Obama Deserves Credit for Taking Stand on Marriage, and So Do We
Some folks in liberal and progressive circles are criticizing President Obama for, in the words of columnist Maureen Dowd, taking "too long to do the right thing."
Dowd and others in this camp need to take a refresher course in U.S. government. Much as we'd like to pretend otherwise, presidents don't generally lead. And deep down, we don't expect them to. They are, like members of Congress, elected officials, and we expect their views to reflect our own. When they don't, we kick them out.
There's a fine line between political opportunists (Mitt Romney, anyone?) who flip-flop all over the deck like a freshly caught trout and pragmatic politicians whose views evolve - to use Obama's term - alongside those of the American populace. Changing your views dramatically because you want to be elected is disingenuous; modulating them because you want to be in a position to do the most good is sometimes necessary.
Presidents rarely lead when it comes to broad-based social change. Instead, they take their cues from us - from the people. If we don't speak loudly enough and with sufficient passion, they generally don't act.It's our job as people who care passionately about an issue to raise consciousness and concern to a certain level. When we succeed in doing so, those we elect to represent our views can act. But it's on our shoulders. It's to our credit as advocates that we were able to give the issue the kind of momentum needed to achieve critical mass on the national stage. It's to Obama's credit that he responded.
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