Raven Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 I'm not American, but I still find this exciting: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1175685--obama-voices-his-support-for-gay-marriage I feel sorry for him though; this is going to open up a huge can of worms. He has portrayed himself as a man of God, and now that he has spoken about his support for same-sex marriage, some folks are going to try to mar his relationship with God and call him unChristian. Sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soma Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 It is sad, but he has chosen to lead and not be afraid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 That was good to see. I read it here in our news this morning too. So I would add that it will have an effect beyond US borders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeW Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 (edited) All of the analyses I have read so far are about the political calculations that the analyst thinks went into the decision. I would not be so naive as to suggest that there was no political consideration given. But, isn't it possible that he was just doing the right thing without regard to, or in spite of, the political consequences? The cynical assumption seems to be that all politicians, all the time act only in their own political best interest and every decision is calculated to win votes or energize the base. But, there are clear exceptions. Lyndon Johnson was fully aware of the political cost that he and his party would pay for the Civil Rights Act in 1964. Whatever the motivation may have been, it was the right decision to make. George Edited May 10, 2012 by GeorgeW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minsocal Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Michele and Barack Obama have been associated with the United Church of Christ for over 20 years. This denomination was the first to endorse marriage equality. He had said for some time that his views were continuously evolving. This I understood, and trusted. BTW, he also gave credit to Michele who appears to have been a strong influence and source of support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeW Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Myron, Obama has been proactive with respect to gay rights throughout his presidency. He pushed for revoking Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell. He had ordered that the government not enforce the Defense of Marriage Act. So, this was not an etch-a-sketch moment. George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minsocal Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Myron, Obama has been proactive with respect to gay rights throughout his presidency. He pushed for revoking Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell. He had ordered that the government not enforce the Defense of Marriage Act. So, this was not an etch-a-sketch moment. George George, I understand the 'etch-a-sketch' term, he he. There was another moving comment he made concerning his daughters. He said that they attend school with children of same sex couples and cannot comprehend why anyone should not be allowed to marry. Thanks. Myron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted May 10, 2012 Author Share Posted May 10, 2012 It's always refreshing to see someone of prominence stand up and say, "Yes, I've changed my mind about this. Yes, I've evolved." It takes guts to do that, especially when so much of the world is watching and waiting. My super-fundy cousins are already up in arms about the whole thing. Times like this, I'm happy that Facebook has the "unsubscribe" option. Blech. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rivanna Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 It's always refreshing to see someone of prominence stand up and say, "Yes, I've changed my mind about this. Yes, I've evolved." It takes guts to do that, especially when so much of the world is watching and waiting. Well said. I so admire him for doing this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 All of the analyses I have read so far are about the political calculations that the analyst thinks went into the decision. I would not be so naive as to suggest that there was no political consideration given. But, isn't it possible that he was just doing the right thing without regard to, or in spite of, the political consequences? The cynical assumption seems to be that all politicians, all the time act only in their own political best interest and every decision is calculated to win votes or energize the base. But, there are clear exceptions. Lyndon Johnson was fully aware of the political cost that he and his party would pay for the Civil Rights Act in 1964. Whatever the motivation may have been, it was the right decision to make. George It's still the right decision, of course. WASHINGTON (AP) — Sorry, Mr. President. After nearly single-handedly pushing gay marriage to the forefront of the presidential campaign and inadvertently pressuring President Barack Obama to declare his support for same-sex unions, there was only one thing left for Vice President Joe Biden to do: apologize. Biden's mea culpa came Wednesday in the Oval Office, shortly before the president sat for a hastily arranged interview in which he told the American people that he now supported gay marriage. The vice president expressed remorse and regret for declaring his support for same-sex unions ahead of Obama, said a person familiar with the exchange, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversation. Obama accepted the apology, saying he knew Biden had only been speaking from the heart. Biden's apology followed days of frustration in the West Wing after the vice president went off script, something he had done plenty of times. Without White House approval, Biden declared on a Sunday talk show that he was "absolutely comfortable" with same-sex married couples having the same rights as heterosexual married couples. Usually Obama can swat away Biden's free-wheeling ways. But not this time. The vice president had publicly broken rank with the president on a politically sensitive issue. And his remarks focused a fresh spotlight on what Obama had vaguely referred to as "evolving" views on gay marriage. What few people outside of Obama's inner circle of six or seven close aides knew at the time was that the president had, in fact, finished that evolution months earlier and was waiting for a suitable opportunity to inform the public of his views. Biden's comments accelerated those plans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 (edited) This in our news today. No suprises who is going to get the guts kicked out of them in the lead up to the US's next polarising election. I wonder if gay marriage will be THE election battleground? What is it about some Christians that make them feel that 'family' is so threatened by gay marriage. Do they honestly think that all of a sudden people are going to choose to be gay because it's legalised? Are people who would otherwise be mums and dads, all of a sudden going to become mums and mums/dads and dads and wipe childbirth off the face of the earth? REPUBLICAN White House challenger Mitt Romney, wooing social conservatives, has adamantly rejected same-sex marriage and trumpeted his belief in Christian values and the family. Three days after Barack Obama became the first US president to back gay and lesbian marriage, Mr Romney told university graduates that the "pre-eminence of the family" remains at the heart of the principles that underpin the nation. "As fundamental as these principles are, they may become topics of democratic debate," the presumptive Republican nominee told the class of 2012 at Liberty University, the biggest Christian campus in the United States. "So it is today with the enduring institution of marriage. Marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman," he said, raising a loud cheer from a crowd of more than 25,000 -- the biggest so far in this campaign season. Mr Romney, who did not directly refer to gays or lesbians, had previously voiced opposition to gay marriage, although he has also stated same-sex couples should have some rights such as child adoption. But today's speech was his unbowed rebuttal in a week dominated by Obama's landmark endorsement of gay marriage, and the Republican hopeful sought to set himself apart from the President in the run up to November's election. "Central to America's rise to global leadership is our Judeo-Christian tradition, with its vision of the goodness and possibilities of every life," he said in a speech punctuated with references to God. "Take those away, or take them for granted, and so many things can go wrong in a life. Keep them strong, and so many things will go right." Edited May 13, 2012 by PaulS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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