Newsweek: Obama First Gay President

[QueEx]

Newsweek's Andrew Sullivan on Barack Obama:
The First Gay President

The president’s bold support shifted the mainstream.
Andrew Sullivan on why it shouldn't be surprising—Obama’s
life as a biracial man has deep ties to the gay experience.​

May 13, 2012

By Andrew Sullivan

It was the spring of 2007, back when Barack Obama’s bid for the presidency seemed quixotic at best. I’d seen Obama speak to a crowd and was impressed but wanted to see if what I’d seen from afar held up under closer scrutiny. So I asked to attend a private fundraiser in a tony apartment in Georgetown. I promised not to write anything. I just wanted to see the man up close and get a better sense of him and his character.

At one point in the question-and-answer session, a woman looked him square in the eyes with what can only be called maternal grit. “My son is gay,” she said, and the room went suddenly quiet. “I don’t understand why you don’t support his right to marry the person he loves. It’s so disappointing to me.” Obama, without losing eye contact for a second, told her: “I want full equality for your son—all the rights and benefits that marriage brings. I really do. But the word ‘marriage’ stirs up so much religious feeling. I think civil unions are the way to go. As long as they are equal.”


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My heart sank.

Was this obviously humane African-American actually advocating a “separate but equal” solution—a form of marital segregation like the one that made his own parents’ marriage a felony in many states when he was born?

Hadn’t he already declared he supported marriage equality when he was running for the Illinois Senate in 1996? (The administration now claims that the questionnaire from the gay Chicago paper Outlines had been answered in type—not Obama’s writing—by somebody else.)

Hadn’t Jeremiah Wright’s church actually been a rare supporter of marriage equality among black churches?​

The sudden equivocation made no sense—except as pure political calculation. And yet it also felt strained, as if he knew it didn’t quite fit. He wanted equality but not marriage—but you cannot have one without the other. On this issue, Obama’s excruciating nonposition was essentially “Yes we can’t.” And yet somehow, simply by the way he answered that mother’s question, I didn’t believe it. I thought he was struggling between political calculation and his core belief in civil rights. And it was then that I realized he was both: a cold, steely, ruthless, calculating politician who nonetheless wanted to do the right thing in the end.



Last week he did it—in a move whose consequences are simply impossible to judge. White House sources told me that after the interview with ABC News, the president felt as if a weight had been lifted off him. Yes, he was bounced into it by Joe Biden, the lovable Irish-Catholic rogue who couldn’t help but tell the truth about his own views on TV (only to be immediately knocked down by David Axelrod on Twitter). But Obama had been planning to endorse gay marriage before his reelection for a while. White House sources say that if Obama had been a state senator in New York last year when the Albany legislature legalized gay marriage, he’d have voted in favor. But no one asked. The “make news” reveal was scheduled for The View. In the end, scrambling to catch up with his veep, he turned to his fellow ESPN fan, Robin Roberts, a Christian African-American from Mississippi, to quell the sudden kerfuffle. Even this was calculated: to have this moment occur between two African-Americans would help Obama calm opposition within parts of the black community.


CLICK: FOR THE COMPLETE ARTICLE



​

 

[gene cisco]

I still can't believe the cover is real. Why couldn't Obama wait until this time next year to do this?

 

[Upgrade Dave]

I still can't believe the cover is real. Why couldn't Obama wait until this time next year to do this?

Shores up his liberal base for the election and Biden and Arne Duncan hit the gas on this with their statements the week before.

 

[actinanass]

Today is May 14, 2012.

Today I officially say "I won't be surprise if Obama lose in a landslide".

Now, I'm not officially saying it's going to happen due to Romney, but I won't be surprised.

 

[dzlkdd]

The gay community tends to have a lot of expendable income. This is a move that will raise money, and he won't really lose anybody because of this.

Seriously... this is 2011. Gays, like everybody else seeking some form of equality, will get it eventually. It's just a matter of time.

 

[actinanass]

The gay community tends to have a lot of expendable income. This is a move that will raise money, and he won't really lose anybody because of this.

Seriously... this is 2011. Gays, like everybody else seeking some form of equality, will get it eventually. It's just a matter of time.

its 2012

 

[Upgrade Dave]

Today is May 14, 2012.

Today I officially say "I won't be surprise if Obama lose in a landslide".

Now, I'm not officially saying it's going to happen due to Romney, but I won't be surprised.

Even if Romney wins, no one, and I mean not one single person, sees a landslide.
I think people have forgotten what "landslide" really means in politics. There hasn't been one since the second Reagan victory.

