The pressure is building for Obama to Evolve Already.
Look, everyone knows this is a political calculation. President Obama was for marriage equality as a state senator in 1996 before he was against it as an aspiring presidential candidate in 2004 (the evolution of his positions are traced here). But as he heads into the 2012 election cycle, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for him to have it both ways on same-sex marriage – to carry the magic mantle of hope and change, to appeal to the better angels of our nature, while literally falling behind the trend lines on supporting something as fundamentally American as the expression of our liberty.
Here’s just a few notes on the shift in dynamics since the ‘08 election: Obama doesn’t have the cover of two competing Democratic candidates who also hold the same position of not supporting marriage equality; when he took office, only one state had legalized marriage and now five have plus the District of Columbia; a federal judge has ruled the crux of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional and Obama himself has concurred; another federal judge ruled a California ballot measure stripping marital rights from gays unconstitutional; five major consecutive polls, including Gallup, have now found that a majority of Americans support the right of same-sex couples to marry; “don’t ask, don’t tell” has been repealed (but not lifted yet) and although GOP lawmakers are still waging the battles of yesteryear in Congress, the rest of America barely batted an eye.
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, all this adds up to one thing: Drama. But more importantly, it’s about people’s lives, who they are to the core of their being, the fact that their heart pounds just as truly as everyone else’s. It’s about a longing for leadership that adds up to something more than a cold political calculation for the next election cycle.
But if calculate we must, let’s face it, the next election – like every election – will be about the economy, not marriage equality. So why not come full circle and stake your claim on the right side of history, Mr. President?
Mesmo com decisão do STF, casal gay teve união estável cancelada em Goiás
Have we stopped to consider how Obama's "evolution" on marriage has benefitted us in media and public consciousness? By having this process of "evolving" on marriage, the media has kept a spotlight on the marriage debate in a way they likely would not have if he'd just kept his mouth shut or if he'd just come out in support of marriage and been done.
