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The Spectacle Blog
Vice President Joe Biden appeared to endorse same-sex marriage on Meet the Press yesterday, though he did so in his usual Bideneseque way: proclaiming himself “absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women marrying another are entitled to the same exact rights all the civil rights, all the civil liberties. And quite frankly, I don’t see much of a distinction — beyond that.”
Quite a word omelet compared to “I support same-sex marriage.”
Both Biden and the Obama campaign quickly walked back the comments, making reference to their “evolving” positions on the issue. Some think it was a typical unscripted Biden flub; others suspect he is looking ahead to 2016, when he could need to face a Democratic base that supports gay marriage by a wide margin. Obama is reportedly facing pressure from gay donors. His two best voting blocs are split on the issue: young voters (who support gay marriage) and blacks (who oppose it). The damage a same-sex marriage would do to Obama among black voters would almost certainly be minimal, but in a close election even that may be too much to afford.
But do Obama and Biden really oppose same-sex marriage in any meaningful sense? They oppose the Defense of Marriage Act, they oppose any other federal legislation or amendment on the issue, they did not support Proposition 8 or any comparable state ballot initiative. Their opposition seems limited to being able to say, “I believe marriage is between a man and a woman” in debates. But their party’s evolution seems complete.
Obama will probably be the last Democratic presidential nominee to even nominally oppose same-sex marriage. The only question is whether that will be Obama ‘08 or Obama ‘12.
View all comments (23) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by W. James Antle, III
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/05/07/biden-obama-and-gay-marriage
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Albert Constantine Jr.| 5.7.12 @ 1:54PM
Folks often forget (but not because I don’t keep posting it) that Biden was himself dating a woman (his current wife Jill) who was married to another man (Bill Stevenson), but refused to divorce him because she wanted a bigger piece of his successful business (she failed, but he later did state and federal time for tax evasion and other charges).
It should come as no surprise that he feels that you should marry who you will, rather than be inhibited by any laws (such as those that prohibit bigamy, polygamy, incest, pederasty etc.).
Occam's Tool| 5.7.12 @ 1:55PM
Barack Obama doesn't care that the Black families are suffering tremendous family dysfucnction; nor does he care about the poverty, drug abuse rates, illiteracy, etc. among them. He knows their votes are wrapped up for him because of his skin color and the shape of his nose.
He reats them with the same neglect he shows Jewish voters, and for the same reasons.
Donald Young's Revenge| 5.8.12 @ 1:13PM
Barack Hussein Obama is America's first "American Arab" to be elected POTUS or should I say the first person to usurp that office. Obama is 50% white, 43.25% Arab (Daddy's side thus the funny names) and 6.75% African/Negro. How the hell does that compute to "first black President." Another media hoax!!
Occam's Tool| 5.7.12 @ 1:55PM
"treats them"
Bill| 5.7.12 @ 2:02PM
Those 4% fags can go to Hell.
Greg| 5.7.12 @ 3:05PM
Does anyone really think BHO opposes same sex marriage? Especially given some of the rumors about him.
Donald Young's Revenge| 5.8.12 @ 1:18PM
We do remember that the media, both conservative and liberal, convinced us that Herman Cain was a sexual pervert based upon nothing more than allegations, right? How soon we forget that Larry Sinclair made some allegations about Barack Hussein Obama followed with a Press Conference and an affidavit he gave to the Chicago Police Dept. claiming that he sucked on Obama's lollypoppy while Barry Boy was smoking his favorite drug, the one he bragged about in his book Dreams From My Father. So based upon these very reliable allegations we can without further adoo say we elected our first Bi-Sexual Crack Head for POTUS. Not bad, a combination of "first Arab American bi-sexual crack head." Way to go folks, hell lets give him another term.
PattyMor| 5.7.12 @ 3:19PM
I think Biden is becoming the big mouth to pave his way out of the VP seat. Then you could usher in Hillary and placate both the women vote and the lesbian vote in one swoop. A super duper reving up of his voter base.
jppc| 5.7.12 @ 4:27PM
Ever notice how much time and space is devoted to homosexual "issues"?
Could it be because so many in the media are homosexuals?
Pelleas| 5.8.12 @ 11:47AM
..AND-- The amount of Gay and bi-sexual citizens who are concerned that our issues and concerns are addressed, is is the right of ALL citizens of this Nation, nu?..
Oldefarte| 5.7.12 @ 4:45PM
This POTUS and his VPOTUS are POLITICAL PROSTITUTES that will say, do, act etc anyway that is necessary in order to obtain a $20 vote [similar to their equally immoral and stupid un-secret service members]. If it was political popular for two animals to become married, this idiot VP would be in front of a microphone procaliming his acceptance of same. They both just $20 HOES!!!!!!!
