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President Obama Invokes States’ Rights In Speech At LGBT Gala

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by Tommy Christopher | 5:25 pm, June 24th, 2011

» 57 comments

President Obama continued his odd tango with the issue of marriage equality Thursday night, as his speech at the annual LGBT Leadership Council Gala contained some pleasant surprises, and at least one thuddingly unpleasant one. Despite Press Secretary Jay Carney‘s warning that he “wouldn’t anticipate” any new “evolution” on the issue, the President issued his most mostly-throated endorsement of marriage equality yet, before disappointingly invoking the right of states to decide this issue.

The pleasant surprise in the speech was the President’s declaration that “I believe that gay couples deserve the same legal rights as every other couple in this country,” which falls just a hair short of actually expressing a personal belief in the right of same-sex couples to marry. As the balance of his speech made clear, President Obama’s words and actions can reasonably lead to no other conclusion, yet that particular boulder remains quivering at the top of the hill.

He also spoke movingly about some of the individual stories that form his beliefs: (transcript via email from The White House)

Last year, I received a letter from a teenager growing up in a small town, and he told me he was a senior in high school, and that he was proud to be the captain of a club at his school, and that he was gay. And he hadn’t told his parents. He hadn’t come out. He was worried about being mocked or being bullied. He didn’t think it was safe to, in his words, “openly be myself.” But this 17-year-old also looked towards the day when he didn’t have to be afraid; when he didn’t have to worry about walking down the hallway. And he closed his letter by saying, “Everyone else is considered equal in this country. Why shouldn’t we be?”

This is all familiar territory for the LGBT community and their allies, who have long been convinced that the President “gets it,” but who have been frustrated with his Arthur Fonzarelli-esque inability to say the words, “I believe in marriage equality.” (The President even seemed to acknowledge this, saying, “I expect continued impatience with me on occasion.”)

In discussing the Defense of Marriage Act, though, the President showed why he can’t quite jump over this shark:

Now, part of the reason that DOMA doesn’t make sense is that traditionally marriage has been decided by the states. And right now I understand there’s a little debate going on here in New York — (laughter) — about whether to join five other states and D.C. in allowing civil marriage for gay couples. And I want to — I want to say that under the leadership of Governor Cuomo, with the support of Democrats and Republicans, New York is doing exactly what democracies are supposed to do. There’s a debate; there’s deliberation about what it means here in New York to treat people fairly in the eyes of the law.

If you believe that marriage inequality is unjust, then you must necessarily believe that it is not an issue that ought to be left up to the states, or even to the people. Our Constitution is set up to protect against the tyranny of the majority, and nowhere is this more evident than in the issue of marriage equality. Up until 1967, it was legal for states to outlaw mixed-race marriages. The Supreme Court put an end to that with Loving V. Virginia, concluding that “Marriage is one of the ‘basic civil rights of man,’ fundamental to our very existence and survival.”

A basic civil right like marriage is not subject to the whim of the majority, or the winds of politics. We’re born with it, even if our fellow human beings, and those who lead them, refuse to recognize it.

Here’s the relevant portion of the President’s speech Thursday night:

Transcript: (via email from The White House)

Ever since I entered into public life, ever since I have a memory about what my mother taught me, and my grandparents taught me, I believed that discriminating against people was wrong. I had no choice. I was born that way. (Laughter and applause.) In Hawaii. (Applause.) And I believed that discrimination because of somebody’s sexual orientation or gender identity ran counter to who we are as a people, and it’s a violation of the basic tenets on which this nation was founded. I believe that gay couples deserve the same legal rights as every other couple in this country. (Applause.)

Now, there was such a good recitation earlier by Neil that I feel bad repeating it, but let me just — it bears repeating. (Laughter.) This is why we’re making sure that hospitals extended visitation rights to gay couples, because nobody should be barred from their bedside their partner — the beside of their partner in a moment of pain, or a moment of need. Nobody should have to produce a legal contract to hold the hand of the person that they love.

It’s why we launched the first comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy, providing a road map not only to providing treatment and reducing infections — (applause) — but also embracing the potential of new, groundbreaking research that will help us bring an end to this pandemic.

That’s why I ordered federal agencies to extend the same benefits to gay couples that go to straight couples wherever possible. That’s why we’re going to keep fighting until the law no longer -–

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Marriage.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Marriage. Marriage. Marriage.

