Editor's note: CNN's Anderson Cooper reports on how Pres. Obama's views on same-sex marriage have changed over the years.
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Post by: AC360 Anchor Anderson Cooper Filed under: Gay & Lesbian Issues • Keeping Them Honest • President Barack Obama |
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If you are truly keeping it honest why not mention this Obama quote from Oct 30th, 2007:
“I agree with most Americans, with Democrats and Republicans, with Vice President Cheney, with over 2,000 religious leaders of all different beliefs, that decisions about marriage, as they always have, should be left to the states.”
http://www.ontheissues.org/barack_obama.htm#Civil_Rights
This question only concerns a minority in the Gay and Lesbian community so give us a break ... the problem is that this minority is too vocal.
Marriage is a religious union between a man and woman. No christian religion that i know of allows homosexual marriages because God has said it was a sinful and morally wrong. That being said. I do think that there should be a bill passed to give ones life partner all the benefit and perks of a spouse. If they have went before a Justice of the Peace and declared each other as life partners. The bill should cover everything that a marriage does in the court of law.
I believe that Obama should be in support of gay marriage and announce his position clearly prior to the election, But I think That he is appose same-sex marriage because he wants votes from the mass majority of American's and a Politician is a politician.
If you are for or against same sex marriage is not the issue. The issue is whether or not a person can change their mind on the issue. The President is the same as me....an American citizen...and he has every right to change his mind on issues...such as same sex marriage..
There is something significant, legally and historically, that happened in 1996. The Defense of Marriage Act passed and was signed into law by Democratic President Bill Clinton, with the Republican House. Once that was settled law, Obama's position may have shifted to reflect the reality. Most recently, however, the Justice Department determined that DOMA was unconstitutional and should no longer be enforced. And individual states have been granted same-sex marriage rights, which creates an additional layer of complexity. This isn't a shift in position for Obama – it's a reflection of changes in our nation's legal system. There was once a time when African-Americans were considered 3/5 of a person ... times change.