New York – President Barack Obama on Monday defended his view that gay couples should have the right to marry, saying that the country has never gone wrong when it “expanded rights and responsibilities to everybody.”
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“That doesn’t weaken families. That strengthens families,” he told gay and lesbian supporters and others at a fundraiser hosted by singer Ricky Martin and the LGBT Leadership Council. “It’s the right thing to do.”
The remarks were his first to such an audience since he announced his personal support for same-sex marriage last week. They came on a day that Obama was making a targeted appeal to three core voting blocs — women, young people, and gays and lesbians. He gave a commencement address to Barnard College, a women’s college, and taped an interview on “The View,” a popular day-time talk show aimed at women.
Democrats hope Obama’s politically risky embrace of gay marriage will re-energize supporters who had been frustrated by his previous assertions that his views on the hot-button social issue were “evolving.”
Women, young people and gay voters all made up crucial voting blocs for Obama in the 2008 election. With the president locked in a close race with Republican rival Mitt Romney, his campaign is focused on rallying support among those groups once again.
“At root, so much of this has to do with a belief that not only are we all in this together but all of us are equal in terms of dignity and in terms of respect, and everybody deserves a shot,” he told about 200 supporters at the fundraising event.
Obama also called for repealing the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law that defines marriage as being between a man and a woman. His administration has refused to defend the law in court challenges, and while Obama has voiced support for its repeal before, he specifically listed repeal as a goal.
Romney has said he believes that marriage is defined as being between a man and a woman. Although Obama did not mention Romney’s stance, he cast his challenger as a “rubber stamp” for congressional Republicans and cited his 2008 opponent, Sen. John McCain, as a far more independent Republican who believed in climate change and in the need for overhauling the immigration system.
“What we’ve got this time out is a candidate who’s said he would basically rubber stamp the Republican Congress and who wants us to go backwards and not forward,” Obama said.
Earlier in the day, during his address at Barnard, Obama urged the graduates to fight for their place at “the head of the table” and help lead a country still battered by economic woes toward brighter days. “I believe that the women of this generation will help lead the way,” he said.
The president’s choice of Barnard as his first commencement address of the spring underscored the intense focus both candidates have placed on women. An Associated Press-GfK poll conducted earlier this month showed Obama with a sizable advantage over Romney with women voters, 54 percent to 39 percent.
Obama acknowledged that today’s college graduates are entering a shaky job market. To those who say overcoming the nation’s challenges isn’t possible, Obama said, “Don’t believe it.” He told the graduates that if they ever despair, they should think of the country’s history and what young generations before them have achieved.
“Young folks who marched and mobilized and stood up and sat in from Seneca Falls to Selma to Stonewall they didn’t just do it for themselves, they did it for other people,” Obama said. “That’s how we achieved women’s rights, that’s how we achieved voting rights, that’s how we achieved workers’ rights, that’s how we achieved gay rights, that’s how we’ve made this union more perfect.”
After the speech, Obama taped an appearance on ABC’s “The View,” which was to air Tuesday. When asked if he would personally fight to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, he replied, “Well, look, Congress is clearly on notice that I think it’s a bad idea.” He also pointed to the $2 billion loss in high-risk trading at JPMorgan Chase to reiterate the need for Wall Street reforms.
Tickets for the fundraiser hosted by Martin and the LGBT Leadership Council started at $5,000 per person.
A new poll by the Pew Research Center found that about half of those surveyed say Obama’s support for same-sex marriage does not affect their opinion of the president, with about one-fourth saying they feel less favorably toward him and 19 percent feeling more favorably.
There was a big disparity between older and younger adults surveyed, indicating a more intensely negative reaction among older Americans. Forty-two percent of people over the age of 65 said they viewed the president less favorably because of his decision, while 62 percent of respondents between the ages of 18 and 29 said Obama’s announcement did not affect their opinion.
Guy is as “krum” as a person gets. He could try to convince and manipulate the public but americans aren’t foolish and stupid like in the past. We learned from our mistakes and will NOT vote for him in nov!
why not make a law for civil union for gays marriage for men and woman
This is the definition of “doubling down” . Recently, it was reported that one in six top Democratic bundlers (the real money people) identify as being gay. Yet, when voters go to the polls, each and every state, even California, turns down gay marriage.
