Will angry gay voters punish the Dems?

Lack of progress on gay rights issues under President Obama could erode the Democrats' long-standing support from gay voters, say commentators, and deepen the "enthusiasm gap" expected to benefit Republicans in the Nov. 2 midterm elections. Congress' failure to eliminate employment discrimination and the Obama administration's decision to fight the overturning of "Don't ask, don't tell" have both fueled the frustration of gay voters — and many are saying they plan to sit out the elections or vote against Democratic incumbents. How serious is the threat?

Gay voters will ditch the Democrats... with good reason: "Gay voters are wising up to the Democrats," says B. Daniel Blatt at Gay Patriot, and realizing that the party "only pander[s] to the gay community when election time rolls 'round." Democrats are in full panic mode now, but it's too late to turn around the "remarkable apathy" of their gay base.

"Will angry gay voters abandon Democrats next week?"

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Democrats still deserve the gay community's support: Let's not get "so angry at what Obama didn't accomplish that we ignore what we did accomplish" during his tenure, says Alvin McEwen at The Huffington Post. He spoke out against anti-gay bullying — it's rare for a president to be so "publicly supportive." And despite the delays on "Don't ask, don't tell," the gay community has had "a wonderful year," with leaps forward on gay marriage and public acceptance. Let's keep the momentum going.

The gay community would make a big mistake by not voting this year"

Voting Republican certainly won't help: Gays and lesbians have plenty of reasons to be "disillusioned" with the Democrats, says Joe Jervis at JoeMyGod. But Republicans would certainly be worse. The people we elect in November will preside over the redistricting of Congress to reflect the latest Census results — potentially redrawing the lines to reduce the LGBT community's political clout. Even if gays feel the need to vent steam right now, we can't let that happen.

"Will angry gays cost the Dems?"