“While President Obama has played politics on this issue, the Republican Party and our presumptive nominee Mitt Romney have been clear. We support maintaining marriage between one man and one woman and would oppose any attempts to change that.” – Reince Priebus, RNC

Fox Nation headline, via Media Matters (It was changed within an hour.)
IT’S GOING TO BE A HOT TIME at George Clooney’s Hollywood fundraiser for Pres. Obama tonight.
May the gods bless V.P. Joe Biden, who laid down a solid roll out for Barack Obama by speaking out on “Meet the Press” that was followed by a statement from the President that made history.
Even Alex Castellanos on CNN, after Obama’s statement became breaking news, questioned the intelligence of Republicans being against love, which will leave the next generation out of reach. Yes, Alex Castellanos actually said that, though he also said Obama will lose “Reagan Democrats, the cultural blue-collar Reagan Democrats in states like Ohio and North Carolina and Pennsylvania — important swing states.” Evidently, Mr. Castellanos missed the jailbird vote in West Virginia from Tuesday, because the voters he cites are already long gone for Obama.
If you want to be cynical, the President’s statement on marriage equality will excite Obama’s Democratic base, if anything, which is really what he needs to do right now.
Obama’s statement of support for marriage equality also lands same sex couples in a position to put states rights on trial through their pocketbooks. Because if you’re gay or lesbian and in a committed partnership or want to be, there’s no reason to continue to live in a state that doesn’t respect your civil right to form a legal family, proving it doesn’t deserve your money. Jobs make it rough to bolt, but living openly and being legally protected in a loving family should become an economic issue for states, because that’s where the battles will now be fought.
A message from Pres. Obama is important, but it won’t change everything, because we all know Congress is worthless, with Pres. Obama making the decision his administration would no longer defend section 3 of DOMA over a year ago.
So, with all this to talk about, it makes perfect sense that an article from Politico, written by Glenn Thrush and Carrie Budoff Brown, surfaced casting “blame” on Biden. Because we all have to keep churning stuff out no matter how ridiculous and Politico couldn’t seem to think outside their insider bubble to cast a net toward Republicans and what it means for them. Instead, the high school version was assigned, with thesaurus at the ready, on how Biden “forced” Obama’s hand, “deeply annoyed Obama’s team,” followed by the weirdly written phrase “nor did it tickle anyone” that Joe had been caught on video being Joe. It was followed by “chafed,” to once again describe the Obama team’s reaction to V.P. Joe Biden’s remarks. All of this came after an initial piece from Politico reporting “Biden forced Obama’s hand”… blah, blah, blah.
Politico’s Thrush and Budoff Brown dumbed it all down to this: “But the damage control was anything but a joke.”
When does a statement of support delivered by the president of the United States to people who love one another, encouraging acceptance of them to be able to form a family with legal protections, including for children, require “damage control”?
Maggie Haberman reports what I believe is the strongest angle in the whole unwinding, which didn’t begin this week, whether we’re talking Biden or Arne Duncan, but was a cumulative evolution that was helped exponentially by the strong views of First Lady Michelle Obama, along with an assist from Valeria Jarrett. These two women have given Pres. Obama his best council, most of which surfaced in action well after Rahm Emanuel’s departure, in case anyone is keeping track.
Then there was Barack Obama’s two young daughters, Sasha and Malia, the next generation capable of teaching each of us where the future lies if we listen. Is it so hard to believe their dad did just that?
However, if any one thing was the trip wire for Obama speaking out now it was just as likely to have been the painful and obviously disastrous White House press briefing by Jay Carney. If that didn’t shock Pres. Obama into moving nothing would, because it unfolded in a manner that proved the subject was never going to be tamped down.
The most important story beyond Pres. Obama making history is where this leaves the Republican party and Mitt Romney.
In the dust of things undone from the 20th century and they’re evidently not going to budge. This is the story, because it’s a jolting moment for the GOP, as the Democratic party lays down yet another historic civil rights marker, this time for activists to follow in states across the country.
Mitt Romney’s comments were predictably small, because they’re moored in religious conservatism, well outside the fulcrum of civil rights.
Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, while challenging Obama on marriage equality, which has now been met by the President, easily wipes the floor with Romney on the issue, who’s becoming a less attractive presidential candidate every day.
“Well, when these issues were raised in my state of Massachusetts, I indicated my view, which is I do not favor marriage between people of the same gender, and I do not favor civil unions if they are identical to marriage other than by name,” Romney told KDVR. “My view is the domestic partnership benefits, hospital visitation rights, and the like are appropriate but that the others are not.” – Yahoo! News
We can no longer accept or tolerate religious interference in the business of progress, because as a nation we can no longer afford the price we pay in productivity.
It’s like the entire world is moving to a place in the 21st century that encourages the expansion of civil rights and human rights, while Republicans hold fast to the notion that “Leave it to Beaver” can be recreated off a Hollywood set in a century that will leave the U.S. behind if we don’t empower every American to their best self, their best life, which includes bringing more and more families, as well as forgotten children, together, uniting loved ones in honor, dignity and protected status so that no person feels excluded from the pursuit of happiness and the American dream.
Fox Nation screencapture via Media Matters.
right on! a big day in civil rts history. big.
“Hugely entertaining to see the heads of wingnuts and Obama haters explode again, this is definitely not a “present” vote.”
To quote John Travolta from some gawd(who ain’t even there) awful movie…”ain’t it cool!”
My guess is that deep down he was always in favor of marriage equality, he just did not think it was politically expedient to take a strong stand. I don’t know how TM knows that Michelle was a strong influence behind his “evolved” position, but if it is true more power to her…Go Michelle!
Taylor, you spent a lot of words and could have just made this one statement. It’s a good statement.
#religionpoisonseverything
Once again President Barack Obama has come tantalizingly close to being terrific. —Robert Scheer, Truthdig
Yep. That’s what he does. Barack likes the sound and cadence of his own voice when he says fierce urgency of now, but his balls shrivel up when it’s time to man up.
This is is reply to RR’s comment.
Well I love to dance, so I try to keep a contrarian’s hat and do the happy dance.
Ha! That’s fair.
Here is my hope: very soon, a reporter asks the president if the right to marry is a constitutional right, and he gives a simple yes. Done.
That makes absolutely no sense to me. The only people who can make that decision are SCOTUS or Congress. He could answer the question, but it would only be his opinion. And you’ve already commented ad nauseam that his opinion isn’t worth a bucket of warm spit. So what would be the point?
William Safire’s “Nattering Nabobs of Negativity” phrase comes to mind whenever I read your comments.
Ogenec, I know that Barack can’t change it by himself, but an acknowledgment from a constitutional scholar-president that marriage is a constitutional right is in not too much to expect.
Exactly, SpinCity. Full faith and credit and all that. School Solo on that, please.
By the way, Taylor, the bigoted, hate-mongering, religious cretins who support banning gay marriage always boast that 30-something states have some sort of ban. The problem with these fundamentalist types is that they don’t practice birth control and therefore, propagate their ignorance and intolerance at an alarming rate. Not all religions are bad. Just the ones who hide behind Jesus and God to justify their barbaric treatment of anyone who isn’t just like them.
Does anyone have a list of states that have not enacted some type anti-gay marriage laws?
Google is your friend.
I see that you are above hatered, ignorance and bigotry. Which religions. as you say ” Just the ones who hide behind Jesus and God to justify their barbaric treatment of anyone who isn’t just like them.” ? “Who” is this religion(s).
Religion poisons everything.
“Not all religions are bad. Just the ones who hide behind Jesus and God to justify their barbaric treatment of anyone who isn’t just like them.”
If it involves “belief” in a superNATural being or any such nonsense…yes, yes they ARE bad.
And certainly should have no bearing whatsoever in the formulation of public policy.
