Click on photo for the video [probably a commercial, first]
Obama became the first U.S. president to back the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry, a reversal from views expressed during the 2008 campaign, when he said he opposed same-sex marriage but favored civil unions as an alternative…
In making his announcement, Obama completes what he had described as an “evolution” in his views on this issue, hastened by growing fervor this week involving gay rights. The growing pressure was capped Tuesday by North Carolina voters’ approval of a constitutional amendment banning not only same-sex marriages, but civil unions for gay and lesbian couples, as well.
Obama’s shift not only speaks to a broad swath of the electorate, which has exhibited increasing acceptance of same-sex marriage in opinion polls, but also gay and lesbian voters who compose a core part of Obama’s base, and have been major fundraisers for his re-election…
Obama explained that he had hesitated in fully supporting same-sex marriage because he thought civil unions would be sufficient.
“I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married,” he told ABC.
Overdue.
Obama plans other announcements before the election:
1. He’ll admit in an interview he’s really a Muslim.
2. He’ll joke that although he was born in Hawaii, his mother never got him a birth certificate.
3. He put forth exceptionally goofy Supreme Court nominees just to get back at his law professors.
4. Doesn’t like being in Washington because the people in Congress are boring and not very cool.
Obama did something politically tactical, now all the conservatives are giving Romney the evil eye and worried he secretly doesn’t mind gay marriage.
HMyers—being funny and insightful at the same time??
I don’t think this forum is big enough for you and Pedro at the same time. One of you has to go.
……clip, clop……clip, clop……..clip, clop.
Bobbo thinks Obama is a Christian.
By Islamic Law Obama is a Muslim because his father was. By Islamic law if he converts to Christianity he must die. The Iranians among others enforce that law. 80% of Egyptians agree that it is the right thing to do.
Obama’s own words suggest that he’s an anti-theist when he isn’t trying to make use of the suckers. In this case I case that includes Dallas and Bobbo and the suckers that sent in the money for Obama to say but it’s up to the states.
The cold blooded calculator side of me supports marriage as the Union between a man and woman and I’m willing to support tax breaks for them as long as they have children to carry on the nation.
I don’t see much point in being nasty to couples that try and fail especially if they adopt.
For the rest call it a civil union and be done with it. Keep the laws simple and try not to make breakups just another way for the government and lawyers to shaft people. Have them sign a prenuptial.
Evolution – doesn’t that describe natural processes that favor survival of a species? Last I checked, gay sex will not allow for procreation.
I don’t care who sleeps with whom, and civil unions seems like a sensible alternative to marriage. The concept of marriage is supposed to support activities that favor procreative behaviour (like tax incentives to PROPERLY raise children), and the fact that the concept rather belongs to religious organizations (it’s where the idea came from). I thought that the concerns of glbt is to protect property rights, the kind of protections that marriage affords; hence the concept of the civil union; marriage in everything but name.
This is not evolutionary thinking, nor is it really even an issue. This is about an agenda to discredit religions. If it weren’t that, civil unions would be all the rage now.
“Last I checked, gay sex will not allow for procreation.” — Most gay folk I know have a mother and a father. They also seem to have children. In fact virtually all mammals will have homosexuals in a percentage of the population. I think you don’t really understand biology as well as you think you do.
“The concept of marriage is supposed to support activities that favor procreative behaviour (like tax incentives to PROPERLY raise children)” — Well no, marriage as we understand it today is a very recent invention and yet people managed to reproduce without it. The same is true for your belief as to what is the proper way to raise children.
“Evolution – doesn’t that describe natural processes that favor survival of a species? Last I checked, gay sex will not allow for procreation. ”
Gay men in particular often end up making very disproportional contributions in their fields due to lack of life disruption parenting kids.
Hence gay men are 5 times more likely to make over $100,000.
Contributions to society do not have to be the same.
If a man’s only value to society is his sperm, they have sperm banks already so what does the species need us for?
But we aren’t like beetles or mosquitos, men build stuff. Gay men often develop very high levels of expertise in difficult fields due a lack of the kind of drama with females straight men have or the rigors of parenting kids.
Its actually more sublimely subtle than that HMeyers. Its not “people” that reproduce in a Darwinian model so much as “the genes.”
SCIENCE has now identified a core of about 5-6 gene groups interacting with one another. The fecundity of females interacts with this gay expressing group of genes. While gays may not reproduce as often as heteros, they genetic core produces more children.
A delightful ying/yang result.
Nothing an intelligent designer would do for we the unintelligent recipients?