THE PRESIDENT: I heard you guys. (Laughter.) Believe it or not, I anticipated that somebody might — (Laughter and applause.)

Where was I? (Laughter.) That’s why we’re going to keep on fighting until the law no longer treats committed partners who’ve been together for decades like they’re strangers.

That’s why I have long believed that the so-called Defense of Marriage Act ought to be repealed. It was wrong. It was unfair. (Applause.) And since I taught constitutional law for a while, I felt like I was in a pretty good position to agree with courts that have ruled that Section 3 of DOMA violates the Constitution. And that’s why we decided, with my attorney general, that we could no longer defend the constitutionality of DOMA in the courts. (Applause.)

Now, part of the reason that DOMA doesn’t make sense is that traditionally marriage has been decided by the states. And right now I understand there’s a little debate going on here in New York — (laughter) — about whether to join five other states and D.C. in allowing civil marriage for gay couples. And I want to — I want to say that under the leadership of Governor Cuomo, with the support of Democrats and Republicans, New York is doing exactly what democracies are supposed to do. There’s a debate; there’s deliberation about what it means here in New York to treat people fairly in the eyes of the law.

And that is — look, that’s the power of our democratic system. It’s not always pretty. There are setbacks. There are frustrations. But in grappling with tough and, at times, emotional issues in legislatures and in courts and at the ballot box, and, yes, around the dinner table and in the office hallways, and sometimes even in the Oval Office, slowly but surely we find the way forward. That’s how we will achieve change that is lasting -– change that just a few years ago would have seemed impossible.

Now, let me just say this. There were those who doubted that we’d be able to pass a hate crimes law. Occasionally I got hollered at about that. After a decades-long fight, we got it done — bring us closer to the day when nobody is going to be afraid to walk down the street because they’re gay or transgender. (Applause.)

There were those said we couldn’t end “don’t ask, don’t tell.” And I remember having events where folks hollered out at events. (Laughter.) But we passed the repeal. We got it done. We’re now moving forward with implementing it. (Applause.) So we’re no longer going to demand brave and patriotic Americans live a lie to serve their country.

Folks like Captain Jonathan Hopkins, who led a platoon into northern Iraq during the initial invasion, and quelled an ethnic riot, and earned a Bronze Star with valor. He was discharged, only to receive emails and letters from his soldiers saying if they had known he was gay all along — that they had known he was gay all along and they still thought he was the best commander they had ever had.

That’s how progress is being won — here in New York, around the country. Day by day, it’s won by ordinary people who are striving and fighting and protesting for change, and who, yes, are keeping the pressure up, including pressure on me. And by men and women who are setting an example in their own lives — raising their families, doing their jobs, joining the PTA, singing in church, serving and sacrificing for this country overseas, even as they are not always granted the full rights of citizenship they deserve here at home.

Last year, I received a letter from a teenager growing up in a small town, and he told me he was a senior in high school, and that he was proud to be the captain of a club at his school, and that he was gay. And he hadn’t told his parents. He hadn’t come out. He was worried about being mocked or being bullied. He didn’t think it was safe to, in his words, “openly be myself.” But this 17-year-old also looked towards the day when he didn’t have to be afraid; when he didn’t have to worry about walking down the hallway. And he closed his letter by saying, “Everyone else is considered equal in this country. Why shouldn’t we be?” (Applause.)

So, yes, we have more work to do. Yes, we have more progress to make. Yes, I expect continued impatience with me on occasion. (Laughter.) But understand this — look, I think of teenagers like the one who wrote me, and they remind me that there should be impatience when it comes to the fight for basic equality. We’ve made enormous advances just in these last two and a half years. But there are still young people out there looking for us to do more, to help build a world in which they never have to feel afraid or alone to be themselves. And we know how important that is to not only tell them that it’s going to get better, but to also do everything in our power to ensure that things actually are better.

I’m confident that we will achieve the equality that this young person deserves. I’m confident that the future is bright for that teenager and others like him, and that he can have the life that he wants and that he imagines.

There will be setbacks along the way. There will be times where things aren’t moving as fast as folks would like. But I know that he’ll look back on his struggles, and the struggles of many in this room, as part of what made change possible; part of what it took to reach the day when every single American, gay or straight or lesbian or bisexual or transgender, was free to live and love as they see fit. (Applause.)

