Obama’s gay marriage decision: product of campaign politics?
Perhaps Barack Obama really did “evolve” on gay marriage. But, this poll on Yahoo! (no conservative platform that) suggests that those responding take a more, well, jaundiced view of the Democrat’s sudden change of heart:
As the above shot indicates, I’m one of those who think it was a cynical political decision — and that will be the subject of my next post.
FROM THE FACEBOOK COMMENTS: Chad writes:
Maybe he decided to come out in favor of SSM now because he knows it’s more popular than he is. Back in 2008, he probably had the same position he does now, but he probably thought he was politically better off showing nominal opposition then, and now, he needs to do something to shake things up since his reelection is so tenuous and he needs to make the election be something other than the economy.
Emphasis added. Heh.
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It’s great fun to watch you guys scramble desperately to spin this against Obama.
“It’s so very bad of him! Now excuse me while I go try and make up a reason why.”
Comment by JJ — May 9, 2012 @ 6:05 pm - May 9, 2012
JJ, please detail the efforts Obama made to repeal DOMA and enact legislation recognizing same-sex civil unions when his party has overwhelming majorities in Congress. Thanks!
Comment by B. Daniel Blatt — May 9, 2012 @ 6:06 pm - May 9, 2012
I’ve wrongly been called a denier and anti-science by some of my Global Alarmist friends. Well, in this specific case, I’m going fully on record as saying I don’t believe in “evolution”.
This is what he always believed, but as usual was too chicken to declare it.
Comment by sonicfrog — May 9, 2012 @ 6:12 pm - May 9, 2012
JJ, typical liberal. Taking a few crumbs thrown your way and trying to make it significant. Too little too late from the little dictator.
Comment by PD — May 9, 2012 @ 6:16 pm - May 9, 2012
Having read the transcript of the interview, I await the howls of outrage from the ACLU and the Left about the rank theocratic and sectarian Christian background of this decision of his: Christ’s sacrifice and the Golden Rule in the New Testament.
I myself am comforted to know that the Chief Magistrate of the Republic gets his policy orientations from Sasha and Malia and their friends at the tony private school they go to.
We are in good hands, my friends. Hope and Change.
Comment by EssEm — May 9, 2012 @ 6:27 pm - May 9, 2012
Did Barrack Obama just out Bill Clinton Bill Clinton????
Comment by sonicfrog — May 9, 2012 @ 6:36 pm - May 9, 2012
Seeing as marriage is a state issue, there isn’t much Obama could have done. That said, ordering the DOJ to stop defending DOMA in the courts was a start (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/us/24marriage.html?_r=1). Any even though this announcement means little in terms of the immediate legal landscape, it’s a still a significant announcement.
Comment by Alan — May 9, 2012 @ 7:33 pm - May 9, 2012
If Obama had any principles, he would have made this announcement sooner. Gay marriage supporters should be happy I guess, but this is so obviously nothing more than a political move that it is kind of pathetic.
Comment by Rattlesnake — May 9, 2012 @ 8:16 pm - May 9, 2012
@Alan,
Would you support a president who orders his DoJ to stop prosecuting hate crime laws?
Comment by The_Livewire — May 9, 2012 @ 8:18 pm - May 9, 2012
Keep spinning, guys, keep spinning. Does it ever bother you to realize that your reaction to anything done by any politician seems to depend ENTIRELY on what party they belong to? Such moral relativism from the conservatives here.
But don’t stop. So much fun to watch.
Comment by JJ — May 9, 2012 @ 8:26 pm - May 9, 2012
@Livewire – The DOJ hasn’t stopped enforcing the law. They’re just no longer defending the law in court. There’s a very big difference and I would expect that you would understand that.
Comment by Alan — May 9, 2012 @ 8:49 pm - May 9, 2012
So you’d be fine if the DoJ decided to not opposed a challenge to discrimination laws?
Comment by The_Livewire — May 9, 2012 @ 9:17 pm - May 9, 2012
That would be much more appropriate coming from a conservative who directed it towards a liberal.
Comment by Rattlesnake — May 9, 2012 @ 9:19 pm - May 9, 2012
I know you think so, Rattlesnake. That’s what make the comedic irony so tragic.
