Obama on the Proposition 8 decision and gay rights

[WillParkinson]

Obama on the Proposition 8 decision and gay rights

President Obama called himself a “fierce advocate for gay and lesbian Americans” in December 2008. A month earlier he said, “I believe that marriage is between a man and woman and I am not in favor of gay marriage.”

After Wednesday’s court decision that found California’s Proposition 8 unconstitutional, White House spokesperson Ben LaBolt said, “The President has spoken out in opposition to Proposition 8 because it is divisive and discriminatory. He will continue to promote equality for LGBT Americans.”

Senior advisor to the president David Axelrod said on MSNBC, “The president does oppose same-sex marriage but he supports equality for gay and lesbian couples.”

Obama continues to release nearly-contradicting statements on gay rights in America.

While he has made public his opposition for the Defense of Marriage Act, the Justice Department under his administration is likely going to appeal the case in Massachusetts that last month found DOMA to be unconstitutional.

Obama wrote in 2004 to a gay Chicago newspaper. “When Members of Congress passed DOMA, they were not interested in strengthening family values or protecting civil liberties. They were only interested in perpetuating division and affirming a wedge issue.”

http://www.365gay.com/news/obama-on-the-proposition-8-decision-and-gay-rights/

[FLAprogressive]

1. you cannot claim to support equality for LGBT couples without supporting marriage

I'm sorry, you just can't.

[PanoramaIsland]

12. Exactly. No marriage, no equality. There's no two ways about it. n/t

[FBaggins]

2. "Obama continues to release nearly-contradicting statements on gay rights" - No he doesn't

There's nothing "nearly" about it.

[jgraz]

6. Exactly. What a pathetic, weak-assed statement.

Obama continues to disappoint on LGBT issues. :banghead:

[mitchtv]

7. I call it

"talking out of both sides of his face"

[qb]

3. Will we ever again see a politician who acts on principle rather than poll numbers?

:puke:

[WillParkinson]

4. You're kidding, I hope...

The answer is unquestionably NO.

(My Magic 8-Ball said so.)

[joeybee12]

5. In a word...no...n/t

[xchrom]

8. Meh - who cares? We're getting where we need to go with out him.

And isn't that the most telling thing of all?

[Not Me]

10. that's right.

The train has left the station, and Obama is still on the platform with his head up his ass on this one.

[racaulk]

9. Mmmm...I could just wrap myself up in that warm blanket of fierce advocacy!!1!

:eyes:

Note that yesterday's statement came from a White House spokesperson, not from the President himself.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

11. all this equivocating is stupid. conservatives get pissed cos we get rights

lots of liberals get pissed we dont get equal rights.

[LostinVA]

13. And this POV on GLBT rights is why I've never voted him

And probably never will, unless he does a 180 and fast.

[Occulus]

14. WTF?

"The president does oppose same-sex marriage but he supports equality for gay and lesbian couples."

Those two positions are mutually exclusive.

[Duncan Grant]

15. I support equality, except when I don't.

He's got some epic equivocation going on there.