And we can look at the progress we’ve made in the last two years, to the changes that were led not by Washington, but by folks standing up for themselves, or for their sons or for their daughters, fighting for what’s right. Not just change on behalf of gay Americans, but for everybody looking to fulfill their version of the American Dream — whether it’s the students working their way through college, or the workers heading to factories to build American cars again, or the energy entrepreneurs testing bold ideas, the construction crews laying down roads, the small business owners and scientists and inventors and builders and all those Americans who faced hardship and setbacks but who never stopped believing in this country -– it’s capacity to change; who are helping each and every day to rebuild this nation so that we emerge from this period of struggle stronger and more unified than ever before.

And that’s the story of progress in America. That’s what all of you represent — of the stubborn refusal to accept anything less than the best that this country can be. And with your help, if you keep up the fight, and if you will devote your time and your energies to this campaign one more time, I promise you we will write another chapter in that story. And we are going to leave a new generation with a brighter future and a more hopeful future. And I’ll be standing there, right there with you.

Thank you. God bless you. (Applause.) God bless the United States of America. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. (Applause.)

Arthur Fonzarelli, barack obama, Chris Johnson, Christopher Johnson, DOMA, Gay Marriage, gay rights, Jay Carney, LGBT, LGBT Leadership Council Gala, Loving V. Virginia, The Washington Blade, Washington Blade

tatboy

Ask Arizona about how Obama feels about “states rights”….

Or where Obama is stopping Boeing from building it’s plants…..
cjd ohio 1

just couples, wow what a bigot
Big Eddie

T.C.

Just walk up to Carney and say ” All right , you mug . you and Barry knock off that evolving crud . The public is not stupid ” .

Carney will appreciate your forthrightness .
timzank

Think it may be starting to dawn on the LGBT community that their Messiah is nothing more than another politician spaking eloquently while saying nothing?
Dem4Ever

So Tommy, after all the dust settles and your article is filed away into history, where does Obama stand?
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/glenn-beck-explains-how-the-unions-are-using-teachers-firefighters-and-co ImNotBlue

Here comes the glitter…
Tedderman

Does this mean we’re going to have a gay “civil union war?”
gar

Back from timeout Tommy. Do all of us a favor, save some of the few precious brain cells you have left. A majority of us change the station when we see him live so why would we read his transcript? Long story about nothing.
Ever since I entered into public life, ever since I have a memory about what my mother taught me, and my grandparents taught me, I believed that discriminating against people was wrong. I had no choice. I was born that way. (Laughter and applause.) In Hawaii. (Applause.) And I believed that discrimination because of somebody’s sexual orientation or gender identity ran counter to who we are as a people, and it’s a violation of the basic tenets on which this nation was founded. I believe that gay couples deserve the same legal rights as every other couple in this country. (Applause.)

Now, there was such a good recitation earlier by Neil that I feel bad repeating it, but let me just — it bears repeating. (Laughter.) This is why we’re making sure that hospitals extended visitation rights to gay couples, because nobody should be barred from their bedside their partner — the beside of their partner in a moment of pain, or a moment of need. Nobody should have to produce a legal contract to hold the hand of the person that they love.

It’s why we launched the first comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy, providing a road map not only to providing treatment and reducing infections — (applause) — but also embracing the potential of new, groundbreaking research that will help us bring an end to this pandemic.

That’s why I ordered federal agencies to extend the same benefits to gay couples that go to straight couples wherever possible. That’s why we’re going to keep fighting until the law no longer -–

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Marriage.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Marriage. Marriage. Marriage.

THE PRESIDENT: I heard you guys. (Laughter.) Believe it or not, I anticipated that somebody might — (Laughter and applause.)

Where was I? (Laughter.) That’s why we’re going to keep on fighting until the law no longer treats committed partners who’ve been together for decades like they’re strangers.

That’s why I have long believed that the so-called Defense of Marriage Act ought to be repealed. It was wrong. It was unfair. (Applause.) And since I taught constitutional law for a while, I felt like I was in a pretty good position to agree with courts that have ruled that Section 3 of DOMA violates the Constitution. And that’s why we decided, with my attorney general, that we could no longer defend the constitutionality of DOMA in the courts. (Applause.)

Now, part of the reason that DOMA doesn’t make sense is that traditionally marriage has been decided by the states. And right now I understand there’s a little debate going on here in New York — (laughter) — about whether to join five other states and D.C. in allowing civil marriage for gay couples. And I want to — I want to say that under the leadership of Governor Cuomo, with the support of Democrats and Republicans, New York is doing exactly what democracies are supposed to do. There’s a debate; there’s deliberation about what it means here in New York to treat people fairly in the eyes of the law.

