Yesterday, the Internet exploded. Not because there was a Chinese cyber-attack, or because some idiot forgot to type three digits, or because Kim’s having Kanye’s baby, or any such thing. It happened because President Obama announced that he supports same-sex marriage. Now, maybe a political culture in which everyone appeases everyone else has made me (more) cynical, but I can’t help but wonder if he really does support the idea, or if it’s just politically beneficial to say so.
The interweb seems to have come to the latter conclusion; #FutureBidenGaffes was one of the first trending topics to follow the announcement. Everyone wants Vice President Biden to say he supports whatever they support, thus compelling Obama to do the same. Of course, if that panned out in real life (it won’t), people would eventually recall that Biden is an opinionated guy and isn’t afraid to bite the hand that feeds him, and that hand can giving him a swat on the rear if he gets rowdy enough.
And let’s be honest, this announcement couldn’t have come at a better time. The day before, North Carolina voters approved a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage and civil unions, which is unsurprising (although I always believed that North Carolina would be less inclined toward this sort of thing than other Southern states) but still disappointing. I comfort myself, however, with the knowledge that even constitutional amendments are capable of being overturned. Besides, LGBT couples can always just pack up and leave, and what state would drive its own citizens away unless it hadn’t thought of that possibility?
(Sidebar: Here you’ll find a serious of talking points against same-sex marriage, mostly concerning the right to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman – that’s a right? – and the protection of children. Here’s my standard counter-argument to that last one: “I defy you to show me any evidence that children suffer when they are raised by same-sex couples. DEFY.”)
If anyone is wondering where former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) is on this, he says he has opposed same-sex marriage “from the beginning.” (Uh-huh.) That adds to my concern that Obama is just trying to placate a grumbling base; the other guy is, after all. So, celebrate as you like, as he can’t turn back now. But remember that he’s still a politician like all the others.
And on that note, what an opportunity this gives his opponents to say his VP can manipulate him so easily! Probably just once, but still! Who wants four more years of that after eight ridiculous ones?
