Obama Backs Gay Marriage!

[Politico]

Wonderful

Romney's 180 turn on this will make for an interesting topic come the debates.

I don't think he's turning anymore; I think he's just become an amorphous blob:

Moderator: Do you support gay marriage?

Obama: Yes.

Romney: Well, um, uh, well, I, um, certainly support the, um, gay and lesbian, um, well...I'd like to pass on this one, Bob.

Moderator: President Obama, why did you change your opinion on gay marriage?

Obama: Well-uh-I-uh-where's my teleprompter?

Romney: Flip-flopping on gay marriage isn't going to help the economy.

[Politico]

Also, this takes away Obama's ability to attack Romney for being a flip-flopper without looking like a complete hypocrite.

On the surface, I agree, and it was the first thing that came to mind. This is obviously the part that mystifies me because I believed one of the essential ingredients in beating Romney was hammering away at him on the "flip-flopper" label. That appears to be off the table now since obviously the "hypocrite" comeback will be quite powerful, you would think.  However, a part of me still plays this in my head:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dddAi8FF3F4

IMHO, the best thing Team Romney can do is continue to stick to talking about the economy. If anybody asks about this, do not attack Obama and find a way to get back onto talking about the economy.

[Politico]

Wonderful

Romney's 180 turn on this will make for an interesting topic come the debates.

I don't think he's turning anymore; I think he's just become an amorphous blob:

Moderator: Do you support gay marriage?

Obama: Yes.

Romney: Well, um, uh, well, I, um, certainly support the, um, gay and lesbian, um, well...I'd like to pass on this one, Bob.

Moderator: President Obama, why did you change your opinion on gay marriage?

Obama: Well-uh-I-uh-where's my teleprompter?

Romney: Flip-flopping on gay marriage isn't going to help the economy.

did this remind anyone else of the professor?

Big fan of the professor. Alas, I am not him (so far as I know, anyway

[Politico]

Good. Obama's taking a minority stance on this issue, and this could be something Romney needs to fire up conservatives. Also, this takes away Obama's ability to attack Romney for being a flip-flopper without looking like a complete hypocrite.

Not really.

Notice how the opposition grew when President George Walker Bush made it a campaign issue in 2004. We have to do that again. I'm telling ya...if we run from social issues, we lose. If we stand our ground, we win.

Of course it would probably be a 270 electoral vote win and a popular vote loss where Obama loses but still receives millions of more votes than Romney and racial division is increased, but yeah...

Obama owns the economy, and it hurts him. Nobody owns social issues, and the divide is practically 50-50. Why not hammer away at Obama on the economy where he is weak? Obama and Co. want us talking about gay marriage, not the economy. Why give them what they want?

Romney can win on the economy, and social conservatives will win when Romney is POTUS and he is nominating John Roberts-style Supreme Court Justices. There is a strong possibility of losing the election, though, if social issues distract people from the sad state of the economy.

[Politico]

Obama doesn't need to accuse Romney of being a flip flopper - the narrative is already there, and firmly ingrained in the public consciousness.  Obama has already had 'evolving' positions on a number of issues (FISA, health care mandate), and the label doesn't stick.

Obama hasn't really "flip flopped" the way Romney has. Romney has done complete 180s on a number of issues, throughout his political career. And it's so obviously for political expedience in his case.

So what you're saying is that it's just a coincidence that Joe Biden and Barack Obama changed their opinion on gay marriage in 2012 at almost the exact same time? Or are you saying that Democrats are hypocrites? Which is it?

[Politico]

Good. Obama's taking a minority stance on this issue, and this could be something Romney needs to fire up conservatives. Also, this takes away Obama's ability to attack Romney for being a flip-flopper without looking like a complete hypocrite.

Not really.

Notice how the opposition grew when President George Walker Bush made it a campaign issue in 2004. We have to do that again. I'm telling ya...if we run from social issues, we lose. If we stand our ground, we win.

Of course it would probably be a 270 electoral vote win and a popular vote loss where Obama loses but still receives millions of more votes than Romney and racial division is increased, but yeah...

But even the chart shows that it didn't increase very significantly.  It's pretty unlikely that the overall trend is going to just reverse at any time.

I would not be so sure about that. I remember AIDS hysteria and what it did to the gay rights movement. Just like syphilis was trumped by herpes and herpes was trumped by HIV/AIDS, something else will eventually come around to trump HIV/AIDS. Certain lifestyles are not sustainable. And this is coming from somebody who had a dear cousin who secretly lived that type of lifestyle in the '70s and '80s, and paid the ultimate price. It's like a cycle or something. Promoting gay marriage, monogamy among homosexuals, is a good way to help fight those type of lifestyle choices, of course. I support gay marriage. I disagree with Governor Romney on the issue. But I am not convinced the trend with regards to gay marriage is going to continue. History tends to repeat itself, and I remember the backlash against gays at the onset of HIV/AIDS. Due to today's 24/7 media, the backlash will be even worse if another mysterious killer STD comes onto the gay scene.

[Politico]

Wonderful

Romney's 180 turn on this will make for an interesting topic come the debates.

I don't think he's turning anymore; I think he's just become an amorphous blob:

Moderator: Do you support gay marriage?

Obama: Yes.

Romney: Well, um, uh, well, I, um, certainly support the, um, gay and lesbian, um, well...I'd like to pass on this one, Bob.

Moderator: President Obama, why did you change your opinion on gay marriage?

Obama: Well-uh-I-uh-where's my teleprompter?

Romney: Flip-flopping on gay marriage isn't going to help the economy.

Did Obama go to pieces like that, ever, during the debates with McCain?

I was being hyperbolic. Obviously Obama is a great speaker, but just a decent debater (I actually feel like Kerry is a better debater). He needs his teleprompter to really shine, but he is OK without it.

[Politico]

Quick question: Does anybody have polling on the level of support for gay marriage in North Carolina prior to their recent vote against gay marriage? I am curious if the public polling strongly mirrors the private votes.

[Politico]

Quick question: Does anybody have polling on the level of support for gay marriage in North Carolina prior to their recent vote against gay marriage? I am curious if the public polling strongly mirrors the private votes.

PPP had it underwater 34%-57% in their most recent poll of the legal/illegal question.

So a pretty close fit. Thanks.

I'd rather gay marriage not become political football again, like it was in 2004, but then again I support Obama's position. However, he should have come out in favor of this two or three years ago. He's politicized it, and it's a bit unseemly for a president, really, just like it was when Bush pulled this stunt eight years ago, albeit in the opposite direction.

[Politico]

At least Romney supports polygamy

Not true.

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This is actually interesting.