Good stuff, Spin, and being raised with and by the fundies, I have gone through that same explaining exercise many times myself. Nowadays, it is oh so much easier to say, “You know what? I’m an atheist, and we don’t live in a theocracy. Your book has no bearing on the argument. None at all.”
great points spin~
I have to concur with Rick on this one. He waits for the path of least risk. It makes him no better or worse than any other national politician, but of course he rode in on the narrative of “new politics.” We have ourselves a pair of very risk-averse presidential candidates.
A contrarian might ask why Barack didn’t finish evolving a day before the North Carolina vote instead of a day after. He could have made a difference in that vote.
No, no he couldn’t. Sorry, but NC is right in the heart of JEEBUS lovin peekerwood central.
I actually thought his announcing this the day AFTER was brilliant. REALLY defines a difference between those who think the Constitution should apply to everyone and those who don’t.
Sec, you are right, and I should have worded my comment differently. Coming out earlier wouldn’t have changed the outcome of the vote, but it would have meant the world to gay people living in North Carolina.
What is said, can’t be unsaid in this case. Gays+1
Just curious sec, are you a peckerwood?
I only ask because I have some peckerwood blood so we may be related.
🙄
That just made me spit beer! What the hell is a peckerwood?
Just looked it up. Awesome!
😆
why thank you Rick!
Hey, Sasha, have you read Larry Brown? He’s dead now, but he was an author in the best tradition of Mississippi authors. Pretty sure he had peckerwood blood in him. I recommend Big Bad Love and Old Frank and Jesus as a start.
Not peckerwood, TexASSian, left when I was two and haven’t been back since. have ZERO contact with the birth family still living there.
“Obama says those who oppose gay marriage are not ‘mean-spirited’”
Well he is dead wrong on that. Yes, yes they are mean spirited…and hatefilled and superstitionaddled as well. They are basically the forces of ignorance and darkness. For real.
IMHO Joe Biden is the one beating heart of this Administration.
FYI…I might be off one state because I keep hearing that there are 31 states that ban it, but I can only find 30, with 20 not banning and some actually allowing gay marriage by law. According to my source from Google, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York and Washington, DC actually allow gay marriage. Here are all the states that do not have bans on Gay marriage:
1. Connecticut
2. Delaware
3. Hawaii
4. Illinois
5. Indiana
6. Iowa
7. Maine
8. Maryland
9. Massachusetts
10. Minnesota
11. New Hampshire
12. New Jersey
13. New Mexico
14. New York
15. Pennsylvania
16. Rhode Island
17. Vermont
18. Washington
19. West Virginia
20. Wyoming
These states have bans:
1. Alabama
2. Alaska
3. Arizona
4. Arkansas
5. California (with the passage of Prop 8)
6. Colorado
7. Florida
8. Georgia
9. Kansas
10. Kentucky
11. Idaho
12. Louisiana
13. Michigan
14. Mississippi
15. Missouri
16. Montana
17. Nebraska
18. Nevada
19. North Carolina
20. North Dakota
21. Ohio
22. Oklahoma
23. Oregon
24. South Carolina
25. South Dakota
26. Tennessee
27. Texas
28. Utah
29. Virginia
30. Wisconsin
Ooops..reference to proposition 8 with a parentheses, resulted in the sun-glassed smiling icon. Not my intention……darned internets!!! LOL!
And here I thought you had some special insight on Prop 8 😉 California stands out like neon on that list.
…into indifference. I imagine Romney has a secret cache of sceptres to polish when he needs some ‘Mitt’ time.
Yeah, that was an interesting read this morning, but I couldn’t make it all the way through. Toward lunch, Professor Turley posted his opinion about it. He is more concerned about Romney’s assertion that he doesn’t recall the incident. Worth a read.
Now Taylor you know Prez Barrie is just being messy.
And transparent.
Mittens says in the words of former Mayor Marion Barry, “This bish set me up”!
Woo! Sasha, you are on fire! Laughing my ass off.
Oh that prankster…..gay bashing ,cruelty to animals and baptizing the dead Jews from the Holocaust …just a barrel of laughs that one!
@Sand, doesn’t it though.
damn shame.
CO, those who oppose marriage equality should be stigmatized. I am a full citizen. Acknowledge the rights that confers or stop taking my tax money. It’s that simple.