And that is — look, that’s the power of our democratic system. It’s not always pretty. There are setbacks. There are frustrations. But in grappling with tough and, at times, emotional issues in legislatures and in courts and at the ballot box, and, yes, around the dinner table and in the office hallways, and sometimes even in the Oval Office, slowly but surely we find the way forward. That’s how we will achieve change that is lasting -– change that just a few years ago would have seemed impossible.

Now, let me just say this. There were those who doubted that we’d be able to pass a hate crimes law. Occasionally I got hollered at about that. After a decades-long fight, we got it done — bring us closer to the day when nobody is going to be afraid to walk down the street because they’re gay or transgender. (Applause.)

There were those said we couldn’t end “don’t ask, don’t tell.” And I remember having events where folks hollered out at events. (Laughter.) But we passed the repeal. We got it done. We’re now moving forward with implementing it. (Applause.) So we’re no longer going to demand brave and patriotic Americans live a lie to serve their country.

Folks like Captain Jonathan Hopkins, who led a platoon into northern Iraq during the initial invasion, and quelled an ethnic riot, and earned a Bronze Star with valor. He was discharged, only to receive emails and letters from his soldiers saying if they had known he was gay all along — that they had known he was gay all along and they still thought he was the best commander they had ever had.

That’s how progress is being won — here in New York, around the country. Day by day, it’s won by ordinary people who are striving and fighting and protesting for change, and who, yes, are keeping the pressure up, including pressure on me. And by men and women who are setting an example in their own lives — raising their families, doing their jobs, joining the PTA, singing in church, serving and sacrificing for this country overseas, even as they are not always granted the full rights of citizenship they deserve here at home.

Last year, I received a letter from a teenager growing up in a small town, and he told me he was a senior in high school, and that he was proud to be the captain of a club at his school, and that he was gay. And he hadn’t told his parents. He hadn’t come out. He was worried about being mocked or being bullied. He didn’t think it was safe to, in his words, “openly be myself.” But this 17-year-old also looked towards the day when he didn’t have to be afraid; when he didn’t have to worry about walking down the hallway. And he closed his letter by saying, “Everyone else is considered equal in this country. Why shouldn’t we be?” (Applause.)

So, yes, we have more work to do. Yes, we have more progress to make. Yes, I expect continued impatience with me on occasion. (Laughter.) But understand this — look, I think of teenagers like the one who wrote me, and they remind me that there should be impatience when it comes to the fight for basic equality. We’ve made enormous advances just in these last two and a half years. But there are still young people out there looking for us to do more, to help build a world in which they never have to feel afraid or alone to be themselves. And we know how important that is to not only tell them that it’s going to get better, but to also do everything in our power to ensure that things actually are better.

I’m confident that we will achieve the equality that this young person deserves. I’m confident that the future is bright for that teenager and others like him, and that he can have the life that he wants and that he imagines.

There will be setbacks along the way. There will be times where things aren’t moving as fast as folks would like. But I know that he’ll look back on his struggles, and the struggles of many in this room, as part of what made change possible; part of what it took to reach the day when every single American, gay or straight or lesbian or bisexual or transgender, was free to live and love as they see fit. (Applause.)

And we can look at the progress we’ve made in the last two years, to the changes that were led not by Washington, but by folks standing up for themselves, or for their sons or for their daughters, fighting for what’s right. Not just change on behalf of gay Americans, but for everybody looking to fulfill their version of the American Dream — whether it’s the students working their way through college, or the workers heading to factories to build American cars again, or the energy entrepreneurs testing bold ideas, the construction crews laying down roads, the small business owners and scientists and inventors and builders and all those Americans who faced hardship and setbacks but who never stopped believing in this country -– it’s capacity to change; who are helping each and every day to rebuild this nation so that we emerge from this period of struggle stronger and more unified than ever before.

And that’s the story of progress in America. That’s what all of you represent — of the stubborn refusal to accept anything less than the best that this country can be. And with your help, if you keep up the fight, and if you will devote your time and your energies to this campaign one more time, I promise you we will write another chapter in that story. And we are going to leave a new generation with a brighter future and a more hopeful future. And I’ll be standing there, right there with you.

