Obama Publicly Supports Gay Marriage: Will It Help or Hurt His Campaign?

by SodaHead News Posted 2012/05/09 20:00:00

Related Topics: 2012 Election, Obama, Gay Marriage, Support, Announcement, Civil Union, GOP, ABC News, The Election, Public Opinion, General Election, Election, ABC, Unions, Sex, President Obama, Smart

Read More

2,388 votes
Read all 4,850 opinions
Lightning Report View Results and Demographics + View Demographics

Loading Demographics... Click an icon to see demographic results Display unknown and private
	Help	1,106 votes	46%
	Hurt	1,282 votes	54%

We're six months from the general election, and things are starting to get serious. After months of focus on the GOP primary, President Obama is taking a preliminary shot at policy. In an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, Obama became the first U.S. president to publicly support gay marriage. This is a significant change in perspective from his 2008 campaign, when he supported civil unions but opposed gay marriage.

He told ABC News, "For me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couple should be able to get married." Many suspect the sudden shift is in response to public opinion, which has been steadily moving in the direction of support for gay marriage, and while it certainly won't be the focus of the election, it has vast implications for the direction Obama's campaign might head. Do you think it will help Obama get reelected, or will this breaking news do more harm than good?

+70

Add a comment above

Chelsea 2012/05/09 23:04:30

Hurt

+60
More proof that Obama has no moral compass or developed conscience. He truly is a empty suit.
>> See Replies

More polls by SodaHead News

TyroneLengert 2012/09/05 02:03:17

Hurt

Pathetic... gay rights are something that you focus on when everyone is employed and the businesses are doing swell.

reply
susan 2012/06/22 05:57:03

Hurt

But as far as benefits for the gays I would think marriage and other benefits would help the country because you would have less dependent on the government if they got married and were able to access those benefits of the other. Might cost the government less money even the the moral people think it's against the Bible. Jesus (yeshua) was a teacher of love and when you see wars and barbaric societies that were bent on destruction Christ did help . Irregardless of how much people are against religion and the segregation they say it caused by misinterpretation . I'm absolutely positive Jesus loves gays too.

reply
BILL 2012/06/14 23:31:38

Help

sure its gonna help him among the gay and lesbian and mostly liberals.

reply
bnh 2012/06/12 03:45:48

Hurt

+1
He doesn't have a clue

reply
Nafees Rawji 2012/06/08 14:37:50

Help

Just a funny note:
Only 14% of atheists said that it would hurt Obama; compare that to the 70 of Christians.

reply
L.A. woman 2012/05/26 06:16:39

Hurt

+1
It won't have a huge affect. It will just one more thing to throw on the pile of reasons to not support this president. It may turn off some Hispanics as I think they are more devout with their faith than Blacks. They will "rationalize" why they can disagree with him on this, but support him on these other issues. They will easily buy into the attacks that they don't want to be responsible for the first black president being booted out after one term. He has lost evangelicals. You can ignore the issue of gay marriage and look at it as another example of his not having any true convictions on anything. What did Winston Zedemore say when asked if he believed in the supernatural, "if there is a steady paycheck in it, I'll believe anything you say". For O, substitute vote for paycheck..

reply
jackolantyrn356 2012/05/25 02:54:11

Hurt

+1
only ACORN has ever been th only RAEL help to thiss Suprrb LIAR

reply
Dan 2012/05/24 06:50:45 (edited)

Help

With a growing majority (53%) of the country now supporting marriage equality, including over 3/5 of African Americans, I do not see how anyone could think that this could hurt him in the election.

Source: Yahoo! News "Poll: More Than Half of Americans Support Gay Marriage"

reply
ruth to Dan 2012/07/09 17:27:59

+1
Support the Gay's and i have many friends that are gay i grow up with them all my life in New Jersey they are great people should deserve the same rights as us

reply
GEORGE CAMPOS 2012/05/24 03:11:50

Help

Obama is no dummy. He waffled when he learned America was 52 percent in favor
he went after the votes!! G Campos

reply
ReconMarine~AVA/POTL/JLA/PWCM 2012/05/24 00:29:35

Hurt

+1
The night of his coming out in support of Gay Marriage...the Black Community and the Black Pastors in Los Angeles, came out on Local News and Opposed his decision...this did not make the Nation MSM as it was in Opposition to His Support By MSM...

reply
Apache to ReconMa... 2012/06/16 23:54:58 (edited)

+2
The Obama Gay Corpse Men.

reply
ReconMa... to Apache 2012/06/17 17:14:16

reply
Franco Phile 2012/05/23 20:13:16

Hurt

+2
Because so many Americans dislike homosexuality using the guise of "morality" to justify their beliefs. If you ask me, they're just afraid of anything that's different or makes them feel uncomfortable, or as they say, "disagree" with.

