Obama Agrees with Gay Marriage

Barack Obama has done well. He recently declared that, as a matter of personal conviction, and acknowledging the repercussions down to the minute, he agrees with same-sex marriage. When he did, much of the world was shocked, within the United States and beyond. However, the backlash does not take away from the fact that his words set a civil rights milestone in the United States.

No other president in history has dared to take the plunge.

Others, such as Bill Clinton, refused to do so for fear of criticism. Later he repented. Obama, on the other hand, got with the times and popular sentiments and was booed — then applauded.

Although only four years earlier Obama himself was opposed to homosexual unions, his feelings on the issue have now “evolved.” From conversations with his daughters and talks with his advisors (who assured him that his new position would garner more positives than negatives), he’s found space to change his position.

In a presidential atmosphere like the United States, in which opponents try to be as conservative as possible, the announcement on homosexual unions puts Obama in opposition to the status quo.

Just when the polls are drawn dangerously close, Obama does not try to camouflage his liberal positions but, on the contrary, reaffirms them in a search to maintain the votes of the young, the left and the center. It is necessary to be realistic, nevertheless, when considering that other votes such as those of conservatives and the religious right could go to the other side. Whether out of conviction or political calculation, the Democrat has played the right card at the right moment.

As was mentioned in an editorial in the New York Times on May 10, the president’s position does not end the struggle for gay marriage (which is still the responsibility of the states); however, it does give a presidential boost that, historically, has served in the past to transform similar legal debates.

Despite the rivers of ink that have flowed heralding profound negative consequences for the Democratic campaign since Obama made his declaration, I do not believe that the move will change current voting tendencies. Those liberals who were with Obama share his position; the conservatives who dismiss their votes reaffirm, on the other hand, their discomforts.

In the midst of economic difficulties, the statement by Obama will mean a higher risk for re-election. In turn, it will generate more equity and optimism in a nation that has pioneered freedom and opportunity.