News Flash!! Evolution Now Complete: Obama Embraces Same-Sex Marriage
tabula rasa ·
May 9, 2012 at 9:32pm
After a long evolutionary process (longer, it seems, than actual evolutionary processes), our President has now embraced same-sex marriage.
Does anyone really believe that the President who refused to defend the Defense of Marriage Act just came to this painful decision?
I don't see this playing well for him in the election. Thoughts?
- Comment (106)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (5)
Comments:
Aug '10
Re: News Flash!! Evolution Now Complete: Obama Embraces Same-Sex Marriage
Which Republicans?
I'd love to see the issue disappear from presidential politics, but it's still gonna be an issue at the congressional and the state level.
Jul '11
Re: News Flash!! Evolution Now Complete: Obama Embraces Same-Sex Marriage
Fred Cole: Reason.com quotes Chris Barron of GOProud:
"It is good to see that after intense political pressure that President Obama has finally come around to the Dick Cheney position on marriage equality." · 27 minutes ago
This is so becoming my Facebook status for the next week!
Well, there's 29 states that the President's campaign can kiss goodbye.
May '10
Re: News Flash!! Evolution Now Complete: Obama Embraces Same-Sex Marriage
Awwwwwwwwww!
Oct '11
Re: News Flash!! Evolution Now Complete: Obama Embraces Same-Sex Marriage
Misthiocracy
Which Republicans?
I'd loveto see the issue disappear from presidentialpolitics, but it's still gonna be an issue at the congressional and the state level. · 17 minutes ago
It's a waste of time, energy, and political capital for states and congress to present amendments to top heavy state constitutions that are already bloated and unwieldy. All three of those resources are limited and should be focused elsewhere.
May '10
Re: News Flash!! Evolution Now Complete: Obama Embraces Same-Sex Marriage
Bob Beckel said this move will help Obama bring in campaign donations. He might be right.
It also helps the President to avoid a media distraction. It's easier for his campaign to determine topics for news media this way, because Obama not supporting gay unions would have been the bigger story. He couldn't remain silent on such a major event.
May '10
Re: News Flash!! Evolution Now Complete: Obama Embraces Same-Sex Marriage
Well, he certainly seems to be investing lots into the "youth vote" lately. Either he thinks he's discovered a plan to break their normally very broad electoral apathy, or he's hoping for a miracle.
Mar '11
Re: News Flash!! Evolution Now Complete: Obama Embraces Same-Sex Marriage
Republicans seem to do better when social issues are in play. I really think that Obama may gain some fund raising on this, Republicans will gain some unity between the small government type and the social conservatives.
Nov '11
Re: News Flash!! Evolution Now Complete: Obama Embraces Same-Sex Marriage
Fred Cole: Not for nothing, but this is a politically winning position for Obama.
Half the American public supports marriage equality. He wins the youth vote, the gay vote, the votes of anyone with a gay sibling, parent or friend, and doesn't lose any of the black vote. · 1 hour ago
Nonsense - gays who weren't going for Obama before aren't any more likely now, given this is a public exposition of de facto position. His abandonment of the defense of DOMA showed anyone who followed the issue how Obama felt about gay marriage.
Polls may repeatedly show that about half of the public supports gay marriage, gay marriage been defeated in every state it's come up in: California opposed it by 4%! It's not enough to support a position if you are unwilling to vote for it.
And besides, how many of those who supported gay marriage are willing to make it the deciding factor of their vote and were voting for Romney in the first place? A statistically insignificant number I'll wager.
Edited on May 9, 2012 at 11:51pmAug '11
Re: News Flash!! Evolution Now Complete: Obama Embraces Same-Sex Marriage
This has to be a function of only talking (and listening) to people that hold identical positions as yours. Right after N.C. passes a defense of marriage referendum by a pretty big margin, B.O. comes out with this?? Forget president, he really isn't even a good politician is he.......
Dec '10
Re: News Flash!! Evolution Now Complete: Obama Embraces Same-Sex Marriage
EJHill
Awwwwwwwwww! · 55 minutes ago
Obama and Cheney sittin' in a tree...
Sep '10
Re: News Flash!! Evolution Now Complete: Obama Embraces Same-Sex Marriage
Here's the tradeoff: his declaration will disappoint a lot of rural black voters who oppose gay marriage, but he'll lose only a small fraction of their votes come November. His odds with swing voters just got slightly worse. On the other hand, it fires up his urban liberal base and gets them out to the polls en masse. Also their cash. I think he decided he gains more from firing up the urban liberals than he loses from other voters.
I also think even he was tired of the pretense. Obama is the most ideologically active left-wing president in history (see e.g. health care). He really believes leftist doctrine. When the opportunity arises to come down hard on a liberal issue he finds it difficult to resist.
Edited on May 10, 2012 at 12:26amMay '10
Re: News Flash!! Evolution Now Complete: Obama Embraces Same-Sex Marriage
Before the election: Obama says leave it up to the states.
After the election: DOJ will seek out and pursue a case of a gay couple married in a state that recognizes their union and then moves to one that doesn't and then will force all states to recognize gay marriage under the full faith and credit clause of the Constitution.