Thank you. God bless you. (Applause.) God bless the United States of America. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. (Applause.)
Tedderman

Mr. Gar, Don ‘t presume to speak for “most of us” as you have no idea how many people choose to live with open ears and minds. This president is relevant and forward thinking, unlike “most of you.”
Oh and thanks for again publishing his words, I can’t read them enough.
LOGICandREASON

This President is just a clown.

So state’s rights become relevant only when it is politically expedient?

Then for other issues that impedes his agenda, Federal laws take precedence?

Obama’s presidency is as silly as it gets
LOGICandREASON

Gay Marriage is an oxymoron; the institution of marriage should not be tampered with for political reasons.

Political correctness will bring down the Republic from within.

“Right is right, even if everyone is against it; and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it” —-William Penn
felixw

Honestly, we should let the states decide the vast majority of divisive social issues – abortion, gay marriage, affirmative action, drugs, marijuana, euthanasia, etc. Let Red States act like Red States and Blue States act like Blue States.

As the 10th amendment clearly states: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

And that, my friends, is the most trampled on clause in the whole Constitution.

If people want to give the federal government power over some aspect of our life, they need to get this transference of rights passed as an amendment. That’s how Lincoln abolished slavery — he didn’t just force it through on a court ruling, but put in the explicit law of the land in the 13th amendment. And anyone who wants to impose their will on social issues today ought to do the same — and if they can’t get enough votes to get an amendment passed, let the states decide. That’s not only fair, but its the way our system is supposed to work.
Cecelia

That’s a pretty measured tone you have there, Tommy, over the president suddenly morphing into Trent Lott…
Judge Mental

felixw said:
Honestly, we should let the states decide the vast majority of divisive social issues – abortion, gay marriage, affirmative action, drugs, marijuana, euthanasia, etc.

You forgot socialized medicine. And you’re absolutely right.

But I’m not sure that’s where Obama’s going to end up on gay marriage, once he has fully “evolved.” If he decides it’s politically expedient for him to do so (or, heaven forfend, if he’s reelected), he’ll disclose that he’s in favor of gay marriage.
essequamvideri

So Tommy’s back? Days of silence …. and now he’s back – and not a word on Weinergate? When’s the next article on Weiner & the sock puppets due, Tommy? What – no follow up?

Citizen journalists, who are REAL journalists, unlike the faux Journalists with a capital J, have been doing real investigative work on who “Betty” & “Veronica” are.

http://patterico.com/2011/06/23/tommy-christophers-confident-assertions-continue-to-fall-apart/

Only Journalists with a capital J continue to work with no accountability, and no sense of remorse. At. All.
Liberal Tormentor – tormenting liberals with logic and facts since 1972

Tedderman said:
Mr. Gar, Don ‘t presume to speak for “most of us” as you have no idea how many people choose to live with open ears and minds. This president is relevant and forward thinking, unlike “most of you.”Oh and thanks for again publishing his words, I can’t read them enough.

No, he just likes to vote present. I look forward to Maddow and the rest of you libs expressing her displeasure with him not being able to call for gay marriage.
slickerwick

Tedderman said:
Mr. Gar, Don ‘t presume to speak for “most of us” as you have no idea how many people choose to live with open ears and minds. This president is relevant and forward thinking, unlike “most of you.”
Oh and thanks for again publishing his words, I can’t read them enough.

Yes, he is forward looking when it comes to bombing Middle Eastern countries without Congressional approval, when it comes to the surveillance state, when it comes to persecuting whistleblowers, when it comes to putting an American citizen on an assassination list without trial or habeas corpus, (something even Bush didn’t do) when it comes to holding Manning without trial, when it comes to shoveling stimulus money to his wealthy corporate campaign money-bundlers, when it comes to holding fundraisers with his Wall St. pals, when it comes to black sites in Bagram…Shall I go on?
slickerwick

Obomber can sweet-talk certain special interest groups all he wants but if the economy stays in the shitter he’s a one-termer.

