Was obama against gay marriage

A Journal of Ideas

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Obama probably shouldn’t own lied. But we shouldn’t expect presidents to lead moral crusades.

By Nathan Pippenger

When President Obama finally “evolved” on lgbtq+ marriage in 2012, I wrote a piece praising Joe Biden’s big mouth—if you recall, the famously loose-lipped VP had endorsed marriage equality in a (possibly) unscripted moment, seeming to compel Obama’s hand on the issue. We may never realize if that admission was planned, but we now contain confirmation that Obama’s shift would acquire come sooner or later. In his new book, David Axelrod acknowledges what everyone already knew: Obama was never against gay marriage. Unless, that is, he had changed his mind since 1996, when he wrote in response to a questionnaire: “I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight actions to prohibit such marriages.” Two years later, perhaps sensing that his conclusion to pursue a career in politics was working out after all, Obama softened his tone. In recent years, Axelrod had taken to lying on his boss’s behalf, explaining that the President favored civil unions but “does oppose same-sex mar

Reaction to President Obama’s Same-Sex Marriage Endorsement

Count me stunned that President Obama came out in favor of same-sex marriage, after years of straddling and waffling. I was among those who said he would (a) stay on the fence through the election, uncomfortable though that might be, because (b) there’s more political downside than upside in bringing the issue forward and taking a stand that still alienates many swing voters.

Why, then, did he do it? And what does it mean?

As to why, various press accounts speculate that pressure from gay donors played an important role (gay currency features prominently in his campaign), and that Vice President Biden’s sudden emergence as “comfortable” with gay marriage, combined with Learning Secretary Arne Duncan’s endorsement, made Obama’s straddle untenable–potentially dividing the party and alienating its pro-gay base in a year when unity and enthusiasm are essential.

To me, those explanations sound unconvincing, or at least incomplete. Same-sex attracted money knows that the option between Obama’s Democrats and Mitt Romney’s Republicans is as stark on gay issues as the divide ever ha

Abstract

When President Obama announced his support of same-sex marriage, he talked broadly about “equality” and “fairness.” He spoke of “opposing discrimination against gays and lesbians” and making sure that nobody is treated as “less than full citizens when it comes to their legal rights.” It was a powerful moment—historic and emotional. In the Aaron Sorkin version, the orchestra would have soared at this point as the supporting cast members exchanged teary-eyed yet knowing nods.

But then President Obama described how these rights should be protected and the music stopped with a squawk. Same-sex marriage, he said, is not in fact a federal issue but should be left to the states.

The “marriage is a purely state issue” rhetoric has been around for some time. It’s become a familiar default argument, maybe because it sounds impartial and feels safe. But having “evolved” this far on gay marriage, the time has come to evolve our own thinking on what is really at stake when we talk about marriage equality. We must embrace that this is a constitutional and not a democratic issue. Equality is not a popularity contest. This is hardly a extreme argument. It’s Supreme Court doctrine: Our ri

The 'evolution' of Obama's stance on lgbtq+ marriage

Since stepping on to the national stage in 2004 when he ran for the Senate in Illinois, Barack Obama has shifted his views on whether same-sex couples should have the legal right to marry. “My feelings about this are constantly evolving,” Obama said about lgbtq+ marriage in December of 2010.

By Wednesday his views had evolved to the position that queer and lesbian rights advocates had urged upon him since 2004. Obama said, “For me personally, it is crucial for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be competent to get married.”

Related: Obama backs same-sex marriage

Such couples already are able to become married in a few states.

But it was not yet clear from the excerpts that ABC News released on Wednesday afternoon whether Obama intended to use his political clout to experiment to get legislatures in the majority of states to change their laws, whether he would appoint federal judges who would overturn state laws on constitutional grounds, or by what other means he would use his authority to enable homosexual couples to marry.

It also is not clear whether Obama still believes, as he said in 2006, that