Re: Why President Obama (probably) won’t endorse gay marriage this year

Most Democrats agreed that raising the issue in the context of the
election might be counterproductive even for the gay rights movement
itself."

 

Nice excuse!

On Friday, April 13, 2012 10:40:56 AM UTC-4, Tommy News wrote:

Why Obama (probably) won't endorse gay marriage this year

The at-times-uneasy relationship between President Obama and the gay
community hit another bump in the road this week when the White House
declined to push through an executive order banning government
contractors from discriminating against employees based on sexual
orientation or gender identity.
And while that move raised eyebrows, it's not the major sticking point
between the GLBT community and Obama. That, of course, is gay
marriage.

Salon's Steve Kornacki this week points out that, while most of the
Democratic Party's class of potential 2016 presidential contenders
supports gay marriage, Obama has still, despite indications that he
may change his position at some point, declined to jump on board. Such
a move that would make him first major-party presidential nominee to
do so but would hardly make him a trailblazer in Democratic politics.
But gay marriage advocates shouldn't hold their breath.

According to Fix interviews with more than half-dozen Democratic
strategists, basically nobody in Obama's party is expecting him to
make the switch before the election. And even supporters of gay rights
suggest the timing might be wrong.

While many may see it as the right thing to do, they say pulling such
a switch would be too difficult this close to an election.

"I don't expect him to change his position at this point," said
Democratic strategist Joe Trippi. "On the one hand, it would be a
welcome surprise for many, and on the other hand, be seen as
politically motivated and polarizing to others because of the timing."

Most Democrats agreed that raising the issue in the context of the
election might be counterproductive even for the gay rights movement
itself.

"Speaking as a gay person, he should do what he believes is best for
the country," said former Obama adviser Steve Hildebrand. "If
endorsing gay marriage is best, then that is what he should do. I
would encourage him to do what he believes is best for the country and
to not let politics play a part if that is possible."

Obama, of course, has made inroads — significant ones — with the GLBT
community, most notably ending the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
policy for gays in the military and speaking out against California's
Proposition 8, which overturned the state's gay marriage law.

He has also spoken out against a federal amendment defining marriage
as between a man and a woman — the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

Given what the president has already done, it's not clear that taking
it a step further would be at all beneficial. Indeed, it may hurt.

"It would give (Mitt) Romney an issue to try to blunt his serious
flip-flopping problem, and the president has already shown his strong
commitment to equality for LGBT Americans in ending don't ask, don't
tell, passing hate crimes bill, speaking out against DOMA and state
level anti-gay marriage legislation," said a Democratic strategist.

Despite all of that, gay marriage is very much a sticking point for
many in the gay community. And given the plenty of big-name Democrats
have jumped on-board, the pressure on Obama to follow suit is growing
by the day.

While there has not been a large-scale rebuke of the president by gay
marriage supporters, there is some indication that the issue could be
coming to a head.

The newly named chairman of the Democratic National Convention, Los
Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, has said gay marriage may be voted
on as part of the party's platform this year — a move that would
really force the issue.

Either way, the issue is picking up steam. Several states have moved
to allow gay marriage in recent months, and polling, for the first
time, shows a majority of Americans support such laws.

That might suggest Obama would be well-served to support the law.

But even if you set aside the idea that such a move would look
transparently political, backing gay marriage doesn't gain Obama much.
He's already got many supporters in the gay community thanks to the
things he has done, and backing gay marriage really only risks
alienating independent voters and firing up a conservative base that
isn't quite raring to go right now.

Opposition to gay marriage, after all, is much more strident than
support, and make no mistake: Social conservatives would be up in arms
if Obama started pushing gay marriage.

"Right now the far right is not motivated to support Romney," said one
Democratic strategist who worked on Obama's 2008 campaign. "Supporting
gay marriage in an election year would do wonders for motivating the
right-wing Republican base, and that's not something I can imagine the
president doing."

For his part, Obama hasn't said much on the issue in recent months,
and his campaign doesn't appear anxious to make gay rights a key issue
in the looming campaign.

Campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt said Obama will decide when the time is right.

"The President and the President alone will come to a decision,"
LaBolt said in a statement. "From allowing hospital visitation rights
for gay partners to repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' President Obama
has done more to advance equal rights for gays and lesbians than any
other President — a record we intend to highlight."

