Has Obama changed his mind on gay marriage?
The president officially supports same-sex civil unions, but not gay marriage. So why is his administration abandoning the federal gay-marriage ban?
President Obama shook up the debate on gay marriage Wednesday when his Justice Department announced that it will no longer defend a key part of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court. The administration will still enforce the federal ban on gay marriage, until Congress acts or the courts offer a "definitive verdict." But declaring that he thinks the gay-marriage ban is unconstitutional is a big legal shift for Obama, who once taught constitutional law. Since Obama is on record as favoring same-sex civil unions but opposing gay marriage, is this a personal shift, too? (Watch White House spokesman Jay Carney announce Obama is "grappling" with the issue)
Obama is finally coming out on gay marriage: "Did anyone on any part of the political spectrum ever actually believe that Obama opposed gay marriage?" asks Stanley Kurtz in National Review. Of course not. Obama's "centrist mask is slipping." How much longer can he continue resisting "full disclosure of his leftist political allegiances"?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Why not take Obama at his word? Obama's not exactly an open book on this issue, says Tabassum Zakaria in Reuters. He said in December that his views on gay marriage are "constantly evolving," and Jay Carney emphasized Wednesday that the president is still "grappling" with the issue. To me, the shift from "evolving" to "grappling" just "doesn't sound like a lot of movement."
"Obama 'grappling' on gay marriage"
Who cares about Obama's personal beliefs? Obama's "personal views" on gay marriage aren't nearly as important as his stance on DOMA, says Dahlia Lithwick in Slate. And he's been consistent there: He campaigned on repealing what he called the "abhorrent" law. Now, with several federal courts agreeing that DOMA is rooted in "moral animus and junk science," Obama is leaving the law's defense to people who believe that stuff. Team Obama "no longer has to."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
1 of 6 'Trump Train' drivers liable in Biden bus blockade
Speed Read Only one of the accused was found liable in the case concerning the deliberate slowing of a 2020 Biden campaign bus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPB
Speed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published