Geotpf: kukukupo: ...

Nah. Polling is about 50/50 on the issue right now (although it polls a bit worse amoungst regular voters as opposed to the population at large, as you inferred). Obama and his political team are smart-if he thought there was a chance this would cost him the election, he wouldn't do it. Plus, nationwide polling is less important here than polling in swing states (I don't know the current numbers on it amoungst voters in Ohio or Florida, for instance). One thing this will do is help him with his base, as well as with fundraising. It might help get the occasional lefty voter to the polls this time (or stop them from voting Green), and his SuperPAC will get a few million dollar checks instantly.

If he actually does this, it will not cost him the election, guaranteed.


I like reasoned responses like this. Im also an I.E. Farker. Would you like a beer? EIP, I get around.

whew

i was here thinking he wouldn't spend any time focusing on the major problems facing our nation & instead just pander to a demographic.

/so relieved

no way Obama has that kinnda balls to do that.

$20 says Romney comes out in favor of gay marriage THIS AFTERNOON before Obama's interview.

From ABC News:

"Obama told MTV he believes marriage is "between a man and a woman" and that he is "not in favor of gay marriage.""
Nov. 2, 2008

Then again Obama said he was against preemptive military attacks and would comply with the war powers act. As president, he has presided over numerous preemptive attacks on Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Pakistan etc. He as also order the assassination of a United States Citizen.

/Patriot Act
/Warrantless wiretaps
/least number of prosecutions of members of financial institutions
/Dogs are tough

If Obama does finally evolve and supports gay marriage, I also hope he ends his bigoted position regarding polygamy.

/One Veep
//Two cones

JerseyTim: I would definitely vote for an Obama-Biden husband-husband team.

Heck, I would love to be married to Joe Biden myself.

Who wouldn't want to be gay married to Joe Biden? I bet things are never dull when he's around.

The_Sponge: It's not flip-flopping when Obama does it.

I'm more scared of a president that never changes their views than one who flip-flops too much.

For an example using Mitt.... I don't dislike Romney because he's pro-life. I don't dislike him because he used to be pro-choice and changed his opinion. I dislike him because he so adamantly claims he was never pro-choice.

Politicians should change their views as society and knowledge changes. If Obama says his views "evolved" or changed, that's the right way to do it, rather than disowning your previous outlook.

A president's view on this issue is really irrelevant in terms of it changing anything. Oh sure, it may swing voters one way or another, but as far as it impacting the actual issue it is meaningless. This is all pre-election media puffery...you know...trolling.

Good. This kind of bullshiat has gone on long enough.

Using the bully pulpit to drag our country dragging and screaming into the modern age is a good thing.

Flip flopping on the issue doesn't engender much trust in the guy, but at least he's on the right side of the issue now.

It's good to see him do the right thing now that the time is right politically.

D_Evans45: kukukupo: LOLOL

He has this election in the bag. If he 'comes out' as pro-gay marriage he is gonna take a serious dive in the polls

/from the people who matter
//by that of course I mean those who vote


Handing an idiotic voter a ballot is like handing a toddler a loaded gun. I remember you stated that you didnt have a problem with our government spending more of our tax dollars on the failed "drug war" than they spent job creation. I'm inclined to believe people like you would also be likely to hold foolish opinions on other issues as well.

Are you for, or against, gay marriage?

I am ok with the gay marriage issue exactly the way it is now. It should be up to the states with DOMA in place (which simply allows the states to either endorse or not endorse other state's marriages). As it stands at this minute; I'm a possible Obama voter (I don't see much difference between Obama/Romney) but if he comes out pro-federal-gay, I would probably vote for Romney to keep the status quo.

As for the war on drugs - I'm ok with that.

inner ted: whew

i was here thinking he wouldn't spend any time focusing on the major problems facing our nation & instead just pander to a demographic.

/so relieved

civil rights is always a major problem. and if anything, assuming he says what I hope he does, he's not pandering. this could be very bad for him politically.

SlothB77: SubBass49: What is the political upside? What does he gain over Romney numbers-wise with this move? There has to be some angle...

there isn't any. its not like disenfranchised gays were flocking to Romney. he won't gain any voters, but he risks losing voters.

Unless there are a ton of people out there who use support of or opposition to marriage equality as their single issue for choosing who to vote for, I don't see how he risks losing a whole lot of voters.

Peaceboy: Don't sell them short, I'm sure some Republicans will welcome this decision.

[0.tqn.com image 220x263]

Well, it seems that Joe Biden didn't gaffe. He was instructed to drop this bomb on Sunday to gauge reaction and set the stage for the President. If I am wrong, Arne Duncan would have not done the same thing the following day.

Barack Obama is even smarter than I think he is. One of his biggest problems is that the young people who came out in record numbers to support him last election have gone cold. This will energize them again. And he doesn't lose any support elsewhere. Those who are so opposed to gay marriage that they are going to make it a single-issue decision were never going to vote for him anyway. More, it will make the GOP attack him for coming down on the side of this issue that most Americans hold. And through it all, he is only going to talk about his personal views, not about policy. He's leaving policy to the right-wingers who are fighting gay marriage on every legal front they can. Sweet.

The bigger question is why does this matter in the long term?

/Here's a hint, it doesn't

If he flat out endorses gay marriage, I wont have to pinch my nose so hard when I vote for him come November.

paygun: It's good to see him do the right thing now that the time is right politically.

Uh no, it could hurt him among the black and latino voters that are religious that voted for him in 08

Cyberluddite:

"My fellow Americans, some might ask why I would want to marry a guy like this who, in the words of his critics, 'puts his foot in his mouth' all the time. Well, he's exactly the kind of guy I want to marry, because a guy who frequently puts a foot in his mouth is also willing to frequently put other body parts in his mouth, one of which--on me at least--is right around a foot too, if you know what I mean and I think you do."

