Obama endorses gay marriage

[mhd]

unabashed politician or ultimate pragmatist? remember, to govern you gotta win

[House]

Im sorry I just got here. The sky fell in and I had to get out from under a cloud. Obama expressed his personal belief. Good for him. By itself its apropos of nothing. However, it will smoke out the loonies. Those lunatics have a great anti-message that will be guaranteed to disgust

Props to the president for expressing his feelings

Props to Biden for speaking his mind

Props to Boehner for not taking the bait

Props to all of the closet homophobes who will do our dirty work for us

Now back to scratching my ass

[Daniel, Grand Duke of Stony Island]

unabashed politician or ultimate pragmatist? remember, to govern you gotta win

All I'm sayin' is I hope it was worth the risk. Already I'm reading comments underneath articles such as "Ignore the plight of poor blacks but fight for gays?!" and "Mr. Obama (and his pollsters) have apparently concluded that earning the full and undying support of the LGBT community, which he has now apparently done, will likely net him more votes in November than he could obtain from the millions of independent, swing voters, many of whom still find this issue troublesome."

Gays are an amalgamated voting block, man. They're already represented by economic status and race. A gay voter who swings liberal would need his or her head examined to vote Romney, anyhow. What's the show for? All this will do is polarize swing voters who see this as a president injecting personal beliefs into governance. Sure, it helps the Hollywood 1% write big checks, but it could put other voters on the opposite side of the fence. If he is paying lip service to the Hollywood elite with this announcement, his team must have determined he could afford to do so.

Yo - that Prop 8 fiasco was black folks voting FOR marriage, NOT against gays. The marketing on the pro-gay/anti Prop 8 side was incredibly weak. They spent tens of millions preaching to the choir, whereas the Mormon supported pro- Prop 8 side courted the black community by twisting the issue NOT as a repudiation but as SUPPORT FOR marriage and Christian values. As I've remarked before, no one went to the black community and asked for it's support to help gays retain their civil rights in Cali. the pro Prop 8 squadrons filed into the churches and mosques, etc. and made their case, and thus the black community responded.

I don't know a black person alive who would cross the street to vote to prevent gays from marrying. We're just not wired that way. We either vote FOR or don't vote at all. There isn't a black family who isn't affected by gay issues. We know. We'd respond. What I don't feel black folks will abide is a black POTUS who has been in office all this time who still eases around the principle of fidelity to the black community. If black folk were indifferent to gay marriage before, they won't be indifferent to a President seeking reelection who pays lip service to moneyed interests and remains blandly general and pensive to discuss conditions specific to black folks in America.

I had an expectation for equanimity from the POTUS. Of course the first black President must use an even hand and show he's the president of all the people. I actually thought the Skip Gates Beerfest was a big mistake. But him crossing into this territory - even if it is to express a soft opinion about a wider issue - is going to make it hard for him to go back to being equanimous on other issues. I just have this image of the black community, en masse, arms folded, smirk on face, thinking "Aight now, Mr. President...you spoke up for them...you gonna speak up for us?!"

Thing is, you know he isn't. And won't. EVER! So in doing this, he is inadvertently appearing to pander. Meanwhile, Romney looks like he's firm on this issue. If his camp plays it right, this could look good for him.

So as I said, I hope there's some data on a desk somewhere that says this was worth it somehow. All I see is Pandora's Box. This may seem different than what I stated before during the Trayvon Martin debates we had, but I gotta be real - if Hollywood gets a gay marriage shout out, Trayvon's parents could've gotten a phone call. Perhaps that's my own evolved position, but whatevz.

[House]

Meanwhile, Romney looks like he's firm on this issue. If his camp plays it right, this could look good for him.

As firm as jello:

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics...t-on-his-mind/

[mhd]

All I'm sayin' is I hope it was worth the risk. Already I'm reading comments underneath articles such as "Ignore the plight of poor blacks but fight for gays?!" and "Mr. Obama (and his pollsters) have apparently concluded that earning the full and undying support of the LGBT community, which he has now apparently done, will likely net him more votes in November than he could obtain from the millions of independent, swing voters, many of whom still find this issue troublesome."