Sep '10
Re: News Flash!! Evolution Now Complete: Obama Embraces Same-Sex Marriage
EJHill: Before the election: Obama says leave it up to the states.
After the election: DOJ will seek out and pursue a case of a gay couple married in a state that recognizes their union and then moves to one that doesn't and then will force all states to recognize gay marriage under the full faith and credit clause of the Constitution. · 0 minutes ago
Yes. Brilliant point.
Dec '10
Re: News Flash!! Evolution Now Complete: Obama Embraces Same-Sex Marriage
dogsbody
... his declaration will disappoint a lot of rural black voters who oppose gay marriage, but he'll lose only a small fraction of their votes come November. His odds with swing voters just got slightly worse. On the other hand, it fires up his urban liberal base and gets them out to the pollsen masse. Also their cash. I think he decided the tradeoff was worth it.
.... Obama is the most ideologically active left-wing president in history (see e.g. health care). He really believes leftist doctrine. When the opportunity arises to come down hard on a liberal issue he finds it difficult to resist.
Agreed on all points. Obama calculated the risk and decided it was worth it. He also doesn't care to lie when he believes his position is correct (see Joe the Plumber).
If blacks valuing traditional marriage understood how he completely takes their votes for granted, it could cause a sizable shift in votes. Romney needs a VP attack dog out there RIGHT NOW to point this out.
Apr '11
Re: News Flash!! Evolution Now Complete: Obama Embraces Same-Sex Marriage
Western Chauvinist
dogsbody
If blacks valuing traditional marriage understood how he completelytakes their votes for granted, it could cause a sizable shift in votes. Romney needs a VP attack dog out there RIGHT NOWto point this out. · 1 minute ago
I think that this was why there was such an all fronts attack on Herman Cain during the primary. Not that the White House thought that he might challenge Obama, but that he would be an asset for the eventual nominee.
His congeniality and traditional values might have been able to peel away just enough older black voters in swing states.
Nov '10
Re: News Flash!! Evolution Now Complete: Obama Embraces Same-Sex Marriage
katievs
PacePaules, I don't think civil unions represent a just compromise. They represent a moral confusion that will resolve nothing.
The only sexual union it makes sense for the state to recognize and favor is the union of a man and a woman in marriage. All others are of no interest to the state, unless they are a public menace (as in the instance of polygamous families abusing welfare.)
I totally agree with you on everything you said here. I have one question (and maybe I'll post it on the Member Feed.) Kevin Williamson, years ago, wrote an article in NR suggesting that, instead of civil unions, the state should recognize some kind of "permanent household" (my wording, not his). I'd have to look up the article to get more details, but I have wondered about this in the past. I mean, if great-aunt Sally moves in with your family to take care of your kids, why shouldn't she be eligible to be on your insurance just like your spouse? If they're going to recognize "civil unions," why should you have to be sexually involved to be eligible?
Nov '10
Re: News Flash!! Evolution Now Complete: Obama Embraces Same-Sex Marriage
dogsbody
Here's the tradeoff: his declaration will disappoint a lot of rural black voters who oppose gay marriage, but he'll lose only a small fraction of their votes come November. His odds with swing voters just got slightly worse. On the other hand, it fires up his urban liberal base and gets them out to the pollsen masse. Also their cash. I think he decided he gains more from firing up the urban liberals than he loses from other voters.
Edited 19 minutes ago
I don't know. I just don't think that there are a lot of hardcore lefty urban liberals who weren't going to vote before this.
May '10
Re: News Flash!! Evolution Now Complete: Obama Embraces Same-Sex Marriage
Lucy Pevensie
I totally agree with you on everything you said here. I have one question (and maybe I'll post it on the Member Feed.) Kevin Williamson, years ago, wrote an article in NR suggesting that, instead of civil unions, the state should recognize some kind of "permanent household" (my wording, not his). I'd have to look up the article to get more details, but I have wondered about this in the past. I mean, if great-aunt Sally moves in with your family to take care of your kids, why shouldn't she be eligible to be on your insurance just like your spouse? If they're going to recognize "civil unions," why should you have to be sexually involved to be eligible?
I'm on board with this. I've heard Robby George lay it out somewhere.
If two friends or two spinster sisters or two lesbians want to have some kind legal recognition of their belonging to each other—being able to declare each other, legally, "next of kin", for instance, they should be able to do it.
The key is that it not be limited to sexual liaisons.
May '10
Re: News Flash!! Evolution Now Complete: Obama Embraces Same-Sex Marriage
You know what worries me?
That Obama did this not because he thinks his position is more popular than Romney's nationally, but because he knows it divides Republicans. And he knows Romney doesn't like to fight. He's no Rick Santorum.
Re: News Flash!! Evolution Now Complete: Obama Embraces Same-Sex Marriage
katievs: You know what worries me?
That Obama did this not because he thinks his position is more popular than Romney's nationally, but because he knows it divides Republicans. And he knows Romney doesn't like to fight. He's no Rick Santorum. · 0 minutes ago
Is it possible that the Preident is sincere, particularly since it is in keeping with his religion?