Why We Shouldn't Be Praising Barack Obama For His Support of Same-Sex Marriage

Today should have been a hopeful day. On the heels of yesterday’s successful vote to amend the North Carolina State Constitution to ban gay marriage, the internet quickly and vociferously decried the intolerance we witnessed with the passing of A1. I was relieved to see the overwhelming opposition of this amendment through discussions on a multitude of politically neutral online communities and in the columns of today’s (supposed-to-be politically neutral) papers. My faith in the conjecture that the majority of well-informed, rational Americans did not see gay marriage as a “real” issue anymore was quickly reaffirmed, as the conclusion of this morning’s discussion tended to be that this amendment was archaic at best.

But this afternoon, President Barack Obama announced that he now supports same-sex marriage. Even though I believe that this is a step in the right direction, and that the effects of this decision will be advantageous for the LGBTQ community… I don’t think we should be praising President Obama for finally adopting a policy that grants a large group of Americans such a basic human right. Furthermore, we should question the integrity of this decision given the events in North Carolina yesterday, and the falling poll numbers of the Obama campaign.

Since starting his political career in the Illinois Senate in 1996, President Obama has held a number of different stances about same-sex marriage. Some extensive independent research led me to his Wikipedia entry, which chronicles the President’s shifting stance on the issue:

Obama supported legalizing same-sex marriage when he first ran for the Illinois Senate in 1996, was undecided about legalizing same-sex marriage when he ran for re-election to the Illinois Senate in 1998, and supported civil unions but not same-sex marriage when he ran for the U.S. Senate in 2004 and for U.S. President in 2008.

The President claims that his stance on same-sex marriage has “evolved”, and that’s fine. It’s sets a good example for his constituents to challenge their beliefs and adapt to the shifting moral zeitgeist. But we can’t ignore the context in which this decision was presented. It’s no secret that this will be a difficult campaign for the President. While his 2008 strategy focused on changing the corrupt landscape of Beltway politics, he’s now going to have to convince the electorate that he’s been effective in his first term in bringing the change that he promised. This will be a daunting task with our dismal unemployment numbers, a still stagnant economy, and a few failed attempts of pushing new legislature through Congress. Obama, though I believe he will secure a second term, will need to insure that people view him as the lesser of two evils in November. So when North Carolina passes such a widely criticized amendment (on an issue that resonates with his base), it’s a great opportunity to win back the support of Democrats who saw his strategy of excessive compromise over the past 4 years as proof that “their man” wasn’t who he had claimed to be. This political posturing is exactly what he rallied against in his previous Presidential campaign and might lead some to question his sincerity regarding his revised position on mariage equality.

Obama’s need to demonstrate his commitment to the liberal platform might have driven him to endorse gay marriage, but it doesn’t make it legitimate and more importantly, it doesn’t make him any more likely to move forward with legislature that would establish same-sex marriage as a valid institution. There’s a laundry list of unfulfilled promises from the 2008 campaign, some unsuccessful due to partisan interference and others were simply not explored. I think it’s highly unlikely that today’s announcement will manifest itself in any way in the agenda of a second-term Obama presidency.

EDIT 4.10.12 - Obama HQ has confirmed that this is a personal viewpoint and will not be explored at a Federal level.

The issue of same-sex marriage has galvanized the political arena for years, but recently we’ve seen an evolution of public opinion, stemming largely from the operations of a well-organized rights movement. Recent data from PRC polls show a 17% increase in the public support of marriage equality rights in the last decade (from 30% favoring in 2004, to 47% favoring in 2012) and subsequently, several states have adopted legislature which recognizes same-sex marriage. Barack Obama should not be commended for adopting the position that grants fair treatment to his electorate this late in the game. We’re almost to the tipping point where we can safely claim that the majority of Americans support a culturally redefined ideal of marriage equality, and we should hold our supposedly progressive President accountable for carrying out his first term without this perspective.