Obama backs gay marriage

[agzg]

Originally Posted by Alumiyum

If the President could just decree things, we'd really be in trouble. However, in my mind he still gets no credit for being "for" gay marriage at this point in the game. The President can't magically pass laws, but he CAN try to push legislation along.

I was never a fan to begin with, and this doesn't help. I might have been swayed had this come up in the first year or so of his term, or if he would follow through on it and actively push for equal rights.

It's not as if same sex couples can get married today, everywhere in the country. But I do think he does deserve credit for being the first sitting President to say it at all, at any point. As wishy washy as people like to believe he is, to make such a statement the day after North Carolina, where his party's convention will be this summer, puts a ban on same sex marriage into an amendment in their constitution takes some guts and good political planning, if it helps to energize his base and swing things his way.

Also, I do think directing the DOJ to not defend DOMA and making a strong case for repealing DADT has brought him and his administration closer than anyone's ever gotten toward protecting and re-instating the human rights of the LGBT community. And, again, it's laid a very good groundwork for either

A: the Supreme Court to strike down DOMA and the state constitutional amendments when they finally agree to hear the cases OR
B: people to be mighty pissed of the Supreme Court passes on the chance or upholds DOMA or the state constitutional amendments.

Either way you look at it, though, it's not as if he and his administration haven't been pushing for equal rights. It's just that the ball is squarely in the Supreme Court's... well... court.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by Alumiyum

The President can't magically pass laws, but he CAN try to push legislation along.

Not really, at least not on this subject. Marriage is generally considered a matter for states, not the federal government, to legislate in, so he's not really in a position to push legislation. Outside the federal DOMA, which he has decided not to defend, and maybe things like the tax code, he mainly just has a bully pulpit.

[VandalSquirrel]

I was and am, so pleased that he choose to make a public statement that he believes in equality and human rights for the people of the country he leads. Even if this hurts his re-election campaign and in January of 2013 someone else is sworn into office, I'm happy that it was said.

I've still yet to hear any argument against marriage equality that doesn't involve religion or ignorance against letting two consenting, non-related, unmarried adults join their lives together

I'm also still enjoying this tumblr http://whenobamaendorsed.tumblr.com/




Disclaimer: I say marriage equality instead of gay marriage since I want to include all the opposite sex couples who may have a civil joining and not a religious one, and trans people who may not be legally allowed to have paperwork to match who they are and also can't get officially hitched.