Obama and gay marriage: What he's risking in an election year

Los Angeles Times ^ | May 9, 2012 | By Paul West

[Oldeconomybuyer]

President Obama’s endorsement of gay marriage is an election-year boost to his liberal base that comes with some risks.

The move is likely to hurt him in the South. One in three Southern swing voters are strongly opposed to gay marriage, a recent Pew Research Center poll found. Just this week, North Carolina, which Obama carried narrowly in 2008, approved one of the toughest bans on same-sex unions in the country. If the switch on same-sex marriage ends up costing him states in the fall, North Carolina will be the first place to look.

More central to his reelection will be the impact in Virginia, one of the top battlegrounds in the country, where a recent statewide survey showed him with a slight lead over Mitt Romney. “There could be some element of risk there,” said veteran pollster Andrew Kohut, who directs the Pew Research Center.

The reactions of minority voters will be closely watched. African Americans are unlikely to abandon the president, though his decision will surely give some older blacks pause. Six months of relentless assaults by the Romney forces, however, will likely boost their determination to see Obama reelected.

Some Latinos may well have second thoughts, particularly voters cross-pressured by the Catholic church’s aggressive opposition to gay marriage.

“Hispanics who are less committed to Obama and are otherwise upset because they feel he broke his promise to pass immigration reform". A downscale white voter in Ohio who was already leaning against the president might lean a little bit more against him now.

Obama’s decision unleashed fresh excitement among gay and lesbian donors, already one of the largest sources of campaign money for the president’s reelection.

[oldfart]

I doubt he’s risking much of anything as long as the votes are counted by a Soros owned company. Let’s face it folks: we’re screwed until we come up with enough guts to actually fight back... and I’m not referring to voting or debating.

[ragmop]

“Slipped her the man-meat”...oh my goodness, I just spit the peaches and cottage cheese I had in my mouth all over my computer screen....I needed a laugh, thanks!

[TexasFreeper2009]

I am SHOCKED that Obama made this dumb of a move.

The general election just went from a tossup/lean Obama to Romney’s to lose. And in one fell swoop Obama just secured the entire South for Romney, something that Romney could NEVER have done on his own.

Thanks Obama :)

[Wayne07]

I disagree, I think he knows he is losing badly on economic issues, and he has some chance of energizing his base and districting voters by shifting into a social issues campaign.

[Graybeard58]

Yet another issue that Romney cannot challenge him on. Mitt says he’s against it now but his governorship record tells another story.

Romney vs. Obama? One of them has to lose, I’ll rejoice in that fact, whichever it is.

[TheRobb7]

Whatever states that don’t yet have a gay marriage amendment on their November ballot need to get one on it.

That could serve to peel off some votes.........

[OrangeHoof]

What is to be gained by tearing into Obama over this?

Any time a candidate has a stated position opposed by over half the population, you pound them on it for, if nothing else, it forces them to waste resources defending it.

Granted, I'd rather see Obama attacked on the economy because he has no defense on that other than to blame Bush which won't wash after four years.

However, it's a long campaign and there will be plenty of chances to work all their messages in.

[ClarenceThomasfan]

I agree. I think Obama just lost the election. If Romney doesn’t waffle on this issue he could ride this thru to the election. I wasn’t going to vote for Romney but if he comes out strong against homo marriage I may reconsider.

[Soul of the South]

“The general election just went from a tossup/lean Obama to Romney’s to lose.”

Don’t ever underestimate the GOP’s ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Remember McCain suspending his campaign in 2008 to return to Washington and save the nation from the financial crisis? The election is Romney’s to lose but he is a RINO and with all of his flip flopping he could easily make an incredibly stupid move. Life experience tells me that people without strongly held core beliefs do crazy things.

[xkaydet65]

There’s no upside for Romney to bash Obama. There’s no uniformity of polling numbers to make it worth his while. Bashing Obama over this is not going to get him one Freeper voter who hates Romney and his policies and positions. Of course he will be asked amd IMO he should respond by referring to Obama’s multiple flip flops and obfuscations and tell the press to ask Obama to explain.

[OrangeHoof]

Perhaps you haven’t noticed that there are roughly 200 million voters in this county that aren’t Freepers and perhaps some of them might be persuaded.

Besides, I thought all the Freepers had decided they weren’t voting for Romney anyway because “he’s just as bad as Obama”.

[xkaydet65]

At the risk of being banned, I am voting for Romney, and based on his recent public performance, my support is more enthusiastic. I used the Freeper term generically to include those conservatives, and there are many,not only here but on Hotair, Ace,Redstate,etc who see a vote for Romney as totally abandoning their own principles. Coming out against Obama’s gay marriage position will not win those voters over to Romney. Additionally he will be savaged in the media as mean spirited, hateful, and bigoted. There’s an old saying,you must measure what you might gain by what you might lose. By that standard, if I’m Romney i make no statements and respond to questions carefully.