May 9, 2012
Column #1,602
Obama’s Support
of Gay Marriage Is Self-Destructive
By Mike McManus
Obama has just made himself a
one-term President by telling ABC, “I think that same-sex couples should
be able to get married.”
Up till now, he was
politically savvy, saying his position was “evolving.” But in repealing
the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, sophisticates knew where
he stood. Another clear signal was Obama’s refusal to allow the Justice
Department to defend in court the Defense of Marriage Act defining
marriage as “a legal union between one man and one woman.”
Congress feared the U.S. government would
pay Social Security survivors benefits to “husbands” of men dying of
AIDS. DOMA passed in 1996 by 342-67 in the House and by 85-14 in the
Senate. Even Joe Biden voted for it.
By not saying he favored gay
marriage, Obama clearly hoped to avoid galvanizing conservatives in such
states as North Carolina, voting this week on whether to pass a
constitutional amendment to limit marriage to unions of one man and one
woman.
Vice President Joe Biden
“outed” the President by saying on Meet the Press, “I am absolutely
comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women
and heterosexual men and women marrying are entitled to the same exact
rights.” A day later Education Secretary Arne Duncan said he favored
same-sex marriage.
Obama’s appointees created an
unexpected pressure on him to declare his support openly, but on Monday
his press spokesman would only say the President’s position is
“evolving.” For three years?
That was no longer a tenable position. He
had to state his support, as he once did in running for the Illinois
Senate.
But at what cost?
North Carolina became the 32nd
state on Tuesday to vote against same-sex marriage. The public has been
given a voice 32 times, and voted it down every time.
Obama knew this fact on Wednesday in
declaring his backing.
Some said he was courageous. Perhaps, but
I conclude he signed his death certificate.
North Carolina is a state he won narrowly
in 2008. But it voted 61-39 in favor of traditional marriage. Will it
forget Obama thumbed his nose at their vote the next day?
Maine’s Legislature voted for same-sex
marriage in 2009. But the public overturned it in a referendum in 2010,
and voted out dozens of legislators who supported it.
Maryland’s Legislature voted for same-sex
marriage by one vote, but Catholic and black churches are gathering
signatures for a November ballot, where I predict it will be overturned.
Consider California which gave Obama a 24
point margin over McCain in 2008 but at the same time it approved
“Proposition 8” to put “one man, one woman” into the constitution by
52-48.
That was not an easy victory. An early
poll in the liberal state opposed Prop 8 by 54 to 40. Thousands of
evangelical and Catholic churches got involved and raised millions to
make a case for Prop 8.
One TV ad stated, “Children in public
schools will have to be taught that same-sex marriage is just as good as
traditional marriage.”
The supporters of gay marriage were
horrified and raised millions for ads of California’s Superintendent of
Schools charging that Prop 8 had nothing to do with the schools, adding
that same-sex marriage would not be taught in public schools.
Counter ads proved him wrong,
noting California’s schools have to teach “respect for marriage and
committed relationships.”
The
battle then turned nasty. Tens of thousands of “Yes on 8" signs were
stolen, or
vandalized with a
swastika or with the word BIGOT. Organizers of Prop 8 found their
own property
defaced, such as spray- painting a car rear window: BIGOTS LIVE HERE,
with an
arrow pointed
toward the house
A church was spray-painted NO ON 8 - EQUAL
RIGHTS.
A new round of ads supporting
Prop 8 ads began with a man’s calm voice saying “The restoration of
traditional marriage is something that millions have supported. Marriage
between a man and a woman is hardly controversial. It binds men and
women to create a loving environment for the raising up of children.”
It then depicted
how supporters of Prop 8 “have been excoriated, vilified, harassed,
called bigots. Property has been
destroyed by roaming vandals, churches have been defaced, donors to our
campaign have been beaten and hospitalized.”
Another ad warned that if
Prop 8 failed, that adoption agencies would be forced to place children
with same-sex couples. Hollywood and gays raised $32 million for
pro-gay ads. Churches raised $38 million, winning over blacks who voted
for Obama, but for Prop 8.
Now that Obama openly supports same-sex marriage, The
Washington Post surprisingly quoted blacks who now oppose him. William
Cabell said, “I’d love to be supportive of my president. I have to be
loyal to my God
© Copyright
2002 Michael J.
McManus |