President comes out of the Closet

“I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages.”

Barack Obama, 1996

It is interesting how this quote has suddenly arisen.  Where was it in 2008 when Senator Obama was declaring his belief that marriage was between one man and one woman?  Clearly, he has always been in favor of gay marriage but he didn't think it would play well on the national stage.  Best to keep that under his golf hat and instead offer his gay supporters the bone of repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell.  Of course, as most lobbies do, they agreed that was great but then asked what have you done for us lately?  Campaign cash was being log-jammed by his failure to come out and reassert his 1996 position.

Thus, the President evolved back (devolved?) to a previously held position.  And suddenly the cash started flowing.  Hmm.  I recall the constant complaints that Bush and Cheney were in the pockets of Big Oil.  Does the same apply to Obama?  This seems like a pretty clear quid pro quo.

Politically, I am curious about the decision.  Blacks are probably the most unsympathetic group to gay marriage and they are also Obama's most loyal voting block.  Though I doubt it will impact the percentage of this voting block he wins, I suspect he has just suppressed the turnout.  Secondly, the day after North Carolina adopts an amendment defining marriage as one man one woman, Obama comes out for the other side.  Why not announce a few days earlier and perhaps alter an outcome he clearly opposes?  Third, Obama can't wait to consolidate more and more power in Washington DC, but on this one issue, he is a Federalist.  Yes, he thinks states should decide.  Perhaps he read my recent blog on Federalism.

Let's look at the states.  Every state that has put the vote to the people has failed to adopt gay marriage.  Where it has succeeded is in State Supreme Courts like Massachusetts; the justices there discovered that John Adams had provided for Gay Marriage when he penned the state constitution in 1780.  No judicial activism there.  More than 30 states have amended their constitutions to ban same-sex marriage and thus constrain such judicial shenanigans.  42 states define marriage as one man one woman.  Federalism has been hard on Obama's evolved position.

This was about getting campaign cash in exchange for words that are not backed by action.  However, Obama better be wary.  In a few months, his backers might declare that his coming out for gay marriage was great but what have you done for us lately?