Comment by JJ — May 9, 2012 @ 9:44 pm - May 9, 2012
I could say the same thing to you, JJ.
Conservatives frequently criticized George W. Bush and the Republican congress. They applauded Obama for the killing of Osama bin Laden, until he started taking undue credit for it and before other details came out. Did liberals applaud Dick Cheney for supporting gay marriage? Do they accuse Obama of war crimes and of abusing the constitution as they did GW Bush? If Bush is guilty of war crimes and abusing the constitution, surely Obama is as well.
Comment by Rattlesnake — May 9, 2012 @ 11:49 pm - May 9, 2012
If I recall correctly (and do correct me if I’m wrong), a fair number of Obama voters in California also voted in favour of Proposition Eight. How does this change the picture at the polling booth this time around, knowing that you Yanks can choose to stay home whereas we Aussies must turn up?
Comment by perturbed — May 10, 2012 @ 12:27 am - May 10, 2012
Hi Dan,
I am unsure what the point of this comment is, Dan. JJ stated that he thought that it was a move in the right direction. You decry Obama’s “hypocrisy.” Do I think political interests entered into it, you bet. But doesn’t the fact that the President of the US now openly supports SSM strike you as a “good thing” in itself regardless of why he did it? If you don’t believe that, I would appreciate it if you could enlighten me why you think it might be a bad thing (for the country? for gays?) to have done what he has done.
Comment by Cas — May 10, 2012 @ 2:06 am - May 10, 2012
I guess you can all legitimately complain about Obama.
Of course, if your party gets its way there will be an amendment to the Constitution banning gay marriage.
I guess I just don’t get it.
Comment by DB — May 10, 2012 @ 9:15 am - May 10, 2012
Amazing that a presumably gay blog would blast the President for speaking in favor of marriage equality. Perhaps the Gay Patriot is more of a Republican blog?
Comment by RR — May 10, 2012 @ 11:10 am - May 10, 2012
Which you and your fellow liberals and Barack Obama supported and endorsed as just fine.
Since you support banning gay-sex marriage when the Obama Party wants to do it, who cares what you think?
Comment by North Dallas Thirty — May 10, 2012 @ 12:33 pm - May 10, 2012
[…] Obama’s gay marriage decision: product of campaign politics? […]
Pingback by GayPatriot » Will Obama’s gay marriage pander hurt him politically? — May 10, 2012 @ 3:25 pm - May 10, 2012
Well, duh. It says right in the header, “the Internet home for the American gay conservative.” One of the reasons I read this blog is its iconoclasm towards the gay left. Not all gay people support gay marriage, either.
Comment by Rattlesnake — May 10, 2012 @ 5:50 pm - May 10, 2012
“Every single amendment following the Bill of Rights was passed by referendum”?
Not according to Article V of the Constitution. It’s almost always been done through ratification by state legislatures. I believe repeal of Prohibition was the only exception, but I’m not sure.
Comment by JJ — May 11, 2012 @ 3:08 pm - May 11, 2012
test
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — May 13, 2012 @ 12:03 pm - May 13, 2012
[…] it hurts the most is not the merits of the issue, but that people will see the re-positioning as patently political. Not just that, he looks out of touch, having announced his shift the day after North Carolina […]
Pingback by GayPatriot » Will Obama’s stand on gay marriage hurt him this fall? — May 13, 2012 @ 7:13 pm - May 13, 2012
[…] it hurts the most is not the merits of the issue, but that people will see the re-positioning as patently political. Not just that, he looks out of touch, having announced his shift the day after North Carolina […]
Pingback by “The First Gay President” — Newsweek Hails Haloed Obama « Frugal Café Blog Zone — May 14, 2012 @ 9:33 am - May 14, 2012
[…] not just an on-line poll on Yahoo! A New York Times survey finds that Obama’s Switch on Same-Sex Marriage Stirs Skepticism: […]
Pingback by GayPatriot » Survey: Obama’s Switch on Same-Sex Marriage Mostly Political — May 15, 2012 @ 4:24 am - May 15, 2012