President Obama On ABC News
Enlarge Carolyn Kaster/AP President
Barack Obama is seen on a monitor in the White House briefing room in
Washington, Wednesday. President Barack Obama told an ABC interviewer
that he supports gay marriage.
In an interview with ABC News, President
Obama declared his support for gay marriage. This marks a departure from
the president's previous stance, which has repeatedly been described as
"evolving."
Here's the money quote
from ABC's OTUS blog:
"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."
In
the interview with ABC's Robin Roberts, the president also said where
Americans stand on gay marriage depends on their generation.
"You
know, Malia and Sasha, they have friends whose parents are same-sex
couples," the president said. "There have been times where Michelle and I
have been sitting around the dinner table and we're talking about their
friends and their parents and Malia and Sasha, it wouldn't dawn on them
that somehow their friends' parents would be treated differently. It
doesn't make sense to them and frankly, that's the kind of thing that
prompts a change in perspective."
The interview comes about a week after Vice President Joe Biden said he supported gay marriage on
Meet The Press. That put the president's own position in the spotlight.
Update at 5:11 p.m. ET. Announcement Comes 'Too Late':
The
Log Cabin Republicans, a group of GOP members who support gay rights,
say the president's announcement is a "a day late and a dollar short."
"Log
Cabin Republicans appreciate that President Obama has finally come in
line with leaders like Vice President Dick Cheney on this issue, but
LGBT Americans are right to be angry that this calculated announcement
comes too late to be of any use to the people of North Carolina, or any
of the other states that have addressed this issue on his watch," R.
Clarke Cooper, Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director,
said in a statement.
Update at 4:39 p.m. ET. Obama On The Religious Aspect:
Good Morning America has
added a little bit more of Obama's interview. He gave this answer when he was asked about first lady Michelle Obama's role in his decision:
"This
is something that, you know, we've talked about over the years and she,
you know, she feels the same way, she feels the same way that I do. And
that is that, in the end the values that I care most deeply about and
she cares most deeply about is how we treat other people and, you know,
I, you know, we are both practicing Christians and obviously this
position may be considered to put us at odds with the views of others
but, you know, when we think about our faith, the thing at root that we
think about is, not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but
it's also the Golden Rule, you know, treat others the way you would want
to be treated. And I think that's what we try to impart to our kids and
that's what motivates me as president and I figure the most consistent I
can be in being true to those precepts, the better I'll be as a as a
dad and a husband and, hopefully, the better I'll be as president."
Update at 4:34 p.m. ET. Romney Reaffirms His Position:
During
a stop in Oklahoma City, Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican
nominee for president, reaffirmed his position that marriage should be
between a man and a woman.
He
acknowledged that the issue was a "tender" and "sensitive" one but said
that he has the same view "I've had since running for office."
Update at 4:01 p.m. ET. A Bit More On The Politics:
As
we noted earlier, one of the big questions is how this pivot by the
president will play in November. It's a political gamble for sure.
Over at the Washington Post,
Chris Cillizza writes that on plus side, this move may re-ignite
Obama's base and bring young people, who had such a huge effect in 2008,
to the polls. On the negative side, this could shrink Obama's support
from the black community and could hurt his chances in Virginia and
North Carolina, two hugely important states.
Joe
Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, which advocates for
gay rights, says that this decision won't make much difference
politically.
"I think at the end of the
day, this election will continue to be about the economy and about
economic struggles we all face," Solomese told our colleague Liz
Halloran. "As all contests like this, it will also be a question of
character. What the president demonstrated today is that he is a person
of deep conviction."
Mark Knoller, White House correspondent for CBS Radio,
says on Twitter
that Obama administration officials say this won't be a "cornerstone"
of the president's campaign and "don't think it will have a bearing on
the outcome."
That's certainly not what
Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, which advocates for a
Christian organization that advocates for a traditional family unit,
told NPR's Liz Halloran.
"What everyone
said was not going to be an issue in this election is now an issue,"
Perkins said. "The president has made it an issue. this provides a very
clear contrast between him and Mitt Romney. I think [Romney] may have
been handed the key to support from social conservatives. Obama just
turned up the heat and intensity."
Perkins also noted that 10 of the 16 battleground states have passed amendments barring gay marriage.
Update at 3:50 p.m. ET. Republican Reaction:
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus sent this statement to reporters:
"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."
Update at 3:43 p.m. ET. Where Does The Country Stand?:
According to the latest
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, Americans are almost evenly divided on the issue.
"46% favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally, while 44% are opposed,"
Pew reports.
National
opinion, however, has been shifting in favor of gay marriage. Perhaps
indicative of that fact: When ABC News cut in to its programming to
deliver the news, they interrupted a segment featuring Tim Gunn, a gay
TV fashion guru. When NBC interrupted its programming to deliver the
news, it cut into the Ellen Degeneres Show. Degeneres is also gay.
