Sunday, September 16, 2012

Talking Points #3


Obama Says Same-Sex Marriage Should Be Legal
Jackie Calmes and Peter Baker

Same-sex marriage has been a debatable topic for Barack Obama since back in 2004 when he was running for senator till now as the President of the United States. In the article, Obama Says Same-Sex Marriage Should Be Legal, by Jackie Calmes and Peter Baker, Obama’s allies stated to be cautious for when Obama cleared his position because it was and still is “one of the most contentious and politically charged social issues of the day,” and so the outcome of Obama’s stance is to be “unpredictable”. The article states that on Wednesday May 9, 2012, Obama sat down with ABC News' Robin Roberts during an interview and said, “same-sex couples should be able to get married.”
The writer goes on to say that Obama's position on same-sex marriage has gradually changed throughout the years by having conversations with Michelle and his daughters, and being around his friends who are gay. 
Here is an article on how his position on same-sex marriage has evolved throughout the years since 2004.
Here are some videos where you are able to hear how his political stance on same-sex marriage has changed from 2004 to 2012.
“[Obama] had hesitated on gay marriage in part because [he] thought that civil unions would be sufficient”, he states. “[He] was sensitive to the fact that for a lot of people, the word marriage was something that invokes very powerful traditions and religious beliefs.” Since Obama has made it clear that he is for same-sex marriage, "people on both sides of the issue pointed to the historical significance of a president endorsing marriage between people of the same sex." The writer also adds that "while the president has now injected a volatile social issue into the campaign debate," the group of older voters who are apposed to same-sex marriage, are superseded by the increasing number of younger voters who are in favor for same-sex marriage. 



1 comment:

  1. Your post was really helpful in understanding Obama's views on same-sex marriage. He still seems a little not sure of what he wants to do, with either civil unions or marriage.

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