Our own Angry Mouse, has precipitated a national kerfluffle over President Obama's position on "gay marriage," which is now more commonly called "marriage equality." In her interview with White House Communications Director, Dan Pfeiffer, she pinned Pfeiffer down on President Obama's apparent flip-flop in his position.
Anderson Cooper pickes up on this, and "called out President Obama on his Tuesday show for flip-flopping on gay marriage." Cooper played the crucial segment of Angry Mouse's Netroots interview. Huffinington Post reports:
Obama is under increased scrutiny about his "evolving" views on gay rights in the wake of the battle for gay marriage in New York. Obama will be in the state on Thursday to attend a high-priced fundraiser with gay donors.
In his "Keeping Them Honest" segment, Cooper said, "New questions are being raised about what the president actually believes about gay marriage and whether his public opposition to it is real or just political posturing."
He then ran through the by-now familiar tale of President Obama's stance on gay marriage, from his initial written support for it in 1996 to his stated opposition to it when he began running for national office. (Obama advisers recently told The Huffington Post that his current position on the issue is that it should be left up to the states.)
Cooper played footage from the recent Netroots Nation Conference, where White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer was grilled about Obama's shifting statements about gay marriage.
"Hard to see how the president's position has changed so much," Cooper said. "The only thing that has changed is his need for a wider audience to vote for him."
Cooper invited Paul Begala to comment on Obama's flip-flopping. Democratic strategist Begala said:
"You know, Paul, Democrats attack conservatives for being hypocritical on issues that they're hypocritical about," Cooper said to Begala. "But I don't hear a lot of Democrats attacking their own president for hypocrisy."
As I said yesterday, I think President Obama is making an error of political and moral calculus. Even from a purely Machiavellian calculation, he has far more votes to gain from greater enthusiasm from our GLBTQ, progressive, human rights, and Bill of Rights communities and supporters then he will ever pick up from right-wing Republicans for waffling and this key issue of equality for all Americans.
It's time for all of us to support full equality for all Americans now
11:58 AM PT: LInk to CNN Website and Anderson Cooper segment. Includes Angry Mouse's Netroots Interview with Dan Pfeiffer
http://www.cnn.com/...
12:01 PM PT: Angry Mouse Interview Dan Pfeiffer at Netroots Nation.
12:25 PM PT: Please take the poll I put up yesterday, supporting marriage equality for all Americans, now.
It is Time to Support Full Equality For All Americans, Now, President Obama, and Democratic Leaders
by HoundDog
http://www.dailykos.com/...