Update at 3:32 p.m. ET. Audio Of The Interview:
Note
we've added audio of the two-minute clip released by ABC News at the
top of this post. The rest of the interview is set to air on ABC World
News tonight and tomorrow morning on
Good Morning America.
Update at 3:28 p.m. ET. 'A Historic Moment':
Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, told NPR's Liz Halloran this was a "historic moment."
"I
think that the president spoke from his heart, from a place of common
humanity," Solomese said. "His words give a great deal to give hope to
LGBT Americans that, as he has always said, he sees them as a part of
the American fabric. The leadership of the president, the words of the
president, his coming out in support of an issue as important as
marriage equality, and around which many are still struggling, still on a
journey, will help those people."
Update at 3:17 p.m. ET. North Carolina And The General Election:
This
policy shift from the president was also made more dramatic because of
yesterday's vote in North Carolina, which changed the constitution
making all gay unions illegal.
It was a
rare occasion where African Americans and Republicans voted on the same
side of an issue. It's something that will almost certainly come into
play during the November election.
The
big question is, of course, whether this position by the president will
erode his overwhelming support from African Americans.
A New York Times/CBS News Poll from February
found that only 29 percent of black respondents said gays should be
allowed to marry. 23 percent said they should be allowed to form civil
unions.
Update at 3:13 p.m. ET. 'Stood On The Side Of Broader Equality':
ABC has posted a two-minute
video on its website.
In it Obama says that he has always "stood on the side of broader
equality" for gay community. For a long time, he said, he thought that
civil unions would be enough. But, now, that view has evolved, Obama
said, and he now believes same sex couples should be allowed to get
married.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/05/09/152356770/president-obama-gay-marriage-should-be-legal?sc=nl&cc=brk-20120509-1509
North Carolina
voters decided to rewrite the state constitution, passing an amendment
that makes the only recognized, domestic legal union a marriage between a
man and a woman.
The AP made that
projection based on an actual tally of votes. With 35 percent of the
vote counted, 58 percent of those casting ballots voted in favor of the
amendment, making North Carolina the 30th state to adopt such a measure.
The Charlotte Observer reports that the amendment gained national attention, bringing in more than $3.5 million in donations. The paper adds:
"Supporters
of the amendment said it would ensure the preservation of traditional
families. In addition, they say, it means marriage has an actual
definition in the state constitution — and is not subject to definition
by 'activist judges' or legislators.
"Opponents
said the amendment would be devastating to unmarried women and their
children. They said it would strip them of domestic violence
protections, and their children would lose health benefits."
During
the run up to the vote, former President Bill Clinton recorded phone
messages asking voters to reject the measure, while the Rev. Billy
Graham endorsed the amendment
in full page ads that ran in 14 of the state's newspapers.
As Liz reported earlier,
the North Carolina-based Public Policy Polling found that many of the
voters did not understand the intricacies of the amendment. The state
already had a ban on gay marriage, but this amendment goes further by
barring same-sex civil unions.
Our Original Post Continues:
A referendum that would outlaw same-sex marriage and civil unions is driving a high turnout in North Carolina.
As Liz reported earlier,
nationally the vote is symbolic, even if former President Bill Clinton
and the Rev. Billy Graham jumped in on opposite sides of the debate.
Still it's a contentious issue in the state and a mirror of the kind of
debate happening nationwide.
Coincidentally, the presidential campaign was drawn into the conversation this week. On
Meet the Press, Vice President Joe Biden
expressed his support for gay marriage. President Obama has not gone that far, and his position was further highlighted when his education secretary,
Arne Duncan, also expressed his support.
The Charlotte Observer reports
that the referendum is likely to pass and that the controversial
measure might push turnout to record levels. The paper reports:
"Gary
Bartlett, the state elections supervisor, told NewsChannel 36, the
Observer's news partner, late Tuesday morning that the state-wide
turnout could exceed 37 percent. That would make 2012's turnout the
biggest for a primary in a quarter-century, Bartlett said.
"Several
people questioned by The Observer at precinct places said they were
voting for a variety of reasons, but each mentioned Amendment One."
Polls in the state have now closed. We'll update this post as the votes are tallied.
Update at 9:11 p.m. ET. Marriage Amendment Leads:
With 30 percent of the precincts reporting, 57 percent of voters approve of the constitutional amendment.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/05/08/152297983/gay-marriage-referendum-drives-high-turnout-in-north-carolina?sc=nl&cc=brk-20120508-2130
Richard Posner, Antonin Scalia (Credit: Reuters/John Gress/Brendan Mcdermid)
Richard Posner, Antonin Scalia (Credit: Reuters/John Gress/Brendan Mcdermid)
