Spurred by another commenter here, I hit his campaign as hard as I could. Happy to hear I was far from alone.

Too bad he didn’t become “evolved” back when his party had control of the House and the Senate and could have actually done something about DOMA… But, I’m sure his next call will certainly be to Prince Harry to tell him to push a bill through the Senate repealing DOMA tomorrow. Right?... And certainly he will be signing that Executive Order barring discrimination on sexual orientation by federal contractors tonight. Right?... (Or is he too busy cashing gay checks to actually do any “fierce advocacy”?)

"Bundlers"? They call them bundlers? Just because they're gay fundraisers? WTF?

It's amazing that the Obama-bashers can't put away the haterade for even one day and acknowledge that this is a great moment.

@2

Indeed! Today is a day of great bitterness and resentment for supporters of gay civil rights everywhere. You hit the nail on the head with that one.

Remember how angry blacks were at Abe Lincoln when he finally came around with the Emancipation Proclamation? What a dick! The civil rights movement has still not forgiven him. Nor should they!

With friends like that, I'd rather be jailed, persecuted, and oppressed by my enemies. At least I know where they stand and know they'll never, ever, ever fucking change their minds. Because then nothing will ever change and we'll all know just where we stand. And that's what matters most.

@5 Awesome.

@3

J/K. I know what bundlers are, OK?

@5
Oh. Right. Sorry...
I forgot that a good dog takes the bone that's thrown to him when it's thrown to him and wags his tail.

But let’s be clear.

The president stressed that this is a personal position, and that he still supports the concept of states deciding the issue on their own.

He now believes that gay couples should be able to marry. He doesn't believe they have a right to do so. This is like saying that black children and white children ought to attend the same schools, but if the people of Alabama reject that notion—what are you gonna do?

Fierce advocacy indeed…

@8 Dead right.

And damn but progressives are a cheap date. A few nice words that feel good and don't actually carry any weight and they're swooning like tweens and a boy band meet & greet.

@half the posts here: you've got a President willing to go on tv and say he wants everyone to be able to marry the person they love. Little? Yes. Late? Yes. But on the other side you've got a guy willing to go on TV and say he believe the exact opposite. Fucking pick one.

@10: oh for fuck's sake. It's not about "OMG WE'RE SO GRATEFUL FOR ANYTHING HERE'S SOME MONEY," it's about reinforcing good behavior. He does something good, he gets a reward. It's also about proving wrong anyone who believed that being in favor of equal marriage rights would be bad for his campaign.

@11 Fuck that noise.

Take a lesson for the NRA and the anti-abortion crowd. Any victory, major or minor, is never enough. I MIGHT have cut him some slack if the ENDA Executive Order went out at the same time. It didn't. This is pure political cynicism exploiting the real hurt done to the non-gay people in domestic partnerships in NC to raise money and make believe that things will be any different in a second term. It is disgusting. That it's not accompanied by any push for real legislation to make the idea a reality is doubly disgusting.

Oh, and circa 1994, the other guy was saying what this guy was saying today. Who do you believe when?

@13: 1994 was 18 years ago. Let shit go, dude. You'll be a happier person. No one ever said this was enough, and no one said it didn't earn political capital. If you're only satisfied when someone says something as just the right time to earn them a giant, spiked stick up their ass, you're never going to e satisfied. Which is sad, but I suppose you're welcome to life your life if it somehow makes you feel better.

Bottom line, my point remains true: you've got a choice between the guy who's willing and probably happy to let you marry the person you love. The other one isn't. I'll say it again. Fucking pick one.

@5,

There's no point in responding to YGBKM as any kind of serious commenter, because he's not. He's a Republican attempting (badly) to sow liberal discontent with Obama. The motherfucker cares not whit about the Democrats pushing for civil rights for gays.

@12 This doesn't qualify as good behavior. This is exactly what should NOT be reinforced.

What did the Catholic Bishops do when Congress bowed to almost every one of their demands on contraception coverage? Thank them or tell them it wasn't enough? Saying you're for marriage equity isn't enough. Doing something affirmative to make marriage equity real (say, issuing that ENDA Executive Order for all federal contractors) is. What's being reinforced is that we're fucking pushovers and all you have to do to get in our wallet and our good graces is lie sweetly in our ear and tell us what we want to hear.

This isn't the moment for hearts and flowers. This is the moment for "Okay, I'm paying attention. What will you DO to prove you mean it, 'cause talk is cheap."

I've been very disappointed in Obama since before his inauguration. I've heavily criticized him here on Slog many times since then. Haven't donated a dime to his campaign, that is until today. Both my husband and I just donated a C note each and will continue to do so.

It's time to grow up and cut my losses. Obama has done some good things and he is far from perfect. I'm just not gonna cut my nose off to spite my face like so many of the hysterical commenters in this thread.

@13 usagi: you can go fuck yourself with your taking a lesson from the NRA and anti-abortion groups--two of the most morally bankrupt, misogynist, and antigay entities ever. Speaks volumes about you.

In other equally relevant opinions, Obama questioned whether dark matter really comprises the majority of the universe, while Romney thought the idea still had validity.

Both acknowledged, that as in the case of marriage equality, neither had the power to really change anything about it.

