President Obama may not want to go there, but if he pays attention (and I’m sure he does) he has to see that he’s going to have to go there. Everybody’s going there. DOMA signer Bill Clinton, conservative attorney Ted Olson, even Dick Cheney and Laura Bush. And now Elizabeth Hasselbeck:
I am not ultra-ultra-conservative on every issue. I actually support gay marriage. I think the gay marriage thing would definitely surprise people. I mean, for some people, it will surprise them to the point that they won’t want to hear it. 'No, that can’t be, I really want to have this sort of idea of her in my head,' so I sort of rain on their parade there.
Now, I don’t know how sincere Elizabeth Hasselbeck’s newfound embrace of marriage equality is. She’s on the record as being supportive of upholding Prop 8 and believing that gays should be happy without the word “marriage.” So I really don’t know if she’s a legitimate marriage equality supporter or not. Only Elizabeth Hasselbeck knows the answer to that one – personally, I’ll just take her word for it.
But who cares about Elizabeth Hasselbeck? She’s only a tiny part of the larger picture. Marriage equality is gaining traction – rapidly. Politicians that had once been against marriage rights for gays and lesbians are coming out in support, the very constitutionality of gay marriage bans is for the first time seriously jeopardized, and for the very first time a poll has shown that the majority of Americans support marriage equality. This isn’t just blind optimism. Make no mistake: marriage equality is coming one way or another, and you can either support it and be on the right side of history or oppose it and be bowled over by equality. The choice is yours. And the choice is President Obama’s, too.
The news of Elizabeth Hasselbeck’s conversion to the side of marriage equality came on the same day that an opinion piece was published at Politico written by Richard Socarides, a former senior adviser to Bill Clinton on LGBT issues. Entitled “A Way Forward On Gay Marriage,” the article surveys the political and social landscape and arrives at the conclusion that President Obama really has no choice but to endorse marriage equality. Socarides argues that, while many gay voters may have been okay with President Obama’s position favoring civil unions over marriage equality during the 2008 campaign, the Prop 8 ruling along with changing attitudes about same-sex marriage have caused marriage equality to be a “political litmus test” for gay voters.
[…]where you stand on the issue of marriage has become a kind of political litmus test for gay voters on whether you support full or partial equality. It is now seen as a proxy for whether you believe gays and lesbians are entitled to full dignity, respect and inclusion in every aspect of American society. And whether, in essence, our struggle for equality is worthy as a civil rights movement. Just saying you are for equal rights will no longer cut it.
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Moreover, as the Perry case and its high-profile legal dream team of Ted Olson and David Boies continue to focus attention on the issue, Obama’s position becomes increasingly important to the liberal (and younger) voters that helped elect him — voters who are already less enthusiastic, according to recent polling.
They realize that the external political environment has an impact on the Supreme Court and that the president’s views could be an important factor. Obama can no longer continue to allow his Justice Department to vigorously defend the constitutionality of anti-gay laws in court — laws he then says should be repealed.
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Support for equal benefits, but not for equal status — a gay "separate but equal" rule — is contrary to what Obama stands for, both as a person and as a symbol of expanding freedoms and opportunities. Continuing on this course will lose him and his fellow Democrats the support and enthusiasm of a large block of his base voters.
But can President Obama, who once supported gay marriage, only to oppose it now, change his position again? The answer is yes — and he in fact has no choice.
On the same day that this opinion piece was published, the Advocate reported the details of an August 6 meeting between White House officials and 60 LGBT advocates on the state level. While the meeting covered everything from DADT to the faltering ENDA to HIV/AIDS, marriage equality (and the President’s lack of support for it) inevitably came up. According to reports, emotions were heated as LGBT activists pressed the White House for answers on President Obama’s lack of consistency – his support for an abstract “equality” and his opposition to marriage equality. Brian Bond, Deputy Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, expressed frustration on behalf of the White House that LGBT activists are being so harsh to an administration that is “99 percent supportive of your issues.”
I can see why the White House might be frustrated. President Obama has advocated for more and done more for LGBT Americans than any other President. He has made many improvements to the benefits for same-sex partners of federal employees, he signed the Matthew Shepard Act, and we’re likely to see a repeal of DADT under his administration. These are all solid accomplishments. And I’m grateful to have a President that does support me 99 percent of the time.
But does the other 1 percent matter? Hell yes it matters. It matters a lot.
As Richard Socarides points out, the President matters on this issue, probably more than any other American. The President arguably sets the tone for the country. When the President speaks and takes a position on an issue, many minds may not be changed, but people listen. If the President endorses marriage equality, Democrats will listen. Everyday Americans will listen. It really will make an impact.
The sooner Obama changes his answer on this most important equal-rights issue of the day, the better off he will be. The Perry ruling provides the right opportunity to shift his emphasis and provide real leadership, reminding people that in this country, we look to the courts for direction on what our Constitution requires.
It might also help the president’s popularity with those that elected him, and it puts him and his party on the right side of the equality question, where he, of course, belongs and presumably wants to be.
I understand that the White House is frustrated with the anger coming from the LGBT community around this issue. But the President really needs to take a second look at his position on marriage equality. As a gay American, I think I deserve a second look. As a gay voter who campaigned tirelessly for President Obama, I think I deserve the same rights that heterosexuals have when it comes to marriage. And I’m going to get them, with or without President Obama. But I’d really like my President to be with me on this one.