President Obama Endorses Same-Sex Marriage

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-announces-his-support-for-same-sex-marriage.html

"I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married."

This issue has been one of my biggest frustrations with President Obama during his presidency and I am glad that he has finally come to fully endorse marriage equality for all. He is the first President to come out and fully endorse same-sex marriage. While the most powerful person in the world giving their endorsement for marriage equality is a big symbolic step in the right direction, as we saw yesterday in North Carolina there is still a long road ahead and now he needs to walk the walk.

About time.

@Unknown_Pleasures said:

About time.

Yeah, it has made me mad about him knowing that he has always favored it, but secluding it to try to not damage his first campaign for President. Better late than never, though.

Its not that big a deal. Its coming so don't worry about the president's opinion, its just a catalyst.

@CitizenKane said:

the most powerful person in the world

lol

I think it's sad we're just now praising him for saying this. He fucking should have been already. He's been moderate as fuck about everything else. Ugh.

Thank fucking god someone does...

Obama is smart. He tried to hold off so it wouldn't hurt his campaign, but it's not like Romney can attack him for this stance. He would look like an ass. We'll see tho. I saw some pretty funny attack ads from Obama's side already. The closing line is something like "what do you expect from a guy with a swiss bank account"

@AlexW00d said:

@CitizenKane said:

the most powerful person in the world

lol

Who is more powerful, then?

That's kind of a bold thing to say before elections. I would have expected it after the elections were over.

Trying to secure that gay vote...

Wasn't that one of the things he ran on? Aka I thought he would have already done this by now.

elections are coming up right?

@MattyFTM said:

@AlexW00d said:

@CitizenKane said:

the most powerful person in the world

lol

Who is more powerful, then?

Goku.

Also, holy shit. Taking a stance on gay marriage? What's the next third rail he's going to touch? Social security?

@MattyFTM said:

@AlexW00d said:

@CitizenKane said:

the most powerful person in the world

lol

Who is more powerful, then?

I didn't say it was wrong, I just find it a hilarious thing to say. I also dislike how it it news... This kind of thing should be a given :/

@MattyFTM said:

@AlexW00d said:

@CitizenKane said:

the most powerful person in the world

lol

Who is more powerful, then?

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/07/who-rules-the-global-economy/

@MattyFTM: Batman. Duh.

@Vinny_Says said:

elections are coming up right?

Yep, in Novemeber.

I wish Political Base was still around. :(

@BraveToaster said:

Trying to secure that gay vote...

the truth is here!

I am never surprised about what Obama does.

Shame that the gay marriage bit of that amendment was scare tactics to push people to voting for it. The amendment could also cut off kids from their parents' health-care, could cause widows to lose survivor benefits and women that are victims of abuse could lose legal protection and access to shelters.

He should probably address that too.

In the eyes of the law, marriage is nothing but a contract- there's no religion in it. In fact, the only time I referenced "God" was when I got divorced. It was followed by either "help me" or "damn it".

This saddens me.

You know, because this shouldn't be news. This should just be like, yeah no shit, no big deal, no issue, whatever.

It reminds me how fucked up the world still is. Hopefully it is slowly getting better though.

Either this is a nice gesture by Obama or an easy way to get the gay vote for the elections. Probably the latter.

Progress is progress I suppose even if its just a baby step.

@BraveToaster said:

Trying to secure that gay vote...

considering mittbot already said he would ban not only gay marriage but civil unions... it's not like it'd be that hard

@Tylea002 said:

This saddens me.

You know, because this shouldn't be news. This should just be like, yeah no shit, no big deal, no issue, whatever.

It reminds me how fucked up the world still is. Hopefully it is slowly getting better though.

@JustKamToo said:

As the thing that has been my biggest issue with him, I'm glad it's finally happened. Now just close Guantanamo.

Obama's actually been doing some decent work lately...

What's that?  Social progress in America?  OH GNOES THEY BE TYRING TO TAEK R FREEDUMS

@Phatmac said:

Either this is a nice gesture by Obama or an easy way to get the gay vote for the elections. Probably the latter.

Can't it be both? It isn't mutually exclusive. Plus how strong is the gay vote versus the anti-gay vote, considering how many states have taken a strong anti-gay marriage stance?

But I'm Canadian. Gay marriage has been legal here since 2005, and our country hasn't collapsed (our current government is making a strong go at it, though). Now we're working on pot and prostitution. The world needs to grow up.

@Animasta said:

@BraveToaster said:

Trying to secure that gay vote...

considering mittbot already said he would ban not only gay marriage but civil unions... it's not like it'd be that hard

You have a point.

It's about time.

Soooo...this is real:

You can't really call it a "flip-flop" when it was essentially a delayed campaign promise way back in 2008.

@ZombiePie said:

Soooo...this is real:

You can't really call it a "flip-flop" when it was essentially a delayed campaign promise way back in 2008.

Fox News isn't real.

Too bad it's just a personal opinion and not a political opinion, he still believes states should be deciding.

Uhh.. forgive me if I'm wrong, but I don't think I am..

He simply stated he endorses it. This changes absolutely nothing. Remember when he said he'd take reasonable stances on medical marijuana and other things before he became president? Closing Gitmo? Getting the feds out of states' business? Elections are coming, this is just talk.

I guess I can be happy he's talking the right talk.. at least..

Obama is an asshole and should've supported this four years ago when people first started questioning him about it.

This is, however, a ridiculously good thing.

Soooo...this is real:

You can't really call it a "flip-flop" when it was essentially a delayed campaign promise way back in 2008.

The fact that gay marriage is still an issue to 20-fucking-12 is an absolute embarrassment  to the entire human race. If you are against gay marriage, you are a detriment to the progress of mankind and should be removed from respectable society.

Obama is an asshole and should've supported this four years ago when people first started questioning him about it.

This is, however, a ridiculously good thing.

I wonder how gay voters will sway if they were planning on voting conservative (I know that may be a stretch, but I'm sure gay's that vote conservative exist).

@CitizenKane said:

as we saw yesterday in North Carolina there is still a long road ahead and now he needs to walk the walk.

As a North Carolinian, I assure you that there is a good measure of opposition towards Amendment One, though obviously not enough. It should be noted, though, that state law already defined marriage only as between a man and a woman; whether this passed or not wouldn't have actually affected that. All it actually seems to define is whether or not North Carolina recognizes any other domestic union than one between a man and a woman.

To be honest, the whole thing seems vague. Not even touching on the moral issue of it, I can't really get a good grasp on why it was necessary. Maybe I'm just stupid, maybe I'm missing something, but why make it if the state already doesn't recognize homosexual marriage?

@Milkman said:

@iAmJohn said:

Obama is an asshole and should've supported this four years ago when people first started questioning him about it.

This is, however, a ridiculously good thing.

The sad fact is that if he had done this four years, he's probably never elected. The really sad part is that this statement may have lost the upcoming election for him.

nah. Anyone who really cared about this issue was gonna vote mittens anyway

@Milkman said:

The fact that gay marriage is still an issue to 20-fucking-12 is an absolute embarrassment to the entire human race. If you are against gay marriage, you are a detriment to the progress of mankind and should be removed from respectable society.

Welcome to 'murica where we jerk off to guns and violence but if we see a nude person or the union between members of the same sex then we'll ban it somehow.

@AlexW00d said:

@CitizenKane said:

the most powerful person in the world

lol

I know right?

@Unknown_Pleasures said:

About time.

... this on the heels of NC voting to approve of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages. For all the praise or "he should have done it by now" that is getting posted in here, which I'm glad to see, people need to just get out and bloody vote when this opportunity comes up. Some backwards disappointing things still happening in this country.