Really Mr. President?

Crockett

Crockett

5,000+ Posts
As one in complete agreement with everything our President said about gay marriage, I can't believe he said it. He's inflicting what could be a mortal wound to his reelection which was already dicy..

The political reality is that there is a lot of condemnation and hostility to everything gay. Recognizing and uplifting the humanity of gay people would be a positive step for humanity. But did he have to do it while trying to win an election?

Acknowledging that if people are going to be gay it's much better to have them in a life-long monagamous relationship where they support and nurture one another is good for society. That is a "brainer" though, not a "no brainer". you have to think about it a little bit.
But the hostility to gays is not an area where folks do careful thinking and this is going to cause an emotional reaction in a lot of folks that doesn't bode well at the ballot box..
 
Takes big balls to come out and put your position out there before the election. It is refreshing to see him do this so that voters know where he stands before the election.
 
How does this announcement hurt Obama? How many voters will change their mind because of this?

This isn't going to hurt him. It certainly is not anything close to a "mortal wound".
 
Meh. It gets people talking about something other than the economy, which he certainly needs. I'd really like to get the viewpoint of a gay or lesbian person on this matter because to me the timing of it just seems like very blatant political pandering.
 
As Shiner points out this diverted attention away from his failed policies.

Someone pointed out that the Dems have to be careful how they frame that vote in NC. blacks voted 2-1 for the amendment. if Dems try to demonize the people who voted for it as Bigots that probably won't set well.

One other point made ws that 190,000 Dems who voted in NC did NOT vote for Presidential nominee.
 
Obama just came clean with the American people, despite the political risks

Mood Ring otoh, has made flip flopping an art form:

Running for MA Governor: "My views are progressive."
Mitt Romney: "I think people recognize that I'm not a partisan Republican, that I'm someone who is moderate, and that my views are progressive."


Romney's views are "Like an Etch-a-Sketch"
Mitt Romney's press spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom: "I think you hit a re-set button for the fall campaign. Everything changes. It's almost like an Etch-A-Sketch. You shake it up and we start all over again."


Romney's DC Money Hunt
Mitt Romney: "I'm a big believer in getting the money where the money is. And the money is in Washington!"


Abortion
Mitt Romney: "I will preserve and protect a woman's right to choose and am dedicated to honoring my word in this regard."


Ronald Reagan
Mitt Romney: "Look, I ws an independent under Reagan-Bush. I'm not trying to return to Reagan-Bush."


Romney's illegal
immigration problem
Mitt Romney: "At the end of that period, registering to become a citizen...and paying a fee are things that are being considered and I think those are reasonable proposals"


Gun Control
Mitt Romney: "We do have tough gun laws in Massachusetts. I support them. I won't chip away at them."


Boy Scouts
Romney: "I feel that all people should be allowed to participate in the Boy Scouts regardless of their sexual orientation."


Mass. Health Care bill - partnering with Ted Kennedy
Romney: "Senator Kennedy, together we pitched the secretaries on our visions to insure all our citizens and on the need for federal support. His work was absolutely essential."


Health Care mandates
Fox News Bret Baier: "You did say on camera, at times you thought it would be a model for the nation." Romney: "You're wrong, Bret. No, no, Bret."


Health Care - predicts nationwide mandates!
Romney: "Those who follow the path that we pursued will find that it's the best path. And we'll end up with a nation that's taken a mandate approach."


Health Care - RomneyCare vs ObamaCare
White House spokesman: "It's ironic that Romney is criticizing the President for pursuing a policy that is virtually identical to the one he had."


Mitt Romney pans the Contract with America
Romney: "In my view, it is not a good idea to go into a contract like what was organized by the Republican Party in Washington."

(October 27,1994, 5 days before Republicans win the US House!)


"Severely conservative governor"
Romney: "I was a SEVERELY CONSERVATIVE Republican Governor.


Climate change flip-flop
Romney #1: "I believe that the world is getting warmer. I be-
lieve humans contribute to that."

Romney #2: "We don't know what's causing climate change...and the idea of spending trillions of dollars to reduce CO2 emissions is not the right course.


National Rifle Association (NRA)
Romney: "I don't line up with the NRA."
 
Romney was simply 'evolving' before Obama made it cool, Satch
cool.gif
 
Wow, after reading that list of quotes by Romney, were I Obama, I'd just air 20-second blurb advertisements that show Mitt saying one thing and then saying exactly the opposite. Over and over and over and over ...
 