He’s also handing his opponents a clip that I’m sure will be inserted into every Repub campaign ad–
the video where he says that the shovel-ready jobs he promised weren’t all that shovel-ready and then he laughs. Yeah, that comment and laugh will go over like a fart in church when people are hurting and out of work.
Liberal Tormentor – tormenting liberals with logic and facts since 1972

slickerwick, my favorite RNC commercial will be someone pumping gas by a $4 agallon sign and Obama in the background in his OWN words saying that under his plan, energy prices will necessarily skyrocket and that he didn’t mind $4 a gallon gas, he’d just prefer a gradual increase. Game, set, match, he’s toast!
Jaurez

ImNotBlue said:
Here comes the glitter…

Wishful thinking, blue. He’ll get a full pass as usual.
slickerwick

So when it comes to gay marriage he basically voted ‘present.’ Quelle surprise.
This guy triangulates more than Clinton and Euclid put together.
slickerwick

Dem4Ever said:
So Tommy, after all the dust settles and your article is filed away into history, where does Obama stand?

He doesn’t stand. He straddles fences.
felixw

felixw said:
Honestly, we should let the states decide the vast majority of divisive social issues – abortion, gay marriage, affirmative action, drugs, marijuana, euthanasia, etc. Let Red States act like Red States and Blue States act like Blue States.

Judge Mental said:
I’m not sure that’s where Obama’s going to end up on gay marriage, once he has fully “evolved.” If he decides it’s politically expedient for him to do so (or, heaven forfend, if he’s reelected), he’ll disclose that he’s in favor of gay marriage.

You’re absolutely right. For Obama (or any Democrat) to embrace state rights is a sign of desperation for them, since this allows a diversity of views and outcomes that the Left has never favored. They really don’t like letting states deciding anything, as they have shown over and over again in modern history. But they know they don’t have the votes either in the Congress or the Supreme Court for sweeping federal imposition of gay marriage, and Obama is currently afraid to risk his own small and diminishing political capital on this issue. So this is his way of throwing his gay supporters a bone — albeit a tiny, tiny bone.

But if Obama wins reelection, rest assured that his position will “evolve” further when he doesn’t have another campaign staring him in the face. Or if, heaven forbid, he is able to put 1-2 more far left ideologues on the Supreme Court, you can bet dollars to donuts that the Left will suddenly decide they DON’T want states to decide this issue, because the court should handle it. And liberal judges will find ‘the right to gay marriage’ hidden in the Constitution, just like they always find anything they want hidden between the lines in that “evolving” document. If they decided they wanted to make Obama king for life, I am confident that liberal legal scholars would be able to find that in the Constitution as well.
Jaurez

He plays the “states rights” card in regards to gay marriage but chose to ram obamacare down our throats. Makes perfect sense…right?
gar

This is what happens with no teleprompter.
President Obama flubbed his remarks to troops at Fort Drum Thursday when he told the US Army’s 10th Mountain Division about the time he awarded the first Medal of Honor to someone not receiving it posthumously. The medal, he said, went to Jared Monti. The only issue is that Jared Monti died in service in Afghanistan, and did in fact receive the medal posthumously.
Colorado_Conservative

tatboy said:
Ask Arizona about how Obama feels about “states rights”….

Or where Obama is stopping Boeing from building it’s plants…..

Nailed that one out of the park!!!! Congrats!!!!

Simply amazing how our hypocritical and incompetent community organizer gets away with the crap he spews without being held accountable in the lame stream media…
slickerwick

gar said:
This is what happens with no teleprompter.
President Obama flubbed his remarks to troops at Fort Drum Thursday when he told the US Army’s 10th Mountain Division about the time he awarded the first Medal of Honor to someone not receiving it posthumously. The medal, he said, went to Jared Monti. The only issue is that Jared Monti died in service in Afghanistan, and did in fact receive the medal posthumously.

Yet the msm will go on and on about Palin’s gaffe on Paul Revere. Yet none of the major networks bothered to mention Obama’s egregious gaffe about the dead soldier.

But the msm isn’t biased, noooo.
felixw

In its coverage of Obama, why is Mediaite skipping the big story of the day…..Michelle Obama thanking CNN and the rest of the mainstream media for all its support and kindness. She candidly admits that they rely on this support from the mainstream media.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/06/24/michelle_obama_fortunately_we_have_help_from_the_media.html

Funny, but I don’t think Sarah Palin will ever have the opportunity to make that kind of speech.