Gays are an amalgamated voting block, man. They're already represented by economic status and race. A gay voter who swings liberal would need his or her head examined to vote Romney, anyhow. What's the show for? All this will do is polarize swing voters who see this as a president injecting personal beliefs into governance. Sure, it helps the Hollywood 1% write big checks, but it could put other voters on the opposite side of the fence. If he is paying lip service to the Hollywood elite with this announcement, his team must have determined he could afford to do so.

Yo - that Prop 8 fiasco was black folks voting FOR marriage, NOT against gays. The marketing on the pro-gay/anti Prop 8 side was incredibly weak. They spent tens of millions preaching to the choir, whereas the Mormon supported pro- Prop 8 side courted the black community by twisting the issue NOT as a repudiation but as SUPPORT FOR marriage and Christian values. As I've remarked before, no one went to the black community and asked for it's support to help gays retain their civil rights in Cali. the pro Prop 8 squadrons filed into the churches and mosques, etc. and made their case, and thus the black community responded.

I don't know a black person alive who would cross the street to vote to prevent gays from marrying. We're just not wired that way. We either vote FOR or don't vote at all. There isn't a black family who isn't affected by gay issues. We know. We'd respond. What I don't feel black folks will abide is a black POTUS who has been in office all this time who still eases around the principle of fidelity to the black community. If black folk were indifferent to gay marriage before, they won't be indifferent to a President seeking reelection who pays lip service to moneyed interests and remains blandly general and pensive to discuss conditions specific to black folks in America.

I had an expectation for equanimity from the POTUS. Of course the first black President must use an even hand and show he's the president of all the people. I actually thought the Skip Gates Beerfest was a big mistake. But him crossing into this territory - even if it is to express a soft opinion about a wider issue - is going to make it hard for him to go back to being equanimous on other issues. I just have this image of the black community, en masse, arms folded, smirk on face, thinking "Aight now, Mr. President...you spoke up for them...you gonna speak up for us?!"

Thing is, you know he isn't. And won't. EVER! So in doing this, he is inadvertently appearing to pander. Meanwhile, Romney looks like he's firm on this issue. If his camp plays it right, this could look good for him.

So as I said, I hope there's some data on a desk somewhere that says this was worth it somehow. All I see is Pandora's Box. This may seem different than what I stated before during the Trayvon Martin debates we had, but I gotta be real - if Hollywood gets a gay marriage shout out, Trayvon's parents could've gotten a phone call. Perhaps that's my own evolved position, but whatevz.

100

[Armento]

unabashed politician or ultimate pragmatist? remember, to govern you gotta win

This is the thing i keep going back to. Needs to win to hopefully do some more good for people.

p.s. funny, just got a text last minute "If you're proud of our president, this is a great time to make a donation to the campaign"

[House]

"Aight now, Mr. President...you spoke up for them...you gonna speak up for us?!"

He did.

http://www.healthcare.gov/

What did we give back to him for going out on a limb on a program that will disproportionately benefit the poor (and for which he is being eviscerated for from here to the Supreme Court)?

Nothing

To quote Sean Connery in Outland: "My men are shit"

And thats the double truth

[Daniel, Grand Duke of Stony Island]

As firm as jello:

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics...t-on-his-mind/

Soft on bullying. His position on gay marriage hasn't changed. Since the last time he changed it, I'm sayin'.

Does Obama beat Romney and get reelected? Oh, yes. Am I supporting the President? Of course. Am I paying attention to who else gets the love from here on out? Well, I wasn't before but now I am. Rodham-Clinton/Booker in 2016. Until then, Make Mine Marvel.

[House]

Soft on bullying. His position on gay marriage hasn't changed. Since the last time he changed it, I'm sayin'.

Does Obama beat Romney and get reelected? Oh, yes. Am I supporting the President? Of course. Am I paying attention to who else gets the love from here on out? Well, I wasn't before but now I am. Rodham-Clinton/Booker in 2016. Until then, Make Mine Marvel.

LOL

I can dig this. He definitely needs to speak up a lil more. However, many of his actions have been right in propping up an endangered black middle class (a great benefit of propping up an endangered white middle class) He gets little love for this because the benefits arent quite so obvious.