...and Romney would just air his own commercials, showing the guarantees Obama made about cutting the deficit in half in his first term, closing Guantanamo Bay within his first year in office, promising Unemployment would never be above 8.5% with Stimulus, that he'd run the most transparent Administration in history, that he'd end earmarks, that the public will have 5 days to review any bill before he signs it, etc..........

The flip flopping is not just affiliated with an R or D. As a libertarian/Independent (sorry, I cannot remember at the moment which you affiliate yourself with), I expect you agree with that?
 
A lot of people are making a big deal out of this. Personally, I think it is the right move for Obama. It makes him seem less wishy washy and more willing to stand up for what he believes. With that said, if he backtracks, he will look like a complete tool. I am curious to see how it will effect polling.

And before people infer my opinion on gay marriage, I don't care that much about the issue unless/until it costs money. Social issues are pretty much secondary to me although I lean libertarian.
 
He might as well say it - it's honest, at least. Who exactly do you think was going to vote for Obama that isn't going to because of this? I don't see it - maybe a few in the black church community, but that will be limited.

This wasn't about courage, this was about shoring up his base. He knows he can't expand his popularity, so he has to make sure that people who care about social issues more than economic issues are squarely onboard. He knows that if the far left isn't energized along with the moderates, he will lose. So he's pandering to every single special interest he can find right now trying to get them fired up.
 
I thought his statements, political or not, were pretty ballsy (no pun intended). It certainly couldn't have helped him except for maybe a quick influx of cash. It could hurt him in November.

One has to assume that he's always been in favor of gay marriage but didn't want to address the issue before the last election. So, why come out now?
 
but Knoxville, if you assume that he was always 'for' gay marriage, why did he address the subject back in 2005 (?) by stating that he was against gay marriage? That's why the proverbial "flip-flop" label is being pointed at him, because it was documented that he was against it, before he was for it (or before he 'evolved').
 
It's not his opinion I disagree with-- it's that it's such a thinly veiled attempt to divert the last 3 years of his term, and to convince the public that his quick 'evolution' is more than political pandering to shore up his base and try to cast Romney in a negative light.

I don't think this will lose him many votes, but I don't think he'll gain many either. I do think, though, that it took away some credibility for him to employ the 'flip-flop' accusation toward Romney, since he's been proven to flip-flop, er, evolve, himself. Romney could just say "it takes one to know one" now, per se.
 
I think it's a very interesting move. One possibility is that perhaps this was done to energize the democratic base as there are many who have become disenfranchised with Obama's presidency. It could have the opposite reaction and energize the religous right. I just don't know, but it just seems very strange from a political standpoint.

Either way, if that is truly his personal stance, I finally have something to agree with Obama on.
 
and of course it had NOTHING to do with Biden's remarks or that there are Gay orgainzation fund raisers coming up soon.


IRC Cheney said the saem thing.
 
It's pretty simple why he did it now. His VP who has very loose lips went off message and proclaimed his support for gay marriage. That pushed Obama into the spotlight to stake a position. The fact that he's in Seattle today which is home turf for gay marriage to continue to address it made yesterday work for the proclamation.

I think this helps in liberal states and solidifies opposition stances for people that were never going to vote for him anyway. The important question is whether this pushes the centrists away from him. Of course, as the Tea Party continues to pull Romney right Obama may be gambling that Mitt can be cast as too conservative to get their vote.
 
Would it be accurate to say that all he's basically said is that he is in favor of it? But didn't he also say that he thinks the states should make the decision in terms of policy?

So has anything really changed? When he campaigns on the idea that he is going to mandate that all the states accept gay marriage, then that would be a gutsy move. But just saying he's OK with gay marriage, to me that doesn't really move the meter much.
 
Michtex
uh no
August 2004The Link
''With respect to the question of relationships, my general view is freedom means freedom for everyone . . . People ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to.

''The question that comes up with the issue of marriage is, what kind of official sanction or approval is going to be granted by government? Historically, that's been a relationship that has been handled by the states. The states have made that fundamental decision of what constitutes a marriage," he said.


and Bush was for civil unions but his consistent stand was on calling it a marriage.
i don't quite get that but reprected his right to that view. I for sure didn't get BO flopping around on it for purely political purposes . I didn't get it when Bo was for gay marraige, then against it then for it , then against it and then for it.
 
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