Bleyo: But seriously, does anyone want to venture into one of the forums where the "Obama is secretly gay" conspiracy theorists hang out? I'm curious about how they're taking this news.


Obama totally had a gay couples massage with John Travolta.

*Adjusting tinfoil hat*

YodaTuna: If he does and he loses the election because of it, the US deserves everything it gets after that. Mitt Romney and the current GOP will be our punishment for the majority of our population being immoral, bigoted, hypocritical douchebags.

So you would have Obama not stand behind his principles just to get re-elected?

Close2TheEdge: I'm not sure that this fairly counts as a flip-flop, but Obama hasn't been clear on this issue, and that is a justifiable charge against him.

Actually in '08 he went on the record in support of civil unions, perhaps before that, but there is a video on youTube that he lays it down (no pun). So I suppose if he switches that to marriage, it could be considered a flip-flop. Regardless, good on O. That whole evolving thing was annoying. Now get him to quit "evolving" about other crap.

There sure is a lot of concern in this thread.

/some of my closest friends are a lesbian couple that got engaged on Sunday, I'm gonna assume that encouraged him to speak

Janusdog: I just can't hate Biden. He just says what he thinks. He's lost that filter or parking brake that younger people have. He reminds me of my grandmother shouting "Will you look at that woman's ugly clothes" to me within earshot of the woman she was talking about.

THIS.

People go "I would love to have a politician who speaks what he really thinks!" and then when some politician like Biden does that he get's attacked for it.

ActionJoe: Just follow this plan and you will be ok Obama.

Marriage is a religious institution. If a religion refuses to marry a couple based on their race/sexual orientation/whatever, that is their prerogative. However, everyone should have the same rights that a marriage entails as anyone else.

It's that farking simple and I do not know why more people do no see it.

THIS.
I wouldn't dream of trying to mandate to a religious institution who/what it must include in its sacred rites, but legal rights are another matter entirely.

And I'm an aetheist.

D_Evans45: "It's gross" was the consensus from the guys at work when it came up awhile back.

You'll notice when it comes to heterosexual marriage the right talks about love. When it comes to homosexual marriage they focus on sex. It's always about the sex.

D_Evans45: Why the hell would you care if a dude wants to marry a dude, or a chick and chick? "It's gross" was the consensus from the guys at work when it came up awhile back. As a straight male I'd consider the act of gay guy sex pretty gross, lesbians different story. However, the common sense part of me says, so what? He wants to have gross gay sex with his husband all night, bombs away. She wants to strap on a rigid plastic instrument and plow away at her wifes vaginal cavity, have at it. Why shouldnt anybody be allowed to marry because of the different holes they beat on at night?

/If you wanna ruin your life with marriage gay people, go for it

The Republitards are just trying to save the gays from the agony of divorce. For once they're looking out for the well being of the unwashed masses

drjekel_mrhyde: It should be a state matter

Yeah, except no. If a straight couple gets married in New York then moves to NC, they're still married. And since we have equal protection under the law, it's got to be the same once any state recognizes SSM.

The_Sponge: But it would be fair to say that he's changed his views considering that he recently spoke an an NRA gathering. And I doubt he would say that he's proud of that moment now.

See, that's the thing. I don't know if Romney has changed his views on the subject. I don't think he's as pro-gun as he wants the NRA to think, but I also don't think he's full on gun grabber like the wanted the people of Massachusetts to think. He's probably middle of the road sensible gun control.

But in either case, it's really a non issue what with gun control having been more or less settled.

BigLuca: Wow. First liberal thing he has done all term.

Umm DADT repeal?

No longer defending DOMA.

Holy, crap you just going to ignore those things?

Janusdog: That doesn't help the substantial number of graduates with five and six figure loans on their backs. I thought we were supposed to get some kind of forgiveness for working in nonprofits? I've got a 15 year nonprofit career at this point and I'd starve to death if I wasn't married.

He said Obama has done nothing. I proved him wrong. You're griping about something else.

drjekel_mrhyde: It should be a state matter

Not all things should be state matters. If blacks being allowed to vote was left to the states, there'd be about 8 states in the Union to this very day that would still not allow blacks to vote. Or go to school with whites. Or swim in public pools with whites. Or a lot of other things.

Close2TheEdge: How? The rabid right that oppose gay marriage won't vote for him anyway. Most Democrats support him, and this may be enough to sway the hardcore liberals to come back to the fold.

So that leaves Independents. And poll after poll show at best, indifference to the issue at best. All Obama has to say is, "I personally support gay marriage, but it is up to states at this time to decide the issue."

Yup, Obama has very little to lose from this move if he takes it. The virulently right is already going to go to the polls in November; this move isn't going to motivate them to get out the vote any more than they already are. Rather, it may just provoke them to even higher levels of idiocy and trigger a backlash. In the meantime, this move helps to reestablish his credibility with the left and provide additional reason to mobilize in November.

Romney's already failing to court the center in order to placate the right, so Obama has very little reason to not shift leftwards since he's still occupying the center.

As a Romney-supporting republican, this is fantastic. This will hurt Obama tremendously in the polls.

Quasar: Obama: *unzips pants*
Biden: That is a big f*ckin' deal.

Wayne 985: Do you think it could help sway blacks in general though? Not to paint with broad strokes, but he's clearly a popular figure in America's black community. Maybe some of them will be more apt to support it if he clearly comes out in favor.

I hope so.
But in my experience, there are a lot of things poor rural whites and poor urban blacks have in common and one of those things is a deep-rooted hatred of gays. They're both a religious folk.

BigLuca: Wow. First liberal thing he has done all term.

And this is why he shouldn't do it.

Because he has repealed DADT his administration no longer defends DOMA and that is not good enough. He has done more for gay rights than ANY OTHER PRESIDENT. And people like you still biatch and biatch and biatch.

If he does people like you will then still go "Well he hasn't done XYZ" and still be pissed. He can't win with those types. No matter what he accomplishes won't be good enough.

Bag of Hammers: Too bad none of you farking voted,

No kidding. There may be three people in NC worth saving, the rest got what you deserve. The church is now running your lives and you let them.

SlothB77: As a Romney-supporting republican, this is fantastic. This will hurt Obama tremendously in the polls.

Well, since nobody likes Romney, this is all you really have left, huh?

Actually quite sad, considering Romney has to depend on bigotry to help him instead of his actual views.

Dr Dreidel: The only thing Obama needs to say is: "My views on the topic of gay marriage are unimportant. The fact is that a government which would deny citizens their right to live and love as they choose - free from the pressures and prejudices of others - is not a freedom-loving government."

I'd like for him to add: "If you do not like gay marriage, don't attend, host or have one. If you believe that religion cannot abode gay marriage, do not attend services at such a house of worship. If you cannot abide a gay couple living on your street, it is YOU who must search for a home more welcoming to your prejudices. America is a freedom-loving nation - we are free to love whom we choose."

Wow, dr, that was kinda excellent.

Obama knows that the anti-gay marriage vote is pretty much restricted to rightwing evangelicals, that wouldn't vote for Obama in a million years anyway. So coming out in support of it won't hurt him there. And it may well energize the gay/liberal/youth vote, which he really needs.