| HappySqurriel said: Honestly, at this point in time this seems like a very odd choice ... Being that this will (likely) resolve nothing before the next election, gay marriage is not particularly popular in most states, gay marriage has fallen off of the political radar because all people care about is the economy, and there are siginficant risks of another economic downturn before the next election a move like this could actually make it harder to make gay marriage legal in the united states. Basically, would you want to go into an election as a sitting president with a multi-trillion dollar deficit, $150 oil, unemployment at (roughly) 10%, house prices that are a fraction of where they were when you were first elected and be running on an issue that has been voted against in even the most liberal of states? |
Normally, no. But his base is pretty dispirited, and I think he's clearly positioning himself to have (yet again) a sudden change of heart ("my stance on gay marriage is evolving") and use it as a wedge issue for 2012. It has traditionally been used as a wedge issue the other way around by the GOP, so this seems counterintuitive at first blush but Obama and/or his handlers may feel that it gives liberals a reason to keep believing in him as the bringer of change, all evidence to the contrary not withstanding.