MorrowRosanna| 5.7.12 @ 6:56PM
as Marvin said I am inspired that anybody able to make $6830 in one month on the computer. did you see this web page makecash16.cøm
Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 5.7.12 @ 8:43PM
Quick! Someone get Michelle on record as to whether she would support her daughters marrying other women some day.
Pete| 5.8.12 @ 10:50AM
or each other.
Donald Young's Revenge| 5.8.12 @ 1:22PM
Hell, they were all members of the Jeremiah Wright Cult for 20 years, a cult that supported homosexuality and abortion on demand. Barry baby was very "close" friends with the cult's homosexual choir director who became part of Obama's campaign staff responsible for dealing with the Larry Sinclair allegations. That by the way cost him his life, a crime that the Chicago cops still haven't solved. Time for a beer summit in Chicago for Mr. Young's mother.
Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 5.7.12 @ 8:43PM
Quick! Someone get Michelle on record as to whether she would support her daughters marrying other women some day.
WL| 5.8.12 @ 12:47AM
I hate to pooh pooh the party here...but this issue is not really what we want in the headlines...and our people really shouldn't hang on to it as an issue..
The bottom line is this.
1. The Gay folks know Obama supports Gay Marriage...so they are in the tank...and won't vote for Romney anyway. The young people do too.
2. The "blacks" don't care anything about anything he does...because he's black.
Democrat voters are like beach balls that their leaders push down into the water....they get mad at their guy...but when just enough doubt gets into their mind that their guy isn't screwing them...and their guy goes more than 2 days without attacking them....
The pop right back up at the voting booth and look for the nearest leader with a D next to his/her name....to get the loot that their leader steals from others to give to them...
Write your articles about something else Antle. This subject does nothing for our cause...
NOTHING.
Oldefarte| 5.8.12 @ 1:00PM
I respectfully disagree.....THIS is 90% of what it's about in November. Some of these bloggers here that have been saying this, that etc about SOCIAL CONSERVATISM, well this is the face of same. IT'S THE DEMOCRATS, STUPIDS! Since the crutial vote will come from Independents who elected this POTUS in 2008, they [and everybody else as well] had better get their heads out of their backsides [excuse the possible gay pun here] in November of this year if they wish to save this country [boy oh boy are TAS PARAGRAH POLICE gonna crusify me for the following] :
'......Biden comments on same-sex marriage expose internal White House divisions
By Peter Wallsten and Dan Eggen, Published: May 7When asked about his views on same-sex marriage, Vice President Biden said he is “absolutely comfortable” with men marrying men and women marrying women. When Education Secretary Arne Duncan was asked Monday whether he thinks that same-sex couples should be able to marry, he said, “Yes, I do.”
The answer is apparently not as simple for President Obama.As more top officials in his administration speak out in favor of same-sex marriage, Obama is facing increasing pressure to take sides in one of the most emotional and polarizing social policy debates of the modern era.The president has said his views are “evolving,” but he has stopped short of the endorsements given by Duncan, Biden and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan.Several people close to the White House said the episode has exposed internal tensions within Obama’s team between those who want the president to say he favors same-sex marriage before the November election and others who worry about a political backlash if he does — not just among conservatives and working-class voters but among African Americans who are Obama’s most loyal support bloc but tend to oppose such unions.About one in six of Obama’s top campaign “bundlers” are gay, according to a Washington Post review of donor lists, making it difficult for the president to defer the matter. Activists are planning a campaign for the adoption of a pro-gay-marriage plank in this year’s Democratic Party platform. And a series of referendums this year on same-sex marriage — including one in the swing state of North Carolina on Tuesday — are putting the issue at the forefront.“It’s my understanding there are people in the campaign, the White House and the administration who are talking about what he will say if he is asked,” said Winnie Stachelberg, executive vice president of the liberal Center for American Progress and a senior advocate in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.The support from Biden and Duncan prompted Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, to issue a statement declaring that there is “no doubt in my mind that the president shares these values” and calling on Obama to express himself. Richard Socarides, a prominent gay activist who was President Bill Clinton’s top adviser on LGBT issues, said Monday that Obama and his team are “boxed in” on the marriage issue.
“It’s a problem of their own making,” he said. “The president’s ‘evolving strategy’ could maybe work for them as a stopgap, but you can’t be evolving on a significant national policy issue for two years, especially in a presidential election. I don’t think it serves him well. Really, as a political matter, it’s too cute.”Strategists for presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney think that any sustained focus on same-sex marriage could help unite the conservative coalition behind his candidacy, particularly in key swing states such as Iowa, where the Republican Party remains deeply fractured after a bruising primary campaign.
