Obama on gay marriage and Prop. 8

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

Barack Obama has been walking a rhetorical tightrope when it comes to gay marriage and Proposition 8. As a liberal, he can’t support the California constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage, but he also can’t make it seem like he’s in favor of gay marriage if he wants to get swing voters of the somewhat-conservative religious persuasion. In words, he wants to have his gay wedding cake and eat it too.

“I’ve stated my opposition to this. I think it’s unnecessary,” Obama told MTV. “I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage. But when you start playing around with constitutions, just to prohibit somebody who cares about another person, it just seems to me that’s not what America’s about.”