Nothing about this made a major swing in the electoral college votes. The toss up states are still going to be toss up states.

 

[actinanass]

Even if Romney wins, no one, and I mean not one single person, sees a landslide.
I think people have forgotten what "landslide" really means in politics. There hasn't been one since the second Reagan victory.

Nothing about this made a major swing in the electoral college votes. The toss up states are still going to be toss up states.

I guess Dick Morris is a nobody.

 

[thoughtone]

Today is May 14, 2012.

Today I officially say "I won't be surprise if Obama lose in a landslide".

Now, I'm not officially saying it's going to happen due to Romney, but I won't be surprised.

 

[thoughtone]

I guess Dick Morris is a nobody.

You are correct. He is nobody.

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[Upgrade Dave]

I guess Dick Morris is a nobody.

Yes, Dick Morris is a HUGE nobody who was discredited over a decade ago and the only reason he has a job is because he pushes the typical Republican propaganda.

I keep telling you to stop listening and watching that stuff. They're horribly misinforming you and you keep using it like it's real info.

 

[joneblaze]

Desperate ploy to sell magazines in the digital age

 

[gene cisco]

Shores up his liberal base for the election and Biden and Arne Duncan hit the gas on this with their statements the week before.

You know liberals don't care about gays getting married. We simply don't care. It is the social conservatives who are passionate about this shit. They are much more likely to hit polls over issues like this.

Remember when I said that the only threat to Obama's reelection was his voter base staying home because they figure this is a cakewalk? They still are more likely to sit this election out while social conservatives are more riled up than ever.

You said on the other board he is campaigning hard in other states instead of Ohio. I hope so. I think he lost Ohio with this shit.

 

[HeathCliff]

Yes, Dick Morris is a HUGE nobody who was discredited over a decade ago and the only reason he has a job is because he pushes the typical Republican propaganda.

I keep telling you to stop listening and watching that stuff. They're horribly misinforming you and you keep using it like it's real info.

Beat me to it. Dick was inherently wrong just about everything during the 2008 election. He had McCain winning by a landslide all year. He was heavily dependent on that so called Bradley effect.

 

[Upgrade Dave]

You know liberals don't care about gays getting married. We simply don't care. It is the social conservatives who are passionate about this shit. They are much more likely to hit polls over issues like this.

Remember when I said that the only threat to Obama's reelection was his voter base staying home because they figure this is a cakewalk? They still are more likely to sit this election out while social conservatives are more riled up than ever.

You said on the other board he is campaigning hard in other states instead of Ohio. I hope so. I think he lost Ohio with this shit.

But we do care. Obama, smartly, is drawing a hard contrast between himself and Romney on a number of levels and is chipping away at different groups. It was women last month and now Gays. Obama stands on one side and the Right rush to be his opposite and Romney gets pulled with them.
Obama seems to be campaigning to get people to vote FOR him while Romney wants people to vote against Obama. That doesn't work. It didn't work on Bush or Reagan or Clinton.

Beat me to it. Dick was inherently wrong just about everything during the 2008 election. He had McCain winning by a landslide all year. He was heavily dependent on that so called Bradley effect.

You know a person is a poltical novice when they cite Dick Morris like he's an authority.

 

[gene cisco]

But we do care. Obama, smartly, is drawing a hard contrast between himself and Romney on a number of levels and is chipping away at different groups. It was women last month and now Gays. Obama stands on one side and the Right rush to be his opposite and Romney gets pulled with them.
Obama seems to be campaigning to get people to vote FOR him while Romney wants people to vote against Obama. That doesn't work. It didn't work on Bush or Reagan or Clinton.

Politicians make mistakes. I believe this is a mistake. You know good and damn well that most liberals aren't passionate about gay marriage like social conservatives. California shot down gay marriage. That place is liberal. I don't know anyone who is fired up because of this gay marriage issue. He should have just played it like last election.

In 2004, the black voters in Ohio I knew who voted against Kerry did so because of gay marriage. The black voters who voted for Kerry didn't even mention gay marriage as an issue.

We don't even have to discuss how social conservative white folks vote against their own best interest for stupid shit like this, do we?

 

[Lamarr]

Saw the magazine at the airport yesterday, couldn't believe it

But really, the gay marriage thing should be decided at the state level and the Pres could've saved himself from this scrutiny

 

[Upgrade Dave]

Politicians make mistakes. I believe this is a mistake. You know good and damn well that most liberals aren't passionate about gay marriage like social conservatives. California shot down gay marriage. That place is liberal. I don't know anyone who is fired up because of this gay marriage issue. He should have just played it like last election.

