President Obama Endorses Same Sex Marriage, Good Or Bad?

In light of the Presidents very bold position embracing same sex marriage in this country, I have some thoughts on this very important, and very divisive issue. Many of those who read me on Facebook may not know this, but I am a 46 year old openly gay man, who has been in a long term committed relationship with my partner Jay for almost 17 years. I applaud the Presidents historic and ground breaking announcement as one more step in his administrations support for not just marriage equality, but gay civil rights on the whole. However, when the champagne stops flowing, and the LGBT community starts cleaning up from its celebrations, there are some hard facts to face. Look at the map below:

40 out of 50 States have Constitutional or State Law bans on same sex marriage, 40! Now national polling may be trending in support of same sex marriage, but this chart is a sobering fact. The Democratic National Convention is going to be held in North Carolina this year. Considered a major new swing state that Obama carried by the narrowest of margins in 2008. On Tuesday North Carolinian's voted to Constitutionally ban gay marriage by 61%... 61%! Think North Carolina is a swing state now? My guess is a resounding No!

Yes this is an astounding moment in American history, and while liberals and progressives may be over the moon, somebody needs to make a reality check here. It took great courage for President Obama to announce his support for same sex marriage, but the political fallout could be devastating. Lets look at this pragmatically. Some of you may say "well the people who don't support marriage equality weren't going to vote for Obama anyway." and that may be true, but here are some things I'm concerned about:

1. This isn't just going to effect the President's re-election bid, but those Democrats in very close races trying to hold the Senate and re-take the House. Namely the razor thin Senate races in Montana, Missouri, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Indiana.
2. This very issue is what cost John Kerry his shot at the Presidency in 2004. Gay rights initiatives in several states that year, helped galvanized conservatives to get out the vote.
3. This plays well with younger people, there is only one problem? Young people don't vote!
4. This doesn't just galvanize conservative in states with gay referendums, but in the country as a whole.
5. The Presidency is decided by independents. For many people sitting the fence, this could become the deal breaker that pushes them to Romney, especially in the bumpkin and bible belt.

Now I could be wrong, the initial Republican response has been to ignore the issue and focus on the economy. However, don't think for one minute Karl Rove and his ilk won't be jumping all over this for the next 6 months. I hope I'm wrong, I hope the Republicans think this is no longer an issue they can win with?, but I doubt it. MSNBC's Chris Matthews has been coining a phrase all week that I find very appropriate. "Don't get so far out in front of the band you can't hear the music". I hope in 6 months he not only hears it, but that it plays all the way up to his re-election. The President has made a courageous move, and taken a tremendous gamble. This will be a true test of the better angels of our nature as a people. Will it prove we are as evolved as some polls would suggest? or do we in fact, still have a lot of work to do, to make an America that embraces all its citizens.

Another One Bites The Dust

Last night in Indiana, the longest serving Republican in the Senate was shown the door in a big way. State Treasurer and Tea Party favorite Richard Mourdock, put an end to Richard Lugar's almost four decades of service to the Hoosier state. The Mourdock win was a resounding defeat for the long time Republican moderate, who clobbered Lugar by 21 points 61% to 39%.  So yet again another Republican moderate gets kicked to the curb by a hard right conservative idea log. Mourdock will face Indiana's Democratic 2nd District Representative Joe Donnelly in the general election. Donnelly who is known as a Democratic moderate, may now put what would have been a Republican Senate lock under Lugar, up for grabs in November.

Richard Mourdoch vs. Richard Lugar

Conservatives had long targeted Lugar for defeat, arguing he represented a Republican establishment in Congress that has acquiesced to the Democratic party. They singled out Lugar's votes for the bailouts, in support of the president's stimulus and votes to confirm U.S. Supreme Court nominees Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor as evidence of his "RINO" (Republican in name only) status. Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum were among the high-profile politicians who offered public support for Mourdock's campaign.

In a speech to supporters last night Lugar said he was “optimistic about the future of Indiana and the United States” and said the deep partisan divides exemplified by conservatives like Mourdock “are not insurmountable.” In a second statement he issed later, Lugar went on to say “If Mr. Mourdock is elected, I want him to be a good Senator...  but that will require him to revise his stated goal of bringing more partisanship to Washington.” Lugar elaborated by continuing,  "He and I share many positions, but his embrace of an unrelenting partisan mindset is irreconcilable with my philosophy of governance and my experience of what brings results for Hoosiers in the Senate. In effect, what he has promised in this campaign is reflexive votes for a rejectionist orthodoxy and rigid opposition to the actions and proposals of the other party. His answer to the inevitable roadblocks he will encounter in Congress is merely to campaign for more Republicans who embrace the same partisan outlook. He has pledged his support to groups whose prime mission is to cleanse the Republican party of those who stray from orthodoxy as they see it. Mourdock himself said this morning on The Daily Rundown with Chuck Todd, his definition of bi-partisanship is to get Democrats to support more conservative ideals.

FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe said in a statement Tuesday night. "This is just one more example of the hostile takeover of the Republican Party that we've been working on since 2009." Translation: another die hard member for the party of "No". So once again the Republicans have put in play a sure thing, by bowing to Tea Party types, and hard line conservatives. President Obama carried Indiana by less than 1% in 2008. Current polling has Mitt Romney up 9 points in the Hoosier state. If that trend continues, Donnelly is going to have his hands full trying to defeat Mourdock in the fall. The question now is Mourdock is obviously the pick for Republicans. However, can he translate his hard line conservative message into an appealing tone for independents, and moderates of both parties? I guess we'll find out in November.