He's been fighting a lonely fight

He gets very little support. I hope each person reading this thread remembers what Ann Baxter said to Yul Brynner " before you strike me, show me Moses' head"

[Armento]

To quote Sean Connery in Outland: "My men are shit"

Honestly, I have to agree with this, and include myself. I've been observing that my lefty and center to lefty friends all over the place always seem to have to find something to criticize about the POTUS. Even in positive moves every angle is considered and a negative one is highlighted. I read it all the time, especially on FB. It's bad enough that righty and biased people just take a hard stance agaist the administration, but we on the left are far from having his back.

[House]

Honestly, I have to agree with this, and include myself. I've been observing that my lefty and center to lefty friends all over the place always seem to have to find something to criticize about the POTUS. Even in positive moves every angle is considered and a negative one is highlighted. I read it all the time, especially on FB. It's bad enough that righty and biased people just take a hard stance agaist the administration, but we on the left are far from having his back.

Damn dude

Props for honesty!

Peace

[Daniel, Grand Duke of Stony Island]

I say he open the flood gates.

"My personal position is that gays should have the right to marry...black people deserve reparations...Prince really is better than Michael Jackson...John Boehner's spray tan looks ridiculous...I don't really care Tiger Woods fucked all them hoes...every Boston sports team is wack...I prefer Sportin' Waves to Murray's...and unlike my VP Joe, who loves titties, I myself am an ass man. God bless the United States of America."

Leave no place for the fence sitters to rest their asses, knawmean?!

[Armento]

Ill say it. There is no way this wasn't choreographed.

And now we have the full picture! It was also choreographed with the news dropping of Willard Romney playing barber to some gay kid they were bullying back in school -drawing clear contrasts

[AK]

And now we have the full picture! It was also choreographed with the news dropping of Willard Romney playing barber to some gay kid they were bullying back in school -drawing clear contrasts

There is a treasure trove of unflattering dirt on Mitt. That's all I'm sayin'...

[Daniel, Grand Duke of Stony Island]

And now we have the full picture! It was also choreographed with the news dropping of Willard Romney playing barber to some gay kid they were bullying back in school -drawing clear contrasts

Folks who find gay rights important need this president's help, not lip service. To make an assertion regarding personal opinion, but cite there would be no official policy (i.e. 'This is a states rights issue.") is pointless. The WashPo, however, reports the following:

A review of Obama’s top bundlers, who have brought in $500,000 or more for the campaign, shows that about one in six publicly identify themselves as gay. His overall list of bundlers also includes a number of gay couples who have wed in jurisdictions where same-sex marriage was legal.

And then there's this wonderful staff photo of Obama Campaign HQ (apologies I found it at Daily Caller):



Frickin' Swiss Alps, it's so white in there. A goddamned staff blizzard.

So yeah, issues that are important to the white middle class are at the forefront of this election cycle. Marriage equality is one of those issues. Timely, but for me, disappointing.

[DeesKo]

BREAKING NEWS!!!!

BREAKING NEWS!!!!


Washington DC - Staff Reporter Sandy Labotomy

It has been reported today that immediately prior to his morning staff meeting, President Obama took time to sit down on the Presidential throne and take a good shit.

House Republicans have called it "disgusting" and an inappropriate use of facilities while declaring his shit represented everything that is wrong with the current President's policies.

"To take a shit immediately before a staff meeting shows an inexcusable lack of respect for the Cabinet. To walk into such important meetings reeking of fresh hand soap, and at the risk of
having toilet paper stuck to one's shoe is indicative of an unfortunate flaw in the President's time management skills. To walk into such a setting, where important decisions that
affect the entire globe are to be made, with that fresh after-shit feeling of relief, with your endorphins running and your pleasure center of your brain clearly being stimulated just leads to
poor decision making."

Prominent Democrats have been noted as comparing this to talking with your mouth full or setting off a Silent But Deadly on Air Force One without any warning and are clearly concerned that the
timing of his shit indicate a preference for shitting to meetings and seem to feel that it is unbecoming of the president and have noted Boehner's preference for simply being full of shit.