Biden knows what you're talking about. He's keeping an eye on it.

SlothB77: there isn't any. its not like disenfranchised gays were flocking to Romney. he won't gain any voters, but he risks losing voters.

I think if he actually does come out and endorse SSM then he will quell the unrest within his base that exists over this issue. He stands to gain more than loose. If he actually does that. I am doubtful. However if he just gives undecided lip service it will just piss them off more so maybe he really is going to go for it.

Corvus: thurstonxhowell: I'm a bit skeptical about all the conclusions people are jumping to, but, if Obama actually endorses gay marriage tonight, I will donate $100 to his campaign. It will be the first political donation I have ever made, and will likely be the last.

So you didn't give a shiat about DADT repeal? Why not? Or you did and you just forgot about it like you'll forget about this?

Fine, you win. The Obama campaign won't get anything from me.

Are you always an asshole, or is it an act you put on for the internet?

Corvus: 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.

His admin fought for DADT when it was struck down by a court.

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

LOL

A Rmoney supporter!!!

So awesome!

Wayne 985: SlothB77: As a Romney-supporting republican, this is fantastic. This will hurt Obama tremendously in the polls.

You realize a majority of Americans have supported gay marriage for two years straight now, right?

how many states that have banned same-sex marriage are battleground states?

Just remember...the people yelling "flip-flop" are the same people who think Obama's policies are "socialist". There's a whole lot of willful ignorance amongst that crowd.

TommieFunk: Sbdolan: Sigh, why not before the NC deal?

On the electoral college, the typically non gay friendly places (I'm looking at you Texas) .

Never been to Austin? Houston's Montrose area?
No?
Don't drop the soap.

Mrs.Sharpier: DirkValentine: I hope so. Civil rights should be paramount

this is all I am thinking too. this is his/our defining moment. you have to be willing to be brave in the face of such unabashed bigotry and hate.

Exactly. this is his opportunity to really show he is a true progressive and is going to stand by his ideals. he's caved on many things and this would be a HUGE step in the right direction.

No way the Dog-Eater endorses gay marriage. He knows blacks overwhelmingly oppose it, and he needs them to vote for him in droves.

PanicMan: JerseyTim: I would definitely vote for an Obama-Biden husband-husband team.

Heck, I would love to be married to Joe Biden myself.

Who wouldn't want to be gay married to Joe Biden? I bet things are never dull when he's around.

If he does endorse gay marriage, it will be a courageous act of leadership... and by that I mean it's electorally risky in the swing states.

Obama embodies a person who can push people to do better things and to overcome prejudice via his leadership. Will it work on this? I don't know. Is it the right thing to do? Certainly. Is it smart? ... that would come down to the calculus of how many votes he will lose in the swing states vs. the benefit that his campaign assumes he will get from increased enthusiasm from his base, and therefore better voter turnout and better donations.

If he favours gay marriage, it means they've probably calculated that they can turn this and reproductive rights into this year's hope and change. It means they're going to run the election on strong, moral leadership on cultural issues that are almost always fought from the right and to the disadvantage of Democrats. This would represent a big change. But let's think about the position of Mitt Romney: he doesn't look like he's flipflopping away from religious right-wing positions that turn off Independents and Democrats alike (and which also would disrupt the status quo), and simultaneously, it is incredibly easy to paint him as a man who lacks conviction and leadership qualities. If Obama does make this shift, he has a moral high ground and a convincing argument that he is a bold and courageous leader.

I hadn't really thought about this angle before. I still think it's seriously risky. Are Ohio and Virginia going to take to gay marriage like gangbusters? Well... it could pay off if we see a repeat of 2008's enthusiasm, particularly from the elements of Obama's coalition of supporters (Americans under 35) who have had the terrible outcomes economically for the past 4 years.

Corvus: Ok for everyone saying "This is a great move" in this thread how many of were not going to vote for him and now you are? Or even give to his campaign?


Because I tell you what lots of independent voters or even some black and Hispanic voters are not going to vote for him if he says he supports gay marriage.

Also what will it actually accomplish? NOTHING. He already repealed DADT and no longer defends DOMA. Everything else is controlled by states. He could of "evolved" to this answer after the election and it would make no difference at all except give him more votes.

I'll be honest, I would be voting for him anyway (his promised veto on CISPA makes up for NDAA in my view), but I would find it very refreshing if he did indeed come out for gay marriage. That'd be the very definition of a leader taking a right stance instead of a politically-expedient one, showing principle, integrity, and conviction, and that's something I always love to see.

HeartBurnKid: Technically, DOMA doesn't prevent states from recognizing same-sex marriage. It just says that states don't have to recognize same sex marriages from another state. So it's not really overriding states' rights.

It is, however, overriding the Full Faith and Credit clause of the US Constitution, which should show you something about all these "Constitutional literalists" on the right. That it hasn't been struck down yet is a travesty.

No, it isn't. Don't just go by the title of the FF&C clause, go by the full text. Read the entire clause including the bit after the last comma, then read DoMA's clause 2, and tell me how it overrides the FF&C clause.

what_now: Just keep quite until after the election, Obama.

The last thing you need is to organize the fundies into voting.

Sure, you'll still crush Romney, but at the cost of the senate? Or retaking the house? Or at the very least, at the cost of getting rid of some of the pants on head retarded house members?

If his stance on the issue energizes the base, it actually gives the Democrats better chances of holding the Senate and taking the House.