Gay marriage got shot down in California mainly due to the high turnout of blacks voting against it. You didn't hear as much about it because it was much safer for gays to protest against little old ladys at Mormon churches than little old ladies in Compton whose grandsons might be gang members.
If a ballot had both gay marriage and Obama on it, they will vote against the gays and for Obama, despite anything Obama may do or say. They know he’s fudging for votes, and they’re OK with it.