Prominent political speakers paid to sit in front of a camera and make up shit to talk about (literally) 24 hours a day have noted that the President's move appears to be political pandering to the
Moen lobbyists and have proclaimed this shit to be proof that the President is yet another in a long line of pandering, sniveling politicians who will do or say anything to get re-elected.

[Armento]

[House]

Folks who find gay rights important need this president's help, not lip service. To make an assertion regarding personal opinion, but cite there would be no official policy (i.e. 'This is a states rights issue.") is pointless. The WashPo, however, reports the following:



And then there's this wonderful staff photo of Obama Campaign HQ (apologies I found it at Daily Caller):



Frickin' Swiss Alps, it's so white in there. A goddamned staff blizzard.

So yeah, issues that are important to the white middle class are at the forefront of this election cycle. Marriage equality is one of those issues. Timely, but for me, disappointing.

Volunteering for the Obama campaign has been open to all people and races. They NEED volunteers

[Dolemite73]

There is a treasure trove of unflattering dirt on Mitt. That's all I'm sayin'...

Very interesting....not surprising though. This election is going to be a serious and dirty fight and I suspect that Axelrod and Plouff aren't bring knives to gunfights.

[Dal-Tex]

I see Obama losing votes because of this.

[Detroitbootybass]

I see Obama losing votes because of this.

If he lost the votes of a few religious bigots, he'd make them up with by energizing people in the 18-29 age group and the gay community. It'll be a net wash. Besides, a majority of the country supports, and has supported for a while now, the notion that gay people should be able to marry:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/154529/Ha...-Marriage.aspx

[Ronnie Ron]

As long as he was working on stabilizing the economy, cleaning up the previous administration's foreign policy mistakes, remaining true to his word about ending these protracted wars and being equinanimous about all fringe community concerns - either by not taking positions on issues that wouldn't solve big problems or deferring that talk to other more pressing issues - I would be down for whatever the POTUS saw fit.

He and Biden gave extra special attention to a wedge issue which is a concern of an AMALGAMATED VOTING BLOCK (middle class white voters who HAPPEN TO BE gay and want to get married).

Rampant black unemployment and the disenfranchisement of 12 MILLION BLACK WORKERS completely off the grid is a problem that weighs down THE ENTIRE UNION, but the Obama Administration has yet to even face in that direction and accept that nique and specific condition.

The day before he courts Hollywood donors, he announces some sea change in personal views on gay marriage. The DAY BEFORE. Not the week or month before. MOMENTS PRIOR.

I had perhaps a naive view of President Obama as a reluctant politician. With this, he just seems like an unabashed politician. Can't admit the black community has been affected disproportionally by the economic downturn. Can't place emphasis on the Trayvon Martin tragedy. Can't call the Armenian Genocide a genocide, exactly. But the night before he's to arrive at the home of the biggest stars in Hollywood with checkbooks ready, somehow broadcasting this evolution in personal opinion on gay marriage was politically expedient?

I need my leaders to display equanimity. I need to feel an even hand. There are a lot of poor, gay blacks who are suffering. There are a lot of political groups in the US who are aching for recognition. As long as he wasn't displaying favor in any one direction, I was willing to suspend analysis. He's now shown deference to ONE GROUP (mind you, I don't see them as a group, but politicians and their handlers do). What of the other groups? Why now? Why this? The questions start coming. The answers, however, aren't.

Its better to know the Devil. The Prez hasnt done everything right, he has made some mistakes and he should be called on them, but if you think that this guy Romney is gonna give you these things Pre. Obama didnt your fooling yourselves, I work for the government and the last thing i want is a Romney Presidency. This man (Prez) has people against him every where he turns, I think he has done a wonderful job considering all the mess he has had to face during his first tour. I can tell you why he has done a wonderful job because these racist, ignorant evil people here in Ohio hate his gutz (there are some good people here there is always an aception to the rule) thats telling you he is doing a great job, if he wasnt they would love him.