Looks like the gays are the real 1 percent that control the Democratic agenda.
I agree with Anonymous’ first sentence, but unfortunately he/she is mistaken on the rest. “Americans”, does not necessarily equal Orthodox Jews. And unfortunately there are too many in the general public, and even among Conservative, Reform, and Unaffiliated Jews who are just as stupid if not stupider than in the past. I also wonder where our leaders are. The President was in NY today, causing a tumul and gridlock alert. Why weren’t there strong groups of protestors out there to show him the feelings of those of us who still posess some degree of brains/morality???
The screaming should be done where there is a need to influence the President and the Public. Screaming at congregants/Talmidim about these issues is misplaced, unless you get them to rise to action.
Be serious! This has nothing to do with gay marriage and everything to do with the election. This is genius. He is controlling the election process right now and rallying the liberal base to his cause. He now has 10x the cash Romney has, and the young demographic especially, whom he needs for the election and who were distraught over the economy, have rallied to his side.
He is on track right now to win in November, unless Romney takes command of the situation.
This November is our last chance to prevent the fall into the United States of Sodom and Gomora
For the record, I don’t support same gender marriage, nor do I believe the government should be in the business of defining marriage if it has religious connotations and associations. Just call it all civil unions, and let us practice our religion as we would like.
As for many of the other commenters – disagreeing with someone doesn’t make them stupid. This is not how adults disagree or discuss issues. Being gay doesn’t make one incestuous or a pedophile. This is something that nearly half of the country supports in a growing trend. It’s time we learned to address this issue rationally and not with hatred, name calling or by trying to place our religious attitudes on others. The idea of everyone having an “agenda” and mass conspiracy are simply not real. Do Jews have an agenda? Is there a massive Jewish conspiracy? Not that I know of. Neither to do they.
The concept of a free democratic society suggests that everyone should have certain freedoms, even if we don’t agree with them. If you disagree and want these freedoms removed, prepare for govt attacks on torah observance.
Did anyone notice that the picture accompanying this article is very cleverly shot to imply he’s an angel or a saint? The Barnard College symbol behind him appears like a halo. Very, very clever subliminal “advertising.” Would they do the same for a pic of Mitt? Umm, no. This shot, while maybe not staged, was deliberately chosen to go with the article…ergo, Obama is a “saint” for his views on gay marriage.
Get it? That’s how his people work. Make their boy look good at every opportunity. Mitt’s people must do the same thing.
Is it “hisgaros b’imos” if we demonstrate and heckle the President on the issue of gay immorality when he comes to New York? Will he became a sonay yisroel?
I think you are going to find that the ultra orthodox view of anti-gay marriage is on the wrong side of history.
The Torah is the blueprint for the world and if the Torah calls certain acts Abominations, then they are and there is no arguing about that. Of course there are many who don’t uphold the laws of the Torah and that’s another problem. So there is no argument for gay couples,no matter if it is called marriage or a different kind of union. It is wrong.
Any jew that votes for Obama – is sticking a knife in the Jewish community – nothing more to be said.
What everyone seems to be missing is that Gays already HAVE the same exact rights we all do, they just choose not to exercise those rights. they have the right to marry a person of the opposite sex, just as I do.
Because they choose not to do so gives them no right to change this equation any more than I have the right to marry four women just because I want to. That’s not my RIGHT, that is my preference. If I claimed my rights were being abrogated because I am not allowed to commit to a group marriage under the law does not mean that I am really being deprived of equal rights.
What everyone, up to and including Obama doesn’t comprehend is that preferences and rights are not the same thing. Again, Gay people already have the same, equal rights to mine. They just do not choose to exercise those rights.
For some reason, no one seems to understand this, but if I said I don’t enjoy a hamburger without a piece of cheese on it, I want to change the din so I have a right to my preference just as you have the right not to put cheese on your burger, everyone would immediately criticize me that OF COURSE I am not entitled to or have a right to change the law because of my PREFERENCE!