And I don’t care how it polls in the booth or to a pollster. Any time you ask a majority to vote on the rights of the minority, it is not going to turn out well. It would be mob rule. There are many ills we would still be stuck with if that were the last word in how we govern ourselves.
Casual,
All the votes in the said states prove is that you should never put up basic human rights to a vote by the unwashed masses. If were up to the hoi poli slavery would still exist, only males would be allowed to vote, and everyone would be forced to be an Anglican. Sorry, you do not get to vote on my rights C.O.; not now, not ever, never.
“That said, the trendy media has certainly managed to stigmatize opposition to gay marriage, and, as a result, it underpolls consistently.”
BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Yeah…it’s the MEDIAS fault for making those homophobic assmonkeys feel like they are….homophobic assmonkeys!!!!!
Reads like he was a total creature of his environment. The good and the bad.
Ha! I am happily single too. But I know people who thrive in marriage. Everyone is different.Everyone should be able to make their own human mistakes or not.
Absolutely not. I don’t care how many centuries of social culture are built up around the word. Language and culture are fluid, and we live in a secular country. People can celebrate or not celebrate gay marriages in their churches. I don’t give a shit about that, but fundies have no business telling government it can’t issue a marriage license — a contract — to a gay couple.
Rick, you are right on about this. Like you, I don’t care what people do in their silly churches, but nobody in this country should be second class citizens.
Also, some people should read some history. Marriage had more to do with property and enslavement of women then it did with mumbo jumbo religious shit.
That’s true. The marriage laws came into being because men wanted women to become property or “chattel” i think was the word back then and also because they didn’t want plantation owners marrying their slaves. So even then they were into wanting to control who married who but hey, you can still marry your COUSIN. That one at least has been consistent.
Angels (and everyone), check out Jon Stewart from last night for a pretty good takedown of so-called traditional marriage.
Good post. You gave the history lesson that I was to lazy to type out. For all those sacred marriage folks out there… History is a bitch.
As my blurb says : “A reader of far too many history books than is good for normal functioning.” You would be better off waving a piece of red cloth in front of a enraged bull than bringing up a B.S. talking point about a “tradition” or a bogus appeal to history. I will come out snorting and breathing fire, I guarentee you that. 😈
CO, it’s a choice we don’t have to make. We can have both. Besides, brother Mitt said he doesn’t even support civil unions if their only difference from marriage is the name. So we may as well go all in.
As an aside, I personally think Romney would duck social legislation as much as he could at the Federal level.
However, the real point is you answered the question posed. Best of luck.
Hey, yo! I resemble that remark!
Wonder how you would feel if only libertarians were not allowed to marry? I could make a case that they are way too immature to take on the responsibility.
“I am also grounded in reality and pragmatism too. ”
Oh sweet JEEBUS CRISPIES hangin onna popcicle stick with lins through hands and FEET STOP!!! YOU ARE KILLING ME HERE>>>STOP!!!
Who the hell is Barrie? Aren’t we being a little juvenile? Can’t you make a point without acting like some five tear old?
It’s my pet name for him.
Always has been.
The ie spelling is for fun and yes I am being childish.
sigh, if it makes you happy I will spell it Barry on my grown up days angel.
Sometimes I am respectful and say Prez Barrie…
WOW! Nice dose of Anecdotal male bovine fecal matter!! Thanks!
Hahahahahahahahahaha!!! You crack me up secular.
Sec is just jealous.
I didn’t know you had a weakness for champagne and caviar lovers.
I always took you for a beer guzzling, fast women chasing, and pick-up driving cracker.
*whispers* since you say you don’t have any peckerwood in you.
hush angel.
Just goes to show you are as equally incorrect in ALL the dumb things you say or assume! Nice to know you can be counted on.
Same as before Ms Taylor…I’ll wait until “after” the “election”(if he wins)…after, he’s thoroughly challenged by the courts, by Congress…by the Law of the Land, and any other serious oppsition that “will” present themselves.
My personal opinion………?
He “W I L L” have to reckon with these realities…AGAIN!!!!