Did Obama Flip Flop on Gay Marriage?

Question

http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/1051404.…
" Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who previously said the issue of gay marriage should be left up to each state, has announced his opposition to a California ballot measure that would ban same-sex marriages.

In a letter to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club read Sunday at the group’s annual Pride Breakfast in San Francisco, the Illinois senator said he supports extending “fully equal rights and benefits to same-sex couples under both state and federal law.”

“And that is why I oppose the divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California Constitution, and similar efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution or those of other states,” Obama wrote.

Obama had previously said he opposes same-sex marriage but that each state should make its own decision."

Does Barry have any core values or does he just say what he thinks his audience wants to hear?

Additional Details

OK, the flip flop is on letting the states decide.

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

He is a politician..he says what he thinks a particular group wants to hear.Any wagers how he would anser to this in front of a conservative religious group?

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Asker's Comment:

You are correct.

Answer 2

I don't see how that was a flip-flop.

Answer 3

Don't worry bush and MC CAIN already married wake up

Answer 4

He said in the LOGO debate early in the fall that he does not support gay marriage. I hadn't heard about the article in which you quoted, but from what I can see, it doesn't seem like he changed that stance. From the fall he has indicated that he encouraged equal rights, and civil unions, but the word marriage it up to the state.

Answer 5

No. His statement has consistantly been that he is personally opposed to gay marriage, but he would not support ANY constitutional amendment on the issue.

Answer 6

His position is pretty consistent:

He is ok with different state supreme courts ruling for or against gay marriage.

He is against any constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage, at the state or federal level.

I don't think this is a flip-flop. Personally I wish he would take a stronger position for gay marriage, but I understand if he wants to take the weaker position that efforts to ban gay marriage are divisive and discriminatory, while not whole-heartedly supporting every state having full gay marriage rights.


EDIT- If you interpret his position to mean - let the state courts decide - it is still not a flip flop. That might be too charitable, but he never explicitly addressed the issue of "how" individual states might make that decision. Without more context I don't think we can impartially decide one way or another whether his position really changed - it may never have been very well defined.

Also keep in mind that he has always unambiguously supported full rights and benefits through civil unions, even if his position on "marriage" is more nuanced.

Answer 7

It's a flip.
First he says "Leave it up to the states" now he's saying "Let the courts decide"

Answer 8

yeah, he flip flopped.
want be the 1st time, nor the last.

Answer 9

Barack Obama said he would no sooner leave and denounce my church than he could leave and denounce the black community.

Well guess what? He left my church after talkin' smack to pander to paranoid whites. It looks like Barack Obama is fixin not only to disown the black community, but the gay community too.

I guess if you count disloyal hypocrisy and pandering as a "flip-flop," then this situation would certainly qualify.

Answer 10

Well of course now he is against a vote ... he needs those gay and lesbian votes.
I think the states should decide ... not the lawmakers who run it but the population of the state itself.
We keep hearing about how it has to be done in a democratic process yet refusing the right to vote on the issue would be everything but democratic. everybody knows that California voters would ban gay marriage.

Answer 11

Like a fish out of water!
We are voting for Bob Barr.
He won't win, but it is more of a protest vote and if enough people would protest this way, things would change, especially if Bob were to win!