“New York has finally torn down the barrier that has prevented same-sex couples from exercising the freedom to marry and from receiving the fundamental protections that so many couples and families take for granted,” Cuomo said in a statement. “With the world watching, the Legislature, by a bipartisan vote, has said that all New Yorkers are equal under the law.” – New York legalizes same-sex marriage in win for gay rights advocates
Evolve my a–.
This is about political calculations, which makes it indefensible.
Pres. Obama’s stance on gay marriage is now a character issue; the moral equivalency of turning away from moving on as history rounds the bend. If you’re to the RIGHT of GOP legislators who have seen the civil rights foundation of marriage equality, you have no business “leading” the Democratic Party.
“I apologize for those who feel offended,” Mr. Grisanti said, adding, “I cannot deny a person, a human being, a taxpayer, a worker, the people of my district and across this state, the State of New York, and those people who make this the great state that it is the same rights that I have with my wife.” – New York Allows Same-Sex Marriage, Becoming Largest State to Pass Law
What an embarrassment for Pres. Obama.
When Republicans can make such eloquent statements, while Obama remains perfectly content with the status quo in order to court conservatives for 2012, the reasons to be proud he’s the head of the Democratic Party become fewer and fewer. It now gets down to making excuses for him. Unfortunately, there are none.
so true. obama is a blue dog conservadem. history moves on and he is on the wrong side of history as the nation accepts gay marriage
Thing is, Democrats/Progressives will call Obama everything except what he really is. A Coward. Obama is a coward. A Timid man.
The guy doesn’t do anything that isn’t a political calculation or of self-interest.
Tell me again why we can’t dump him.
I’m repeating myself, but … Even if Obama finally chooses to say, “I support marriage equality,” he’s already so far behind that “arc of history thing” that there’s no way any claim for leadership in this area can be taken seriously.
cuomo nips obama
“I think you’re going to see an evolution toward this position on all levels,” Cuomo said in a possible reference to the White House’s contention that President Barack Obama’s own views on gay marriage – he opposes it but favors civil unions – are evolving. “I think you’re going to see an evolution, and I think you’re going to see a rapid evolution.”
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/57763.html
I was up WAY into the night celebrating with my friends not only here but on that social networking place that shall remain nameless. I only wish My best friend from High School could have lived to see this day.
And HOW much more embarrassing can it get….REPUBLICANS passed this…because without the Republicans who crossed over and voted for it it would have gone down to a party line vote and defeat.
But Obama’s position is EVOLVING!! Obama is SOoooo not even YESTERDAY! Obama is never WAS. Maybe if he would stop fluffing for the House repugnantklan/teabaggers he could find out how the majority of citizens and VOTERS in this country actually feel about something!
But in the mean time…P-A-R-T-Y!!!!!!
I asked the question last night on line…I wonder how many marriage proposals were made and accepted within an hour of the news?
I’d LOVE to know.
You’re right. He should be embarrassed. Will we soon see him running to catch up to the parade.
@Pilgrim:
“There they go. I must hurry and catch up with them for I am their leader”
From behind. He leads from behind. It’s a plan, an 11 dimensional chess plan that only he understands …
Thrilled does not even begin to describe my feelings. I am so proud of New York and the lawmakers that voted for this bill. These lawmakers that voted for this bill will go down in history as trailblazers and people that helped bring equality to New York and paving the way for the rest of this country. The lawmakers and Congress could learn somethings from the New York Legislature including the President of the United States. There is no excuse for President Obama not to accept gay marriage.
Congratulations gay brothers and sisters in New York!
Obama is a craven transparent repulsive snake. He needs to be primaried.
Well, Obama can at least point out that’s he’s to the left of NY Dem Senator Ruben Diaz. Diaz doesn’t even support civil unions. Diaz was the ONLY Democrat to vote against gay marriage last night. I’ve long felt that Diaz needs to just declare himself a GOPer since he’s been acting like one for the last few years.
Diaz proved why Obama’s playing political odds with this issue, which I wrote about earlier this week; it’s a religious, cultural issue with some Hispanics & African Americans.
