If Obama wins the election, will his public position be in favor of gay marriage?

[Humes fork]

If Obama wins the election later this year (which I think he will), do you think that sometime in the following four years his public position will be in favor of gay marriage?

I personally think so, considering his past flip-flopping on the issue. I think he personally sees nothing wrong with, but doesn't go for it right now due to political reasons (no reason to reinforce his image as a "secular socialist"). He will probably claim his position "evolved", or whatever the fancy term is these days.

 

[TragicMonkey]

I predict he'll simply avoid the issue entirely. I think marriage equality is inevitable, but not imminent. Perhaps by 2020.

 

[keale]

Possible

 

[keale]

I predict he'll simply avoid the issue entirely. I think marriage equality is inevitable, but not imminent. Perhaps by 2020.

Given current trends id say thats about right 2020-2025 or so
As a side note id apply that to UHC also

 

[AlBell]

If he ever actually decides he does favor gay marriage, I only hope he takes that stand before the Nov election.

Gays will vote for him no matter what, and pro-gay-marriage might get a few more Republicans to the polls.

 

[Tricky]

If he ever actually decides he does favor gay marriage, I only hope he takes that stand before the Nov election.

Gays will vote for him no matter what, and pro-gay-marriage might get a few more Republicans to the polls.

It's for exactly that reason that he won't do or say much of anything about it before the election. Obama's not stupid.

 

[ravdin]

Not in the first two years. He'll still have to work with Congress.

Maybe just before he leaves office, when he has lame duck status anyway and he'll want to think about his legacy.

 

[seayakin]

I predict he'll simply avoid the issue entirely. I think marriage equality is inevitable, but not imminent. Perhaps by 2020.

Ditto

 

[leftysergeant]

He has more pressing issues to deal with without igniting the sort of fireworks that the wrong wingers who survive this election cycle will bring to bear. He will already have an up-hill fight fixing the broken tax codes He doesn't need to be distracted by some pack of whacktards screaming about how "The damn Muslim wants to take away our stuff and give it to the queers for a wedding present."

 

[Dessi]

If he ever actually decides he does favor gay marriage, I only hope he takes that stand before the Nov election.

Gays will vote for him no matter what, and pro-gay-marriage might get a few more Republicans to the polls.

I read this comment and my stomach immediate sank and went cold. It absolutely frightens me that anyone would consciously appeal to the most vile anti-gay bigots to score votes. Its not a voting strategy, attitudes like that fan the flames of anti-gay bias and cause real harm to Americans like me. Its exactly the same as scoring political points by playing on racial fears and anti-semitism.

There are lots of good criticisms of the Obama administration, but its is never ever ever appropriate to marginalize LGBT people for political advantage.

 

[Dragoonster]

No. I don't think Obama is withholding support for it because of reelection concerns. I think he simply doesn't support it, or at least not strongly enough to do anything real about it. Also think very little progressive issues some think he's been holding back on will get any play after he's elected.

And finally, I don't think conservative Congressional strife has much if anything to do with this. This guy has actively pushed for plenty of neoconservative things, going above and beyond Bush in many of them, and many of these he's done without any involvement with Congress at all. 90% of (the crappy neocon things) Obama's done this term is HIS agenda.

That said, the DADT repeal could well mean he actually does care about the gay marriage issue. But I'm pessimistic.

 

[Unabogie]

There was a recent article in the Washington Post that said that the Obama people are seriously considering a position change on this before the election. So I think it's possible before the election, but 100% sure before he leaves office.

 

[Unabogie]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...3/23/gIQAnhI3VS_blog.html?wprss=rss_plum-line

Obama’s top political advisers have held serious discussions with leading Democrats about the upsides and downsides of coming out for gay marriage before the fall election, a Democratic strategist who has discussed these matters directly with Obama's campaign inner circle tells me.

 

[Tsukasa Buddha]

Ah, hope springs eternal. Will he also come out as an atheist ?

I would hope he did it sooner rather than later, so Santorum et al. wouldn't be able to say, "My position is the same as the President's." He's been "evolving" on the issue for a long time now.

If the current rumours are accurate, then it means he is a spineless stooge who puts his and his party's political success above fighting for the rights of others.

 

[SezMe]

There was a recent article in the Washington Post that said that the Obama people are seriously considering a position change on this before the election. So I think it's possible before the election, but 100% sure before he leaves office.

I don't think Obama's people is quite right. Rather, some Dems are pushing it. I think Obama's people are smart enough to want to leave the whole thing off the election table. Hence the Dem platform will include enough weasel words for Obama to never speak about it unless pressed and, if so, he'll use those same weasel words.

I'm also a pessimist regarding Obama on this. I don't think he supports gay marriage at all. Equal rights? Sure. Gay marriage? I doubt it. Much of the hope that he'll support it is more of a reflection of liberal desires, not liberal reality.

Here, how's this: Republicans own the White House from 2016 to 2024. At the end of that term, Dems go full out on gay marriage in the 2024 election, win, and push it through Congress right away. Jeeeeze, do I have to wait that long to collect my mil?

 

[332nd]

It would be great, but it would it would be a gamble politically because then, any Democrat running for POTUS in 2016 would likely have to distance himself from him due to the bigoted idiocy that Al Bell pointed out.

Now if it's Biden, they can figure that out in private & Joe can help make the call on that. If it's someone from Congress, he'll have to deal with fighting with them even more to get anything else done. Of course that assumes he for it in the first place.

 

[crimresearch]

I think he will pass the buck as he did with DADT, until the courts and perhaps public opinion have jelled in favor, and it will be safer for him to support.

I would hazard a guess that could come just before the end of his next term.

 

[KoihimeNakamura]

You can only really move with public opinion. That said, election considerations are pretty important.

 

[kellyb]

No. I don't think Obama is withholding support for it because of reelection concerns. I think he simply doesn't support it, or at least not strongly enough to do anything real about it. Also think very little progressive issues some think he's been holding back on will get any play after he's elected.

And finally, I don't think conservative Congressional strife has much if anything to do with this. This guy has actively pushed for plenty of neoconservative things, going above and beyond Bush in many of them, and many of these he's done without any involvement with Congress at all. 90% of (the crappy neocon things) Obama's done this term is HIS agenda.

That said, the DADT repeal could well mean he actually does care about the gay marriage issue. But I'm pessimistic.

My perception is the same. He had to be ruthlessly harassed by activists into repealing DADT, too. But, at least he did do it (one of his few progressive moves) so, you never know.

 

[Chaos]

I read this comment and my stomach immediate sank and went cold. It absolutely frightens me that anyone would consciously appeal to the most vile anti-gay bigots to score votes. Its not a voting strategy, attitudes like that fan the flames of anti-gay bias and cause real harm to Americans like me. Its exactly the same as scoring political points by playing on racial fears and anti-semitism.

There are lots of good criticisms of the Obama administration, but its is never ever ever appropriate to marginalize LGBT people for political advantage.

Americans like him don´t care about Americans like you, didn´t you notice? Certainly not as long as harming you can make it more likely for them to grab power.

I have to say, it´s a lovely country you´re living in, with such warm, compassionate and tolerant people.