Frank Rich (New York Magazine):
And so, Obama has finally finished evolving on same-sex marriage.
And
about time! I, for one, never understood the point of saying you were
“evolving” when many of the voters you were pandering to don’t even
believe in evolution.
Did Joe Biden push his boss to act by announcing on Meet the Press last Sunday that he was “absolutely comfortable” with gay marriage?
I
doubt it. A veep has no such power over any president. Let’s give Obama
real credit here. Slow and halting and borderline farcical as his
“evolution” was, we have now seen an American president take a historic
stand on gay civil rights while in office — and do so despite the
opposition of many in the African-American community.
Yet North Carolina banned same-sex marriage and even legal
recognition of civil unions yesterday in a landslide, becoming the 31st
state to do so. Obama’s stand, however cheering to his base, could hurt
him in an election year when he needs to win swing states like North
Carolina.
That’s always been the rationale for Obama’s dawdling.
Don’t rock the boat in North Carolina — or Florida or Virginia or
Colorado — by speaking out on gay marriage until after November 6 has
passed. The counter-argument I’d make is that Obama looked like a phony
and a coward each day he fudged this issue, and that his taking a strong
and principled stand will have a halo effect on his leadership in
general, including among voters who are ambivalent about gay marriage or
opposed to it. Just look at Andrew Cuomo, whose approval rating remains
high upstate and among Republicans, not just among liberals in New York
City and its suburbs.
MORE...
No comments:
Post a Comment