Obama Announces Plans to Repeal Defense of Marriage Act

[Ian David]

Obama Announces Plans to Repeal Defense of Marriage Act

<snip>

Somewhat buried in CNN's story on Barack Obama's fundraiser in New York is this little tidbit about his administration's plans for marriage equality— http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/14/politics/obama-gay-marriage/index.html

He also outlined goals he hopes to accomplish under a second term, including the repeal of the Defense Of Marriage Act, which the administration has already stopped defending.

This is the first time Obama has said that he will actively work to repeal the law.

At the fundraiser, hosted by openly gay pop star Ricky Martin, Obama called same-sex marriage the "right thing to do." He also said that contrary to what many rightwing pundits have alleged, marriage equality will help families.



More:
http://gawker.com/5910277/obama-announces-plans-to-repeal-defense-of-marriage-act

[Botany]

1. I think team Obama have worked the #s on this issue and know it is a winner.

Gay marriage being the law of the land is not a question of if but when besides the
14th amendment's equal protection clause has it covered .... "no state shall deny
to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

[William769]

2. Great news!

Thanks for posting Ian.

[Zorra]

3. No doubt, huh?

Jan 21, 2013 should be the target date for the start of the repeal process.

[RetiredTrotskyite]

4. Good News!!!

Glad to see this. Hopefully we can work and get Obama re-elected. Now, though, I feel less and less like it is a case of having to hold my nose and vote for the lesser of two evils and more like someone I want to vote for.

[Fearless]

5. Whoooooooa hold on a second there. There's some heavy posturing going on here...

One... I am not a horse; don't dangle carrots in front of me for my vote.

Two...You have not stopped defending DOMA, only Section 3 of DOMA.

Three...IF you're serious and believe that repealing DOMA is "the right thing to do", why are you waiting until after the election to do it and instead continuing to do what's wrong until such time that it's safer to do what's right? Give me a break! DO-IT-NOW!

[Creideiki]

6. Repeal could appear in the Senate...

but without 60 votes wouldn't make it past the inevitable filibuster.

It would never even reach a floor vote in the House, as it's a dictatorship of the Majority.

If we want this, then we need to keep the majority in the Senate (Reid has finally publicly acknowledged that the filibuster is breaking the Senate), AND get a majority back in the House.

Now, what Obama could do is help those of us in the Executive Branch agencies who are struggling. It would show how recognizing marriage equality does nothing to harm heterosexual couples and provide a defusing argument for when the repeal process starts in Congress.

[Fearless]

7. The biggest fallacy in governing is that you need the votes to get anything done.

You don't.

You need to try. You need to rally your troops behind a motion and force them to defeat it. Force them to take a side. Then you have ammo to use against them. If you don't even try, then you have no momentum going forward. It is essentially saying... oh well I can't win so I give up... and the Republicans win.

EVEN if we lose, we need to fight. Right now. Otherwise we are in a worse off place than if we try and lose.