This isn’t the first time we’ve had a donkey on the cover of The Advocate. That was in February 1992, when we asked, “Will the Democrats Screw Us in the Upcoming Presidential Election?” Funny how, 18 years and three presidents later, we’re still asking the same essential question.

As we went to press with this issue, Newsweek released its top 10 political predictions for 2010. Number 9: President Obama will make no move on gay rights this year—for fear that it could hurt Democrats’ chances in November.

So what are we to do, especially since there will always be an upcoming election to stand in the way of the promises politicians made in the previous go-round? James Kirchick looks at just that issue in this month’s cover story, “Gays vs. Democratic Party.” In doing so, he finds a group of gays who prove that if we’ve learned anything in the past 18 years, it’s that hand-wringing isn’t enough of a response when our elected officials—regardless of their political affiliation—refuse to represent.