So come on, Mediaite. You cover the media. You are PART of the media. And the First Lady is thanking you for support. Certainly that deserves some coverage here?
moonab

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jddoubleu

“A basic civil right like marriage is not subject to the whim of the majority, or the winds of politics. We’re born with it, even if our fellow human beings, and those who lead them, refuse to recognize it.”

please name another civil right that requires a license.

ill wait…
lorenzo

If disallowing marriage based on sexual orientation is illegal, what are courts going to rule when a bisexual claims the right to marry a male and a female? When is the lobbying for this going to start? After all, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) makes for numerous combinations.
writer

Spot on, tatboy. The left believes that if any state does something they don’t like, that state should be boycotted.
http://www.perceptionasreality.blogspot.com/ skoorbekim

TC,
Is “state’s rights” one of the “dog whistles” you identified?
http://www.perceptionasreality.blogspot.com/ skoorbekim

w/out an enthusiastic Leftist base, Team Obama is looking at the wrong end of an electoral landslide…
http://www.perceptionasreality.blogspot.com/ skoorbekim

The Left is swinging the gay rights issue like a sledge hammer against the right — the problem is is that not many people care about or are alarmed by this issue…
this isn’t the 1950′s — I know of many gays in my neighborhood who participate in Catholic mass and are accepted w/ open arms…
The Left will need to find a new group of “victims” to use as human shields in their identity-politics strategy…
Laddy Go-Rod

Why would 0bama speak to a group that discriminates against the roughly 87% of the population that ISN’T “LGBT”?

Oh yea, because he’s a deeply flawed political hack from Thugville IL, that’s why.

-0bama – Beyond Worst-
CAconservative

Obimbo invoking states rights? Where the hell were those states rights when Arizona asked this incompetent neighborhood organizer to enforce present immigration law?! With this clown, it’s always about picking and choosing which law, or state’s rights that fit his agenda!
Apparently, if your sucking up (pun intended) to a special interest group for votes, Civil Liberties translates to Special Liberties! This clown president is running scarred. He’ll say, and promise almost anything, to anybody to pander for votes. The sooner this ego-maniacal twerp is gone, the better!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Dave-Be/1751243136 Dave Be

slickerwick said:
Yet the msm will go on and on about Palin’s gaffe on Paul Revere. Yet none of the major networks bothered to mention Obama’s egregious gaffe about the dead soldier. But the msm isn’t biased, noooo.

There are essential differences between the two mistakes. First, Paul Revere’s ride is an iconic favble of American History, and shameful as it is to admit, most people wouldn’t recognize the names Jared Monti or Salvatore Giunta, me included. Second, Obama apologized for mixing up the names of the two medal of honor recipients, while Palin tried to defend her statements about Paul Revere. Obama even called the family to apologize personally for mixing up their names. I’m no Obama fan, but you can’t really equate these two mistakes.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Dave-Be/1751243136 Dave Be

jddoubleu said:
“A basic civil right like marriage is not subject to the whim of the majority, or the winds of politics. We’re born with it, even if our fellow human beings, and those who lead them, refuse to recognize it.” please name another civil right that requires a license. ill wait…

Gun ownership.
gar

Dave Be said:
There are essential differences between the two mistakes. First, Paul Revere’s ride is an iconic favble of American History, and shameful as it is to admit, most people wouldn’t recognize the names Jared Monti or Salvatore Giunta, me included. Second, Obama apologized for mixing up the names of the two medal of honor recipients, while Palin tried to defend her statements about Paul Revere. Obama even called the family to apologize personally for mixing up their names. I’m no Obama fan, but you can’t really equate these two mistakes.

You’re right. One’s done by the president and the other is done by a private citizen.
jddoubleu

Dave Be said:
Gun ownership.

i have 5 guns and never had a license.

nice try.
Spike1

In my state you do not need a license to purchase or own a gun or have one in your car or boat or home. You do need a license to carry a concealed gun in public.
purveyor

Oh yes, we’ve all heard this before: “Be careful what you ask for, you might get it.”

“States Rights” that is. Which Law falls within the purview of the Federal Government, and which belongs to the States?

Don’t rely on the 10th amendment for guidance, as the Supreme Court created the concept of the “incorporation doctrine, meaning specific, (not all) but some Constitutional rights apply to the States and others to the Federal Government.

Isn’t that just typical?

Then again, I kind of like the 1st amendment applying to the States. However, that nasty ole 2nd amendment, the Supreme Court has been reluctant to “incorporate.” So much for “equal protection” and “due process?”

I guess, simply put, we’ve managed to make a mess of our Constitution in the past 200 years. Some consistency would be a good place to start with?