@14 What the fuck are you even talking about? Let what go? That Romney used to be to the left of Ted Kennedy on gay rights? Sorry, he was. Not really, but that's what he said to get elected. Like Obama is mouthing the marriage words to get elected. I find them both equally disgusting liars right now, but Obama more so. He just raised a million dollars on the back of the domestic partners in North Carolina getting screwed. Even if he means it (and I doubt it), he used human suffering for his own personal advancement. Yeah, Romney built a career out of doing that, but at least he's up front about it. I've lost track, which one is the lesser evil again?

@17 They win. I'd really enjoy that for a change.

@9: I don't think the fight for gay marriage is going to be won by legislation. It will be won in the Supreme Court first with the overthrow of DOMA and later with the acknowledgement that gay marriage is a civil right. He will be selecting new Justices if he is re-elected. And the most powerful person on the planet is now an advocate.

This is a pretty big deal. I'm surprised that you can still be so cynical.

@18 Yeah, must be awful to be able to stop every business that works for the US government from discriminating against gay employees with a stroke of your pen and yet be so powerless to change anything about anything...

@21 It is a big deal.

And, it's not enough. It's not even close to enough.

@20- They don't always win. Gays don't always win either, as we can tell from last night, but they do win more often than not these days. Your overzealous cynicism isn't helping the political process any more than the assholes on the right are. Obama has been excruciatingly calculating in these matters, as evidenced by DADT.
If you believe, as YGBKM does, that he could possibly have ended DOMA before 2010, or if you believe that him coming out in favor of gay marriage before today would have helped in North Carolina, you're dead wrong. If you really believe that he lied today just to get money from gays, than you're just a complete idiot.
Just because this was a calculated move, does not mean that it was purely motivated by greed. The first few steps to end DADT were roundly criticised by most people. But the progress made there has been immense. There's still plenty of work to do there, and there will be plenty of work involved in ending DOMA. But he will begin that process. DOMA will be gone by the end of the decade. And you'll still be bitching about how much quicker RON PAUL would have done it, while the rest of the world moves on.

It always amazes me that people believe in magic pens that solve all problems, if only it was wielded by someone with a nice big set of balls (Maybe even three of of them, for good measure!). I imagine these are the types of people who constantly fantasize about going back in time and killing Hitler, and saving 6 million Jews in one fell swoop.

Here's a hint, little rabbit, nothing is ever done in one fell swoop.

@16

Or... Or...?

Could it be that certain people have been losers all their lives, and being a loser is the only thing they know? As soon as anybody dangles the wild possibility of winning in front of you, you get scared and think of ways to sabotage it. Not having your civil rights gives you a secure identity, and a sense of righteous indignation, and it's comfortable. Being the victim makes you an inherently interesting person.

Once gays have equality then you're just people like everybody else. Scaaaaaary.

I'm happy Obama came out and all (ha!), but man, his was the most drawn out response to a yes-or-no question I've ever seen. I fell asleep half way through. I thought I was sitting through a lecture on patent law.

Anyways! He had more to lose by opposing gay marriage. 2012 ain't 1994.

And my money's on Paid Dude and YGTBKM being one and the same.

Ingrates. You Americans clearly deserve Mr Romney for President. Enjoy.

The president said he supports the concept of states deciding the issue on their own, ABC News reported.

Am I the only one who thinks it's hilarious that our first black president believes in states rights?

i and my wallet anxiously await the security state rollbacks, prosecution of GWB & co, and single payer.

also, y'know, a drop in on NC two days ago would have been nice.

@29: you're probably the only one who thinks it's hilarious, rather than soul-crushingly sad.

Oh for christfuckers sake! Boo hoo for North Carolina. Where the fuck were you hysterical idiots when the other 29 states before this most recent South piece-of-shit state voted to install bans in their state constitutions? North Carolina is part of the South, the issue was never going to win there without a huge influx of money and the right political messages (and probably not even then)--neither happened. There's nothing President Obama could have said to persuade the majority of NC black voters to change their minds. Religion poisons the mind.
But please, by all means, you hysterical ranting idiots in this thread keep isolating and alienating yourselves. You're becoming more useless to humanity with every dumbass comment you make. You all must be a joy to be around--that is if anyone can tolerate being around you.

It must be election season -- they've dug Candidate Obama out of cold storage to fire up the liberals. Suckers.

I swear to god if Obama walked on water some of y'all would whine "Yeah, but he splaaaaaaashed meeeeee!"
I mean how many unprecedented things does the man have to do? And in only four years? Is there still a long way to go? Of course, but the progress that has been made is still progress.

@20 usagi: "They win. I'd really enjoy that for a change."

They've won by lying, distorting facts, and instilling fear.

And you want to emulate that recipe. You are sick.

PS - he hasn't actually done anything, and he even said that he wouldn't do anything. I support gay marriage, and I'm also not going to put forth any legislation to move gay marriage closer to the reality it should have been a decade ago.

Can I have $1 million, please? I promise not to waste it on useless campaign ads which promise more things I won't deliver on. I swear.

This is the guy who said he'd tell his League of Justice Dept. to de-prioritize raiding weed-operations. Which is why it's been stepped up immensely. The verbiage here is the same. It's like saying you like fluffy kittens, while shutting down the animal shelters.

I wish people would quit equating legalizing marijuana with gay rights, for fuck's sake. Get serious. Your recreational need to get stoned and lay waste to doritos and oreos in bulk is not on a par with my right to care for my family, you stoner dickheads.

@Lissa has it right.

The rights of sick Americans to use the medicine that works for them without going to jail is definitely on par with gay marriage and civil unions.