reply
Johnrannojr 2012/05/22 15:30:59

Hurt

+1
I really don't think the democratic party and the president should be using this issue to get votes. They should deal with the economy, high gas prices, and wastefull spending habits of our nation as a whole rather than exploite people. Live and let live I say. It's no ones business if strait or gay, who cares!

reply
macaw1birdy 2012/05/20 08:50:05

Hurt

+2
The big problem is that gay people is do very confused , they still don't get it that the body of the woman was designed so much different than we men, theirs is so much more beautiful and attractive, and it was God's idea to create one woman for one man, the problem is that they don't believe in God so does Obama.

reply
joseph ... to macaw1b... 2012/05/21 02:29:30
beach bum 2012/05/20 02:59:04

Help

more votes

reply
BUCCANEER~POTL~PWCM~JLA 2012/05/19 08:31:45

Hurt

+2
Destroy it,hopefuly and the queer dream with it

reply
BOOTSXI to BUCCANE... 2012/05/19 23:17:58

+1
TELL ME, WHAT DOES MY LOVE FOR SOMEONE HAVE TO DO WITH THE SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE. TO ME THE BIGGEST THREAT TO MARRIAGE IS DIVORCE. SO LETS VOTE NATION WIDE TO MAKE DIVORCE ILLEGAL.

reply
ReconMa... to BOOTSXI 2012/05/24 00:18:02

+2
So far the States that have Voted, have denied Gay Marriage, yet The Gay Movement does Not accept that vote and The Will Of The People and wants to Force Their Will Upon US

reply
Dan to ReconMa... 2012/05/24 07:11:34

Founding father James Madison wrote in Federalist Paper No. 10 that "measures are too often decided, not according to the rules of justice and the rights of the minor party, but by the superior force of an interested and overbearing majority." In other words, the tyranny of the majority does not over rule the rights of a minority.

Also, back when the supreme court decided Loving v. Virginia in 1967 (the case the overturned the bans on interracial marriage), many states would have voted that interracial marriage should remain illegal, however the Supreme Court ensured that people do not get to decide on other's rights.

reply
ReconMa... to Dan 2012/05/24 13:09:16

+1
Which Would also Apply to MY Vote of PROP 8, which Passed by a Majority...
Yet That Minority wants to Impose their Will On MY Vote and Take that Constitional Right Away, By Overturning MY Vote along with the Other Votes...all for a Word....a Word.....Marriage, instead of Union...

reply
Apache to Dan 2012/06/16 23:58:14

reply
ReconMa... to BUCCANE... 2012/05/24 00:18:31

+2
You Bet My Brother...

reply
ReconMa... to BUCCANE... 2012/06/01 23:47:16

+2
And their ODUMBO Blow up Dolls...lol~!!!

reply
BUCCANE... to ReconMa... 2012/06/02 00:04:23

+2
Oh good grief,now I'll have nightmares!!

reply
ReconMa... to BUCCANE... 2012/06/02 20:45:49

+2
For all the GAY MARRIAGE Supporters...Their "Man"...Has Come Out, Finally...lol~!!!

reply
BUCCANE... to ReconMa... 2012/06/02 21:03:02

+2
Backs to the wall chaps,no lace up shoes!!!

reply
ReconMa... to BUCCANE... 2012/06/05 21:17:59

+2
Got That Right...lol~!!!

reply
Dagon 2012/05/19 05:53:14
Kenneth... to Dagon 2012/05/19 08:40:55

+3
Couldn't you say the same for any issue? People are going to disagree with him no matter what, unless he just stops taking any sides on anything.

reply
Dagon to Kenneth... 2012/05/19 17:50:47
Kenneth... to Dagon 2012/05/23 23:49:30

+1
Well, you may be right about people digging in on their chosen position in response to his announcement. In my opinion, this is irrational - people should hold their opinions and whether someone (e.g. the President) agrees with them or not shouldn't influence how strongly they hold that opinion. If people are reacting irrationally to the President's announcement, that's their fault, not his. Politicians, including the President, SHOULD be giving their opinions on all the issues - that's what we pay them to do.

reply
Dagon to Kenneth... 2012/05/24 00:14:33
Kenneth... to Dagon 2012/05/31 10:00:24

+1
Sure. I don't think many people will base their voting decision solely on the President's position on same-sex marriage, but if they want to that's their choice as voters. This is how it's supposed to work - politicians are supposed to state their opinions, positions and plans so that voters can make an informed decision. It's good and right for the President to finally offer a real position on this issue instead of the meaningless "I'm evolving" or whatever.

reply
Dagon to Kenneth... 2012/05/31 15:17:31
ReconMa... to Dagon 2012/05/24 00:20:42

+1
He has already started that division, as evidenced by all the polls on here, about this subject

reply
Dagon to ReconMa... 2012/05/24 00:39:36
ReconMa... to Dagon 2012/06/01 23:48:28

+1
Definitely got that right...

reply