PURVEYOR OF RHETORIC
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hgarner2000

The President is right. Of course, Gay couples have as much right to whatever legal entitlements a married couple is entitled to. But whether it’s called ‘marriage’ or a ‘civil union’ really should be left up to the states, at least for now. You can call it political posturing if you like, but I think it’s really just a matter of sensible governance.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Dave-Be/1751243136 Dave Be

jddoubleu said:
i have 5 guns and never had a license. nice try.

Depends where you live. Many states require a license to own a gun.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Dave-Be/1751243136 Dave Be

Dave Be said:
Depends where you live. Many states require a license to own a gun.

Also, the “license” requirements aren’t exactly strict to get a marriage license. In Nevada you just need 50 bucks and a photo ID, no questions about your background, etc.
cjd ohio 1

Dave Be said:
Also, the “license” requirements aren’t exactly strict to get a marriage license. In Nevada you just need 50 bucks and a photo ID, no questions about your background, etc.

photo id, 2nd amendment suppression
im_lovin_it

felixw said:
In its coverage of Obama, why is Mediaite skipping the big story of the day…..Michelle Obama thanking CNN and the rest of the mainstream media for all its support and kindness. She candidly admits that they rely on this support from the mainstream media.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/06/24/michelle_obama_fortunately_we_have_help_from_the_media.html

Funny, but I don’t think Sarah Palin will ever have the opportunity to make that kind of speech.

So come on, Mediaite. You cover the media. You are PART of the media. And the First Lady is thanking you for support. Certainly that deserves some coverage here?

So you think this link provides proof the media supports the Obama administration? From your link….

CNN reporter: “How’s the family ready for this [the election]? It’s going to be quite vicious, isn’t it? How do you prepare for that?”

First Lady Michelle Obama: “You know, it’s … we’re ready, you know. Our children, you know, could care less about what we’re doing. We work hard to do that. Fortunately, we have help from the media. I have to say this: I’m very grateful for the support and kindness that we’ve gotten. People have respected their privacy and in that way, I think, you know, no matter what people may feel about my husband’s policies or what have you, they care about children and that’s been good to see.”

Swing and a miss. Try a little harder next time. You’re so convinced of your own of beliefs that you’re making yourself look like a clown.
david r

gar said:
This is what happens with no teleprompter.
President Obama flubbed his remarks to troops at Fort Drum Thursday when he told the US Army’s 10th Mountain Division about the time he awarded the first Medal of Honor to someone not receiving it posthumously. The medal, he said, went to Jared Monti. The only issue is that Jared Monti died in service in Afghanistan, and did in fact receive the medal posthumously.

But other than than that, he got it right, huh ? I mean, the name of the country he got right. And the name of the medal. And the dead guy’s name. Four out of five aint bad. These are the expectations of a President that Bush taught us.
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http://www.facebook.com/people/Stephen-Hogan/179500970 Stephen Hogan

To paraphrase Hubert Humphrey: “The time has arrived in America to get out of the shadow of states’ rights and walk forthrightly into the bright sunshine of human rights,”
X-3

You’ve gotta be stupid to not be able to figure this one out: -0bama is remaining neutral by, for once, recognizing the 10th Amendment, because he doesn’t want to alienate Muslims by going along with something Sharia law strictly prohibits–homosexuality.
X-3

Stephen Hogan said:
To paraphrase Hubert Humphrey: “The time has arrived in America to get out of the shadow of states’ rights and walk forthrightly into the bright sunshine of human rights,”

Hump-free was progressive/socialist lunatic and the source of many problems we deal with today. If I ever have a chance to do so, I would take great pleasure in urinating on his and LBJ’s graves.
bryan

I have a problem with people that wont allow gay people too get married, what makes us different than you. We breath the same air, walk on the same ground, we eat and dress the same. I have been in a 4 year relationship and I love my partner. All I want is too be able too add him too my medical insurance, if I am in the hospital be there by my side, be able too have the same equal rights as any one else. Why should gay people hide there feelings. I am not the person that puts stickers on my car or dresses in drag. I am just a normal guy that wants equal rights.

Obama has done more for this country in the time he has been in offices than bush, I will say this, gas prices coming down, don’t ask don’t tell gone. The man came into off in a country that was and still is a hot mess. The man is not a god and cant make everything perfect over night.
caconservative

Obimbo’s hypocrisy knows no bounds. He talks of states rights yet, he is the first president in history to side with a foreign country, Mexico, over the rights of the legal citizens of Arizona, and the Nation.