Obama becomes the first president in history

[catfish]

Well done to Obama for publicly backing it. The religious right hold huge sway in the States and he will know he's pissed them off big time.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

some today are calling him a religious hypocrite (for the obvious reasons)

Probably Republicans...

It wouldn't be as much of an issue in the Democrats given they already draw most of the liberal types votes anyway.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

Won't go down well in the South. The good ol' boys will be organising lynching mobs

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

No votes in the south anyway!

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

more political bullshit , just because "simple simon says" doesn't make it right, does it

 

[pastafarian]

Probably Republicans...
.

probably democrats as well.religious hypocrites are numerous and cover every section of society

 

[sten_super]

Good for him for seemingly backing his convictions, although Biden (inadvertently or not) seemed to back him into something of a corner.

I appreciate that to a lot of people (particularly in this country) it may not be particularly important - but I think if I was being denied equal rights then I'd think it was bloody big deal.

 

[Pinkie Brown]

The majority of those who will object strongly will be grass roots Republican support anyway. IE, the fanatical bible bashers, rural rednecks & the right wing ignoranti. Hardly likely to be supporters of Obama anyway.

 

[daveinprague]

Not sure why non gay people get their knickers knotted over it... I personally have no opinion on what people do in their own homes and bedrooms.... why would it bother non gay people, other than some 2000 year old relgious practices...

 

[The Rivet]

to back same sex marriage.


political suicide or a brave step forward?


a sideline electoral issue has now become a major debating point in the US.

whatever your views on the subject the next presidential election race just became even more interesting

I think Obama has probably just commited political suicide as you succinctly put it. There is a very large bible belt in America and they will not be best pleased with a president that throws away their beliefs and ideolgy that has supported them throughout their own lives for the sake of Obamas' standing with those they will consider 'fringe societies'

 

[sydney]

who gives a f***..........it doesn't make any difference at ll to anyone or any thing...........gay marriages happen end of.

 

[Acker79]

As well as other points raised, it will lead to the republicans defending bigotry, which could inspire the democratic supporters to get more involved in campaigning.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

I think Obama has probably just commited political suicide as you succinctly put it. There is a very large bible belt in America and they will not be best pleased with a president that throws away their beliefs and ideolgy that has supported them throughout their own lives for the sake of Obamas' standing with those they will consider 'fringe societies'

They're not voting for him anyway, so what does it matter. The only section of voters that this could hurt him with are Hispanics, but they hate the Republicans more over their immigration policies.

Interesting stats - 1) the majority of people already thought he supported gay marriage before his announcement, especially so amongst the right wing, and 2) the majority of people in America support gay marriage

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

Good for him on publicly supporting it - but he has just seriously pissed off anyone in the South - but he now probably has the votes of the LGBT communities, which could be well supported by celebrities, who people look up to. They could then come out and support Obama, and may influence the fans of said celebrities.

But then its the votes he has now lost as well, but i dont think he was that popular in the deep south anyway.

Ill also slip it in that id love Obama as our PM as hes just so cool !!!!

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Whilst I agree that it is the right decision in the face of religious intransigence, isn't this simply the American equivalent of banning fox hunting? i.e. he certainly has right on his side from the point of view of making his country a fairer place, but America has far bigger problems to solve than this.

I don't agree. I think he's doing it to mask his failure to get the economy moving.

Its not a policy platform though, he's just expressing his opinion. Its a states rights issue, not a federal one (there are currently more states that allow you to have sex with an animal than marry someone of the same sex)

He's said it now because North Carolina just banned same-sex marriages, a big setback to the gay rights movement, and he's presumably not pleased about that. Or it could have political expediency because it appears North Carolina is the state he is investing the most resources in at the moment for the election in November.

 

[The Rivet]

They're not voting for him anyway, so what does it matter. The only section of voters that this could hurt him with are Hispanics, but they hate the Republicans more over their immigration policies.

Interesting stats - 1) the majority of people already thought he supported gay marriage before his announcement, especially so amongst the right wing, and 2) the majority of people in America support gay marriage

Don't necessarily disagree at all. Was just saying, for me, its still political suicide. We'll see.

 

[Don Quixote]

He's just lost the election.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

He's just lost the election.

How? the majority aren't surprised, the majority agree with his position and the haters weren't voting for him anyway.

 

[brightn'ove]

It won't have much of an impact, at most, he'll lose some of the religious swing voters from states that would probably have voted republican anyway.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

Now that I live in the States I take more interest in who is in the White House than I did when I was in the UK.

Obama has played this particular issue quite shrewdly – as a lot of posters have stated already the only people he will seriously piss off are the ones who weren’t going to vote for him anyway, so it’s far from political suicide. The Republican Evangelical Conservatives do have some serious clout but it is starting to slowly wane. As they become ever more extreme (you only need to look at some of the nominees they put forward, Michele Bachman, Rick Santorum and Rick Perry) they are starting to alienate some of their traditional grass roots support, Christian supporters with a small “C”. And younger Americans are just saying - WTF

With Mitt Romney the GOP seems set to pull off the near impossible and elect a leader that nobody really wants. Romney is a real problem for them. He just isn’t that strong a candidate. He doesn't connect with Christian or working class voters, he is a turn off to independents and he also seems to distance himself from women and Latino voters.

I think Americans will give Obama another 4 years.