President Obama has done more for the gay community than any other President ie repeal of DADT.. Your gal Hillary Clinton when she was First Lady supported the Defense of Marriage Act as did her husband Bill Clinton. It doesn’t take ‘political courage’ running as a liberal New York Senate candidate in 2000 to do a Romneyesque flip flop on the Defense of Marriage Act as Hillary Clinton managed to accomplish when she ran in liberal New York State for the Senate.
Show me where you vilified the former First Lady for her strong support of the Defense of Marriage Act when she was First Lady or in your parallel universe populated by your ‘Zombie’ followers is it only Obama that has to be condemned.
Jesus Christ on a biscuit, THIS IS NOT THE 1990s.
Colin Powell was against DADT, as was the entire Pentagon structure. HRC as first lady? Since when does the wife of the president set policy?
This is about OBAMA. Your false equivalencies are time dated & stamped.
I’d keel over if you *ever* made an argument for Obama that didn’t use the Clintons as examples.
Frankly, the Clintons are IRRELEVANT to what is going on in politics right now.
False equivelancies? I already explained to you why compromise is the art of getting something actually done. You progressive types remind me of the Trotskyites in Manhatten in the 30′s who lacerated FDR and his wife by his agreeing to the Southern segregationist Senators demands to write the New Deal Social Security Act in a way that exclude virtually all African-American and Hispanics from being eligible for Social Security. The Manhatten Trotskyites were furious at FDR for abandoning the Progressive ideolgy.
As far as LIbya is concerned, what exactly don’t you understand about a no-fly zone and no boots on the ground? You care more about idelogical purity than about how many people are or would have been slaughtered by Qhadaffi.And you don’t give a rats behind about how many Afghani’s who co-operated with US military would be slaughtered by the Taliban or how many millions of Afhgani women would by sent back tp the Stone Age if all the military would be withdrawn at once. Like the Trotskyites of the 1930′s all you care about is idelogical purity and to hell with the millions of lives that might be damaged.
Proud to be New Yorker .
Andrew Cuomo gets major props for his leadership on this issue. I’m generally not a fan of this Gov Cuomo, to DLC for me and his attacks on unions, but on this issue -outstanding.
Rather than focus on what Pres Obama is not on this issue,under his administration LBGT rights have advanced, lets look at the biggest loser in this battle. Church groups, specifically The Catholic Church.
I want to state up front that I am a Catholic, a liberal one, and I support the laws protecting religious organizations from being sued for not performing gay marriage . Why-because I believe in the separation of church and state. If the Catholic Church, or any religion, does not allow gay marriage that is fine with me. But the state must allow for gay marriage in our secular system of government and it should not discriminate. This is about the government not discriminating against any citizen, not religion.
New York State and City, as is much of the Northeast, is very Catholic. Contrary to popular political thought, most Catholics, including seniors , are pretty liberal or should I say realistic/pragmatic/ forgiving/. Most Catholics, don’t adhere to church thinking on contraception, abortion,and other issues.Consequently you see very catholic states leading the charge to knock down gay marriage -Massachusetts, Connecticut and now New York. New Hampshire and Vermont while maybe not as heavily catholic are part of the Northeast which is more liberal than the rest of the country. As evidence of this there are many catholic politicians on the national stage from both parties that do not adhere to church thinking on gay marriage and other issues such as John Kerry-who was unfairly attacked in 2004 by the Catholic Church, George Pataki, Rudy Guiliani (two Repubs that weren’t) Barbara Mikulski, Mario Cuomo, Andrew Cuomo,Ted Kennedy just to name a few.
The Catholic Church-it will always be a force to be reckoned with, but politicians use religion as a club to control the electorate. What occured is that organized religions power can be beaten, and many times it is never the force it thinks it is on issues. New York allowing gay marriage is evident of that and I would expect it to continue. Once politicians see that going against organized religion does not always mean political death,we’ll see more progressive legislation on many issues, including other states in passing laws to allow gay marriage.
I expect that it will be the South, the center of conservatism, the domicle of religious control, fearmongering on issues of equality, religion, civil rights, womans rights, etc. will be the last bastion.