In 2004, the black voters in Ohio I knew who voted against Kerry did so because of gay marriage. The black voters who voted for Kerry didn't even mention gay marriage as an issue.

We don't even have to discuss how social conservative white folks vote against their own best interest for stupid shit like this, do we?

A mistake is something that costs a politician. This costs Obama nothing but it gained him a huge windfall of donations instantly.
This was something that was going to be brought up and they made the correct decision to hash this out in May and not October.
When you talk about 2004 also recognize the difference in personalities. Bush, a guy who wore his "Christian values" on his sleeve (while going against them all the time policy wise) was going against the very bland Kerry who believed those kinds of things should be left out of the public forum. As Democrats have been quick to do, he ceded the religious/moral ground to Bush without a fight.
The dynamic between Obama, a very charismatic Black Christian, is going against the dull, duplicitous Mormon Romney.

Saw the magazine at the airport yesterday, couldn't believe it

But really, the gay marriage thing should be decided at the state level and the Pres could've saved himself from this scrutiny

No he couldn't. The scrutiny was already present without him saying a word.

 

[Wobble Wobble]

So when people have said that Bill Clinton "is the first black president" or that Bush is the "Compassionate Conservative" or that Obama is the first feminist president, it's not the same thing as saying Obama is the first Gay president?

Rev William Barber is the head of the North Carolina NAACP. Put aside the perm and his lack of a neck and have a careful listen to what he's saying.


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[QueEx]

Rev William Barber is the head of the North Carolina NAACP. Put aside the perm and his lack of a neck and have a careful listen to what he's saying.

Excellent post Bruh; and excellent advice. Thanks.

I'm not in favor of same sex marriage -- but a lot of that I know is because of my socialization. But whenever the state attempts to legislate morality, its always a good idea to first strip the proposition bare with logic and reasoning to view its naked corpus. Reverend Barber did a good job of doing, just that.


I had some trouble viewing the vid (could be my browser?) - if anyone else is, let me know.

 

[Upgrade Dave]

Excellent post Bruh; and excellent advice. Thanks.

I'm not in favor of same sex marriage -- but a lot of that I know is because of my socialization. But whenever the state attempts to legislate morality, its always a good idea to first strip the proposition bare with logic and reasoning to view its naked corpus. Reverend Barber did a good job of doing, just that.


I had some trouble viewing the vid (could be my browser?) - if anyone else is, let me know.

I had the same problem but I'm familiar with the video of the Rev. Barber and he was on MSNBC last week quite often.

 

[thoughtone]

Today is May 14, 2012.

Today I officially say "I won't be surprise if Obama lose in a landslide".

Now, I'm not officially saying it's going to happen due to Romney, but I won't be surprised.

Would you be surprised if Romney looses in a landslide?

 

[actinanass]

Would you be surprised if Romney looses in a landslide?

It depends if Romney does something overly stupid.

Good luck for your side, Romney might just do something overly stupid to counteract Obama's overly stupid move this past week.

 

[Wobble Wobble]

Excellent post Bruh; and excellent advice. Thanks.

I'm not in favor of same sex marriage -- but a lot of that I know is because of my socialization. But whenever the state attempts to legislate morality, its always a good idea to first strip the proposition bare with logic and reasoning to view its naked corpus. Reverend Barber did a good job of doing, just that.


I had some trouble viewing the vid (could be my browser?) - if anyone else is, let me know.

Can I get an assist on getting the video right?


I've found it on Youtube:


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I saw him on Lawrence O'Donnell. That's where I got the clip. Check his site at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45755883/vp/47331974#47331974

The truth is I was against it until Rev Barber drew the linkage to the Constitutional amendments that that dealt with the citizenship of the former slaves in the wake of the Civil War. I've evolved to Obama's position. I had to go and research over the past week "interposition and nullification" which I've heard in the "I Have A Dream" speech but did not understand.

And what I really, really don't like is shit like this:


http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-rand-paul-obama-gayer-20120512,0,7525076.story

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Rand Paul basically just called Barack Hussein Obama a fag - and if you watch the video, he even gives a little sissified twitch and the Tea Bag audience loved it: "Call me cynical, but I wasn’t sure his (Obama's) views on marriage could get any gayer."

 

[thoughtone]

Excellent post Bruh; and excellent advice. Thanks.