And if Obama is portrayed as unsure on the issue, or does shift his views, it could undercut his efforts to paint Romney as a weak-kneed flip-flopper. The former Massachusetts governor appeared sensitive to that point Monday as he told an Ohio television reporter that he thinks marriage should be between a man and a woman.
“It’s a position I’ve had for some time, and I don’t intend to make any adjustments at this point — or ever, by the way,” he said.White House and campaign officials argued Monday that, regardless of his views on marriage, Obama has amassed an unparalleled record on LGBT rights — signing a hate-crimes law, repealing the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, pressing for hospital visitation rights for same-sex partners and declining to argue in court for the Defense of Marriage Act. But some gay activists have been frustrated by the president’s refusal to budge on the marriage question, as well as his aides’ recent announcement that he had no plans to sign an executive order prohibiting federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.In his comments aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” which had been taped Friday, Biden spoke in personal terms at some length about the moment three weeks ago when he greeted a gay supporter and his children at a Los Angeles fundraiser.“The good news is that, as more and more Americans come to understand, what this is all about is a simple proposition: Who do you love?” Biden said. “And will you be loyal to the person you love? And that’s what people are finding out. I[It’s] what all marriages at their root are about, whether they’re marriages of lesbians or gay men or heterosexuals.”Gay rights activists hailed the vice president’s comments as a major milestone. The White House and the Obama campaign, however, sought to play down any perceived differences between Biden’s unequivocal support for same-sex marriage and Obama’s evolution.Senior campaign aides quickly called leading LGBT activists to underscore that Biden’s remarks do not reflect any changes in position and that community leaders should temper their responses. Shortly thereafter, Biden’s office released a written statement saying that he was “expressing that he too is evolving on the issue, after meeting so many committed couples and families in this country.”On Monday, White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters during a contentious exchange that Biden’s comments were “completely consistent” with Obama’s views on the rights of same-sex couples. Carney argued that Biden had said his views were evolving, although reporters interjected to note that this came from the after-the-fact written statement.
“There is a little bit of an overreaction here,” Carney said.Both Obama and Biden have focused heavily on raising money from gay donors, who make up a key component of the president’s fundraising base. Although many activists demand that Obama take a position firmly in favor of same-sex marriage, many of his top financial backers have struck a more pragmatic pose, urging patience and pointing to his policy successes.
“No one disputes that this guy has gotten more done for LGBT equality at the federal level than all 43 previous presidents combined,” said top Obama bundler Andrew Tobias, who serves as treasurer of the Democratic National Committee. “No one disputes that. Or that there will be further progress if he gets a second term.”
The Obama campaign has made an effort to reach out to gay donors, including scheduling regular fundraisers over the past year and creating an official finance committee for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Next month, the president is scheduled to travel to Los Angeles for a 700-person LGBT gala featuring the pop rock performer Pink.Dana Perlman, a Los Angeles lawyer who serves as a co-chairman of Obama’s LGBT finance committee, said in an interview Monday that Obama is navigating a rapidly changing political landscape in which same-sex marriage is gaining approval much more quickly than expected. “I am looking forward to the day when the president completes his evolution,” Perlman said, but he added that he credits Obama with pushing the national debate forward.“Marriage equality is, of course, one of the top issues for the LGBT community,” said Perlman, who has raised more than $500,000 for Obama’s campaign and is co-hosting the June LGBT fundraiser in Los Angeles. “It’s not the only issue, however.”Chad Griffin, the incoming president of the Human Rights Campaign, was the one who posed the question to Biden at the recent Los Angeles fundraiser. He said in an interview Monday that he has repeatedly pressed Obama in private to support marriage equality and that the president is likely to get more questions at the June fundraiser.As for White House efforts to equate Biden’s comments with the president’s views, Griffin added: “Only in Washington and in politics could one parse the words of the vice president. His words were very direct and clear and speak for themselves.”...............'
Bobby Dias | 5.8.12 @ 5:44AM
I did not see the show- was he teaching our kids to f***?
JAC| 5.8.12 @ 8:10AM
I think it's funny the same people who think it's wonderful how tv programs like "Will and Grace" have changed peoples' minds about homosexuality are the same people who tell us that "Leave it to Beaver" wasn't a realistic portrayal of family life.
Pete| 5.8.12 @ 10:50AM
Is Biden comfortable with two brothers marrying each other? How about 3 brothers? On what basis would incest laws apply>
Pelleas| 5.8.12 @ 11:49AM
What is up concerning YOUR obsession with incest...???