Ha, ha…………..suck it hairy apes. Accept nature, accept what we don’t yet understand. Its the liberal thing to do.
Yea, verily.
Bobbo, if you do your homework, you will discover (I’m sure you read this at least once) that there is essentially no genetic difference between humans today and 50,000.
It is a matter of health and diet (plus antibiotics and modern medicine).
What has changed? Just our culture and level of education, passing that down since the Gutenberg printing press.
HM–I usually disagree with you, but just now, you aren’t making any sense.
I agree–nothing “new” in the genes of Homo Sapiens.
How is that relevant to anything unless your point is there were no or fewers homos 50,000 years ago and the reason there are today is ………. is ………. the Gutenberg Press?
Holy Crap. You just don’t make any sense. Must be something genetic… something that could be squashed in a gutenberg press, or more easily, a book printed from the evolved mechanisms?
More than an inch from your talking points, and you spin incoherently. Quite revealing.
It is more common for a child to be born gay than blonde with blue eyes.
Ach mein gott! Gott nicht wit alles!
Cursor_
My favorite Obama quote from the interview:
“I had already made a decision that we were going to probably take this position before the election and before the convention”
Obama must just think people are stupid that he would actually reveal how cynical and opportunistic this change in position is. Geeze, what a swell guy.
Actually it is gonna make things real awkward in September.
The Democratic National Convention is in North Carolina which just did a ballot measure in the other direction.
There is some talks of moving the convention, but they won’t because that would offending a critical swing-state.
Still, September 3-6 is going to be a awkward now for Obama …
Awkward for Obama huh?
Old white guy….much?
Ha, ha. Yes, awkward for Obama. Why not awkward for the homophobes, misogynists, self loathing, church going, religion spouting high school drop outs constituting the Republican base in N. Carolina?
What happens when truth and compassion confronts hatred and bigotry?????
How does change ever occur?
What do YOU hope for HM? Continued stupidity?
Vote Dumbo—its good for that itch you cannot name.
Yea, verily.
You are interested in the arguing and all the partisan posturing. I’m more interested in sizing up what I think will happen.
Truth be told, for me this is the ultimate election scenario: I like both candidates. But I’m tired of Obama and think he is a nice guy and progressive but “inert” and “uninterested”.
Furthermore, I don’t think he very much. He had *60* Democrat Senators for several months. Only Obama would piss away a filibuster-proof majority … that hasn’t happened in modern history and he pissed it away.
Contrast to 2004: I couldn’t stand Bush any more. But Kerry was intolerable.
So 2012 will be a great year. I want Obama out of office, but if he gets re-elected he’s all intellectual and stuff.
Partisan????
Ha, ha. Thats a good one. PARTISAN FOR THE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!…… but thats not what you mean.
Voting for whomever the Pukes nominate==THAT is Partisan and the mask that is so easy to pull off your unthinking posturing.
Talking Point: Obama had a filibuster proof majority in Congress==as if Blue Dogs and other Conservatives or liberals in Conservative Majority districts would vote with him? come now==let’s get real?
Obama–not as agressive as I would like and had expected, but truly==I also didn’t expect the Teabags to rule the Puke party as they have and Obama was just naive enough to give them a benefit of the doubt. Hopefully (sic) he has learned and will become the progressive this country needs.
Obama–not what I want at all, but heads and shoulders above everyone in the Puke Party—unless you like liars who wanted Detroit to go bankrupt and then take credit for the Obama save. Passive inert stuff like doing the opposite of the Pukes, and what works?
Terrible Man.
d0-ill misguidedly says:
5/10/2012 at 5:43 pm
Bobbo thinks Obama is a Christian.
By Islamic Law Obama is a Muslim because his father was. By Islamic law if he converts to Christianity he must die. The Iranians among others enforce that law. 80% of Egyptians agree that it is the right thing to do. /// Who gives a crap what Islamic law is? “We” are a Christian Nation. By Christian Law–anyone who claims the faith is accepted…..with various subset denominations having their own specific rules. Why go Islamic when its not really relevant? —-weird.
Like a true liberal, Obama evolved as the facts presented themselves. I’m impressed with this negro.
Did you hear that he had Osama shot in the face while he was at a dinner party?
Gee Dallas–Obama “may be” a liberal but so far right that 20 years ago he would have been a liberal Republican but his message from day one that “you have to push me to get what you want” really does not show a liberal FIRE in his gut. Sadly, too much a politician and not one willing to fight for what even he knows is right.