More Here:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/147662/first-time-majority-americans-favor-legal-gay-marriage.aspx?wpisrc=nl_fix

--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy

--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy

On Friday, April 13, 2012 10:40:56 AM UTC-4, Tommy News wrote:

Why Obama (probably) won't endorse gay marriage this year

The at-times-uneasy relationship between President Obama and the gay
community hit another bump in the road this week when the White House
declined to push through an executive order banning government
contractors from discriminating against employees based on sexual
orientation or gender identity.
And while that move raised eyebrows, it's not the major sticking point
between the GLBT community and Obama. That, of course, is gay
marriage.

Salon's Steve Kornacki this week points out that, while most of the
Democratic Party's class of potential 2016 presidential contenders
supports gay marriage, Obama has still, despite indications that he
may change his position at some point, declined to jump on board. Such
a move that would make him first major-party presidential nominee to
do so but would hardly make him a trailblazer in Democratic politics.
But gay marriage advocates shouldn't hold their breath.

According to Fix interviews with more than half-dozen Democratic
strategists, basically nobody in Obama's party is expecting him to
make the switch before the election. And even supporters of gay rights
suggest the timing might be wrong.

While many may see it as the right thing to do, they say pulling such
a switch would be too difficult this close to an election.

"I don't expect him to change his position at this point," said
Democratic strategist Joe Trippi. "On the one hand, it would be a
welcome surprise for many, and on the other hand, be seen as
politically motivated and polarizing to others because of the timing."

Most Democrats agreed that raising the issue in the context of the
election might be counterproductive even for the gay rights movement
itself.

"Speaking as a gay person, he should do what he believes is best for
the country," said former Obama adviser Steve Hildebrand. "If
endorsing gay marriage is best, then that is what he should do. I
would encourage him to do what he believes is best for the country and
to not let politics play a part if that is possible."

Obama, of course, has made inroads — significant ones — with the GLBT
community, most notably ending the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
policy for gays in the military and speaking out against California's
Proposition 8, which overturned the state's gay marriage law.

He has also spoken out against a federal amendment defining marriage
as between a man and a woman — the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

Given what the president has already done, it's not clear that taking
it a step further would be at all beneficial. Indeed, it may hurt.

"It would give (Mitt) Romney an issue to try to blunt his serious
flip-flopping problem, and the president has already shown his strong
commitment to equality for LGBT Americans in ending don't ask, don't
tell, passing hate crimes bill, speaking out against DOMA and state
level anti-gay marriage legislation," said a Democratic strategist.

Despite all of that, gay marriage is very much a sticking point for
many in the gay community. And given the plenty of big-name Democrats
have jumped on-board, the pressure on Obama to follow suit is growing
by the day.

While there has not been a large-scale rebuke of the president by gay
marriage supporters, there is some indication that the issue could be
coming to a head.

The newly named chairman of the Democratic National Convention, Los
Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, has said gay marriage may be voted
on as part of the party's platform this year — a move that would
really force the issue.

Either way, the issue is picking up steam. Several states have moved
to allow gay marriage in recent months, and polling, for the first
time, shows a majority of Americans support such laws.

That might suggest Obama would be well-served to support the law.

But even if you set aside the idea that such a move would look
transparently political, backing gay marriage doesn't gain Obama much.
He's already got many supporters in the gay community thanks to the
things he has done, and backing gay marriage really only risks
alienating independent voters and firing up a conservative base that
isn't quite raring to go right now.

Opposition to gay marriage, after all, is much more strident than
support, and make no mistake: Social conservatives would be up in arms
if Obama started pushing gay marriage.

"Right now the far right is not motivated to support Romney," said one
Democratic strategist who worked on Obama's 2008 campaign. "Supporting
gay marriage in an election year would do wonders for motivating the
right-wing Republican base, and that's not something I can imagine the
president doing."

For his part, Obama hasn't said much on the issue in recent months,
and his campaign doesn't appear anxious to make gay rights a key issue
in the looming campaign.

Campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt said Obama will decide when the time is right.

"The President and the President alone will come to a decision,"
LaBolt said in a statement. "From allowing hospital visitation rights
for gay partners to repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' President Obama
has done more to advance equal rights for gays and lesbians than any
other President — a record we intend to highlight."

More Here:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/147662/first-time-majority-americans-favor-legal-gay-marriage.aspx?wpisrc=nl_fix

--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy

--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy

--
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