The war on the "far left" is an effort to move the Democratic Party to the right.

[pnwmom]

61. This post supports what I'm saying. Black Democrats traditionally have supported

gay marriage in much lower numbers than other Democrats -- 40% among blacks compared to 61% among whites in the March 2013 poll.

But that March poll was conducted BEFORE Obama's speech; the May poll, after Obama's speech, showed support among African Americans at 59%.

Obama’s announcement in support of marriage equality came in the face of heavy opposition from black Christian leaders, who went so far as to threaten not to campaign for him in the 2012 election. Obama’s example has made it easier for the NAACP and other groups to speak out, despite this opposition.

http://www.npr.org/2012/05/11/152520955/obamas-gay-marriage-stance-stirs-black-community

CORNISH: Does President Obama's evolution, as he calls it, change the broader debate among African-Americans about homosexuality and gay rights?

DADE: Well, that's the interesting thing here. President Obama has enormous influence with the African-American community. And this debate goes way beyond gay marriage. It addresses kind of the broader issue of just homosexuality. I came across some interesting research that a professor did at Menlo College. She did a poll of African-Americans in the Chicago area. They were asked to support gay marriage.

And what they found was that the race of the caller actually made it more likely that the respondent would support gay marriage. So their theory is that when an African-American steps out in support of gay marriage and gay rights, it increases the likelihood that African-Americans will follow. So there is a theory out there that Obama could have that effect here.

http://thegrio.com/2013/03/26/how-obama-changed-the-gay-marriage-debate/

But now, as the Supreme Court considers two cases on gay marriage, it’s clear Obama’s words profoundly changed the gay marriage debate. His support for gay marriage immediately shifted opinion in one of the last parts of the Democratic base resistant to gay unions: African-Americans.

While polls differ on the exact level of black support for gay marriage, almost half of African-Americans in Maryland backed a provision allowing gay marriages there last fall, and opposition to gay marriage has dipped below 50 percent among blacks nationally, according to the Pew Research Center. And Obama’s statement made it easier for influential African-American organizations, such as the NAACP, also to voice their support for gay marriage, as well as professional athletes, even if some influential pastors in many black communities still opposed it.

http://kutnews.org/post/polls-show-obamas-support-gay-marriage-influencing-african-americans

Public Policy Polling last week surveyed blacks in North Carolina, where voters approved a same-sex marriage ban the day before Obama's announcement. The poll found that their opposition, though a robust 59 percent, had dropped 11 points since the state ban passed.

On Thursday, NPR's Eyder Peralta reported in the Two-Way blog that a Washington Post/ABC News poll found African-American support for same-sex marriage at 59 percent, compared with 41 percent before Obama's announcement.

Also on Thursday, Public Policy Polling released another poll, of blacks in Maryland, where voters will decide in November whether to uphold a new state law that legalized same-sex marriage. Fifty-five percent of black respondents said they will vote to enact the law. Back in March, PPP found that 56 percent of blacks said they would vote against the measure.

For blacks, Michelson says, Obama has made support for gay marriage "a safer position to vocalize."