About being political—-thats the game he is in. I find it impossible to believe that Romney could win this election with the anti-gay vote delivered in North Carolina. Wouldn’t that suck Pedro’s Donkey’s hind tit?
I doubt Obama had any plans to move on gay marriage rights until after the election. I’m sure Biden simply outed him.
Yes, when good men like Obama act like a politician, you know politics is not for good men===look at Romney for instance. Such a bully at school, he can’t remember the individual victims of his tyranny==but now he wants to bring that Mormon Certainty to the whole nation as President.
Yes……..politics. The kind that has Pedro riding the donkey rather than as it should be.
Yea, verily.
Bobbo, Pres Obama is a liberal leaning president. However, he’s also a good leader – meaning he doesn’t feel obliged to subscribe to liberal decisions each time.
I like the fact that he does what it is right after reviewing all the facts which I am not privy to. Unlike sheeple, I know he has far more data pros and cons than I ever will have.
I also want him to play politics because, sadly, that’s a condition for winning in this sorry ass system. Make sense?
Thanks Dallas—I could quibble, but why when I basically agree………..Hmmmm…..or do I?
I think I could actually very much disagree with Obama but sadly there is no one better than him —ANYWHERE!!
……and I don’t even think of myself as that far left, but facts is facts. Maybe I can only feel good about “non-political” presidents who actually go down in flames and get one term only?
First Day In Office: Charge Holder with duty to bring Wallstreet to Justice, close Gitmo, revoke don’t ask dont tell, put single payer healthcare bill in front of Congress, legalize all drugs, invest in green energy research, raise tax on carbon would have been a good first day.
Did he do any of these things? NOoooooo. Does he lean in all these directions? NO.
I was “for” Obama because I thought he would do more than lean on a few.
Now, I only recognize he after all his failures, he reamains head and shoulders above all the other dandruff removers.
……and thats not a bad thing, my high standards are mostly irrelevant.
Reality rides my back like a bitch in hot plastic.
That’s all well and good to do on day one but you’re mistaking a US President with that of a King.
On day one, as president, I would collect all the information that is available to me on those topics as from the smartest people around on that topic.
On day two, I will choose the ACTION on those topics that best reflects my POLICIES towards what is best for all.
On day three, I will sign an executive order for mandatory gay marriages for all and change change the term “marriage” to “gaymarriage”.
Good leader? The only thing he ever “lead” was allowing our Navy Seals to do thier job. Other than that, he just blamed Bush for everything while, no matter how worse he made our economy, he hides behind the tired phrase “It could have been worse!”.
Leader my ass. He’s a partisan hack that has never “led” anything in his life. Well, aside from spending more than every president in the history combined, even Bush, and STILL hasn’t passed a budget, even when he had complete control.
Looking at Michelle I’d say it’s obvious that Barry’s evolving position is simply him coming to the realization that he’s in a gay marriage.
The black community and that church in particular has a certain tendency of gay men marrying ugly/shrill women for appearance sakes. Oprah is in the same church.
Obama’s statement on the matter might have well have been a coming out.
“at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I…”
Gay marriage in general in irrelevant and of trivial importance.
Our elected officials need to concentrate on important things: increasing the number of 4x4s on the freeways, increasing urban sprawl, encouraging bigger houses on bigger lots, outlawing mass transit and discouraging people from living in cities. For the good of mankind, they need to do everything possible to help Americans live the largest lifestyle on the planet. Everything else is of secondary or no importance.
Notice the Pres said, “I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.”
Clever, yet stupid if you really read what he said. Of course it is important for him personally, it’s a statement to get votes and nothing more. Doh!
Otherwise he would have said, “…it is important to me …” not “it is important for me …”
I don’t expect blinded idiots to understand the difference, but the rest of us do. Way to piss off thinking people who have the “gay” as their cause Mr. Prez. Bub-bye … /wave
The part after affirm that I is in his mind ‘am gay;’
So Mr./Mrs./Ms. Eideard —- I’ve never seen a troll be so successful with this post being number 191. This is a record I believe since the new format which sucks (the common wisdom, not my opinion). What was the highest before the new format?
On a related note, a leaked pollster memo to GOP sheeple leaders advising them to get with the program on the obvious.
http://politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/05/bush-pollster-change-in-attitudes-on-gay-marriage-123235.html
People who read into what was said, instead of reading and understanding exactly what was said, are doomed to the succulent appeal of propaganda. Welcome to the /whoosh crowd Dallas.
On another topic Dallas, name calling and innuendo in place of a cognizant argument simply point out your lack of maturity and intelligence.
Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured. ~ Mark Twain
Get some help brother.