as I was driving home listening to NPR, I heard them report that Republicans had blocked legislation that would have repealed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

No mention whatsoever was made of the fact that the legislation in issue just happened to include the "Dream Act," about which I have already ranted today. Both those bills, in turn, were embedded in a bigger bill to fund the military.

The Los Angeles Times likewise reported that Republicans had blocked a bill to end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and mentioned in passing that, "[b]y blocking the defense bill, Republicans also held up a Democratic plan to attach an immigration amendment important to Latino voters."

Really? Important to Latino voters? Not important to anyone else? Very credible coverage.

Anyhow, here's how honest people would have handled the situation, if we had honest people in Congress and in the media:

First of all, the Democrats in Congress would have introduced three bills, not one:  one bill to fund the military, a second bill to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and a third bill to enact the so-called "Dream Act."

Second, all the media, including NPR, would have explained that the Democrats made repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" part of a package deal, so that, for example, if a Congressman wanted to end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," he would have been forced to support the "Dream Act." 


That tactic is unreasonable insofar as a person -- yours truly, for example -- can both:  i) favor letting gays and lesbians serve openly in our armed forces; and ii) favor enforcing our existing immigration laws as written, rather than watering them down or creating new exceptions. The two issues have nothing to do with each other.


To its credit, the Los Angeles Times did report, "For Democrats, attention to the issue is likely to help motivate their base to vote in November while portraying Republicans as insensitive to gays."

Third, someone -- either Democrats or the media -- would explain why Obama, as the Commander in Chief, does not simply end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" by issuing an executive directive or, in the alternative, by filing a lawsuit to have the relevant statute declared unconstitutional on the grounds that it violates the separation of powers.


Or, simpler still, Obama could simply decide not to appeal the recent U.S. District Court ruling that the policy is unconstitutional on other grounds.

In any event, this kind of legislative and media gamesmanship really doesn't help our country. We need to have honest discussions about honest disagreements, not stunts by either party to demonize and denigrate the other.