This may sound a bit extreme and sometimes i can be when it comes to politics, this guy Romney if i had my way i would tell him to turn around and put his hands behind his back while i hand cuff him for treason, hiding his money in the islands while not paying his fair share of taxes and he wants to be the president? what type of crap is that? you want to talk about Obama and what he hasnt done, well what is this moron about to do if he becomes the next POTUS. It took 8 years for GWB and his ilk to put us in this position, certainly one man and his Administration cant reverse all this while being fought all the way from a house of reps that have been taken over by the tea party and other fringe groups. Also not to mention the Koke brothers and the right wing supreme court we now have to deal with, i thing the Prez has done remarkable if you put all this into consideration. has he been perfect? NO but he is a far cry better than the folks that are trying to break down the door of the White House so they can put more money in the hands of the rich. its amazing how they have managed to bring social issues into the fold to make folks vote against there insterests because of blind hate and bigotry, Welcome to America! Oh bye the way, Nice one Prez everyone deserves equal rights, no matter who they may be.

[Dal-Tex]

If he lost the votes of a few religious bigots, he'd make them up with by energizing people in the 18-29 age group and the gay community. It'll be a net wash. Besides, a majority of the country supports, and has supported for a while now, the notion that gay people should be able to marry:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/154529/Ha...-Marriage.aspx

The problem is most of the US is not like San Fran or NYC. It's cheesy suburbia folks that go to Church on Sunday. So same sex mairrage is viewed as sodom and gomorrah. I'm not religious or ant-Gay but travel around the US. Most folks are not very liberal.

[Detroitbootybass]

The problem is most of the US is not like San Fran or NYC. It's cheesy suburbia folks that go to Church on Sunday. So same sex mairrage is viewed as sodom and gomorrah. I'm not religious or ant-Gay but travel around the US. Most folks are not very liberal.

The majority of the US population now resides in the suburbs (51%). Pew polling shows that they are mostly white, middle-income, independent (not a member of either political party), college-educated, and not regular church-goers. All those sub-groups have a majority support for gay marriage. Your comment about same sex marriage being portrayed in a 'Sodom & Gomorrah' lens certainly applies to fervent Evangelicals, but they are not widely common outside of the Deep South. Outside of the ex-slave states, Evangelicalism is relegated to the low-population rural areas (which are already strongly Republican).

Now, a number of urban black churches may also hold this view of gay marriage, but the President will still get a vast majority of their support in the fall election. And a President gets into the White House via the Electoral College... and there is no way that Mitt Romney can snag urban cities for himself in November. Catholic church-goers are typically Republican, but even a majority of Catholics support same-sex marriage. That being said, I don't see any notable swing with Obama's recent comments on the issue.


Here is a Gallup polls' findings conducted a week ago:



Independent voters (which are mostly suburban) support gay marriage by 17 percentage points. And that trendline is only going higher. Same-sex marriage isn't viewed as a 'liberal' cause - it's now mainstream and supported by a healthy majority of 'moderates'. The only thing you can say is that opposition to same-sex marriage is mostly a 'conservative' cause.

[Daniel, Grand Duke of Stony Island]

Population is one thing. Electorate is another. This middle-America middle class white voter may not necessarily be put off by Obama's endorsement of marriage equality. Doesn't mean they'll be marching to the polls for him over it either. What gets feet moving to their polling place is issues that are within their interests. No one is following the herd to check Democratic in November because gays marrying isn't a big deal to them. What they may say, however, is that the POTUS chose to chase gay donor money with his announcement, as well as distract voters from a slow economi recovery by taking a provocative personal position on a relative electoral non-issue - and then leveraging it as some courageous move.

It may have made his campaign some money. Let's hope that money covers the impact this will have on folks who do care, and not because they are against marriage equality but they can't abide the president sidestepping larger, community specific issues to show the gay middle class he deserves their dough. You guys should really stop rationalizing the effect here. You guys should also stop assuming the black vote is on lock. Black folks may not vote for Romney, but that doesn't mean they'll show up for Obama again. It isn't new any longer. If black folks aren't specifically moved, they don't show. Latinos already have huge beef over the increase in deportations and the failure of the Dream Act. That's two big ass communities to motivate within 6mos.