I'm not in favor of same sex marriage -- but a lot of that I know is because of my socialization..

It's not like President Obama was going to carry Alabama and Texass any way.

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[QueEx]

It's not like President Obama was going to carry Alabama and Texass any way.

Not sure that I understand your comment, vis-a-vis mine

 

[thoughtone]

Not sure that I understand your comment, vis-a-vis mine

You're in Alabama aren't you? Just like the Rev. Wright attempt the only place this might siphon off any significant votes against President Obama is in the southern states were judgemental behavior matters most in the vote.

 

[QueEx]

Good Reverend attacks Obama on same sex marriage; and has solution to rid us of the "Lesbians and Queers"



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Pastor Charles L. Worley of Providence Road Baptist Church -- located at 3283 Providence Mill Rd, Maiden, NC 28650 -- is seen here from a service posted to the church's website dated May 13, 2012 calling for the starvation and ultimate death of "queers and homosexuals."

 

[thoughtone]

Today is May 14, 2012.

Today I officially say "I won't be surprise if Obama lose in a landslide".

Now, I'm not officially saying it's going to happen due to Romney, but I won't be surprised.

source: NPR

Bill Clinton: Defense Of Marriage Act That I Signed Is Unconstitutional

Times were different in 1996 when he signed the Defense of Marriage Act into law, former President Bill Clinton writes in today's Washington Post.

"In no state in the union was same-sex marriage recognized, much less available as a legal right, but some were moving in that direction," Clinton says. Supporters of the act that defines marriage as being between a man and a woman, thought its passage would head off a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

But now, Clinton says, he believes DOMA is "incompatible with our Constitution." As the Supreme Court prepares to take up the act's constitutionality, he is making the case that it discriminates against "same-sex couples who are legally married in nine states and the District of Columbia [but] are denied the benefits of more than a thousand federal statutes and programs available to other married couples."


As NPR's Nina Totenberg has reported:

"The test case that the Supreme Court said it will review involves a New York couple, Edith Windsor and Thea Spyer, who had been together for 42 years prior to their marriage in 2007. When Spyer died, however, the federal government, acting under DOMA, required Windsor to pay $363,000 in estate taxes that she would not have owed if her spouse had been of the opposite sex. ...

"Windsor won in the lower courts. Indeed, in the past couple of years, 10 courts, with judges appointed by both Democratic and Republican presidents, have ruled that DOMA is unconstitutional."

​

 

[napoleon]

Excellent post Bruh; and excellent advice. Thanks.

I'm not in favor of same sex marriage -- but a lot of that I know is because of my socialization. But whenever the state attempts to legislate morality, its always a good idea to first strip the proposition bare with logic and reasoning to view its naked corpus. Reverend Barber did a good job of doing, just that.


I had some trouble viewing the vid (could be my browser?) - if anyone else is, let me know.

No he actually didn't. He just made up some religious pseudoscience.

Marriage grants legal benefits at the end of the day that non-marriage doesn't.

There is no need to prevent couples from enjoying those same benefits including tax breaks, financial benefits, and healthcare benefits. Don't forget what happens if one partner dies and you have to reconcile property disputes.

 

[napoleon]

source: NPR

Bill Clinton: Defense Of Marriage Act That I Signed Is Unconstitutional

Times were different in 1996 when he signed the Defense of Marriage Act into law, former President Bill Clinton writes in today's Washington Post.

"In no state in the union was same-sex marriage recognized, much less available as a legal right, but some were moving in that direction," Clinton says. Supporters of the act that defines marriage as being between a man and a woman, thought its passage would head off a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

But now, Clinton says, he believes DOMA is "incompatible with our Constitution." As the Supreme Court prepares to take up the act's constitutionality, he is making the case that it discriminates against "same-sex couples who are legally married in nine states and the District of Columbia [but] are denied the benefits of more than a thousand federal statutes and programs available to other married couples."


As NPR's Nina Totenberg has reported:

"The test case that the Supreme Court said it will review involves a New York couple, Edith Windsor and Thea Spyer, who had been together for 42 years prior to their marriage in 2007. When Spyer died, however, the federal government, acting under DOMA, required Windsor to pay $363,000 in estate taxes that she would not have owed if her spouse had been of the opposite sex. ...

"Windsor won in the lower courts. Indeed, in the past couple of years, 10 courts, with judges appointed by both Democratic and Republican presidents, have ruled that DOMA is unconstitutional."

​

Its a different story because DOMA was a compromise that was the lesser of two evils.