While Obama’s historic endorsement of marriage equality has won many congratulations from Democrats and pro-marriage-equality groups, there have been some notable Negative Nancies shooting back at him.
We’re talking about Republicans and Catholics, obviously. Here are some of what the haters had to say!
Log Cabin Republicans, via Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper:
“That the president has chosen today, when LGBT Americans are mourning the passage of Amendment One, to finally speak up for marriage equality is offensive and callous. Log Cabin Republicans appreciate that President Obama has finally come in line with leaders like Vice President Dick Cheney on this issue, but LGBT Americans are right to be angry that this calculated announcement comes too late to be of any use to the people of North Carolina, or any of the other states that have addressed this issue on his watch. This administration has manipulated LGBT families for political gain as much as anybody, and after his campaign’s ridiculous contortions to deny support for marriage equality this week he does not deserve praise for an announcement that comes a day late and a dollar short.”
Do they realize their dear beloved Republican president George W. Bush led the charge to ban same-sex marriage in the constitutions of some thirty states, and that North Carolina has merely joined those states?
GOProud:
“It is good to see that after intense political pressure that President Obama has finally come around to the Dick Cheney position on marriage equality. I am sure, however, the President’s newly discovered support for marriage is cold comfort to the gay couples in North Carolina. The President waited until after North Carolina passed a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.”
Considering Dick Cheney an icon of progressiveness is a joke. And he took his time to evolve on the issue, even with a lesbian freaking daughter.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan:
“President Obama’s comments today in support of the redefinition of marriage are deeply saddening. As I stated in my public letter to the President on September 20, 2011, the Catholic Bishops stand ready to affirm every positive measure taken by the President and the Administration to strengthen marriage and the family. However, we cannot be silent in the face of words or actions that would undermine the institution of marriage, the very cornerstone of our society. The people of this country, especially our children, deserve better.”
Right, the children deserve parents who love them and take care of them—things gay parents are obviously incapable of.
Photo via Taro
Daez
It seems to be a trend. All of these quotes are given by people so out of touch with the given norms of life today that their own people do not even follow them.
If I was the Cardinal, I would be less concerned with gay and lesbian weddings and more concerned with the dieing Catholic church in America that is already filled with people that think the Catholic Church is to far to the right on almost every issue.
Spike
Typical gay republicans, wah wah wah, we don’t support him, we didn’t vote for him, but in our opinion he should have come out in support of marriage equality sooner, oh yea and we still will vote for the Mormon candidate for President even though he once said he would be more pro-gay rights then Ted Kennedy and now he’s saying he does not support marriage equality nor domestic partnerships.
Gay republicans = Head up their asses
MikeE
Log Cabin Rethuglicans = IDIOTS.
WHO exactly pushed through and supported Amendment One? was it Democrats? no? Then WHO could it possibly have… OH!!! it was FREAKING REPUBLICANS.
How DARE they say “mourning the passage of Amendment One”. THEY are the ones who helped it pass.
Freaking morons.
Cam
Clark Cooper was just on CNN and he said that they were hard on OBama just like they were hard on Mitt Romney for his shifting positions on gay issues.
Again, Clark sees his job as covering for the GOP.
There is no shifting of Mitt Romney’s positions. He asked Congress to amend the U.S. Constitution to outlaw gay marriage AND he has said that he opposes civil unions.
But of Course Clark has to lie about that.
Clark and Log Cabin endorsed the opponent of Congressman PAtrick Murphy even though he was the Iraq War Vet who introduced the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, they endorsed a candidate that wouldn’t state their opinions on gay issues.
Again, They are not pushing gay rights, they see their job as being to hide and cover up the GOP’s anti-gay positions.
Steve
The Catholic bishops clearly do not understand the difference between “church” and “state”. They seem to think that they are kings, and that everyone else should just do as they are told.
They said almost the identical things, more than years ago, when interracial couples wanted to get married. The only thing that makes marriage weaker, is when the weddings cost $50,000, and most families simply cannot afford them.
Allowing EVERY committed couple to get married, even gay couples, will strengthen the institution of marriage.
DouggSeven
It amazes me that these self hating gays exist. And using Dick Cheney as a hero to the cause!?! Everyone knows that man is evil and only holds his stance on the issue because it affects his own family. Mainstream republicans have ALWAYS stood in the way of anything positively gay or in terms of civil rights. They even slam them in panel discussions when both parties are present. I fully believe that gay republicans are mildy retarded. I mean, they have to be.
ChrisC
Cheney waited till he was out of office and didn’t have to worry about re-elections to voice support for Marriage Equality. That’s even if he privately supported it before he came out for it. He’s no hero. He could have sat down with Bush and asked him to re-think his position or stop being such a raging homophobe, but no. He instead choice to betray his Lesbian daughter. Who knows if he would even support it if it wasn’t for her?
Obama doesn’t have a Gay daughter AND has to worry about re-election. He deserves praise. Not the coward who helped destroy America’s economy.
Cave Man
Gay marriage is a political issue. Obama only addressed it because it’s an election year. Such “historic policies” are made every election year. Just wait and see if he gets reelected, then you’ll feel all the “love” for us—or lack thereof.
Polyboy
Cave Man again…you know Obama is the president with the best gay record in the history of this nation.
Chew on that, masticate, it and stop lying.
Mike
This is not just a political issue, but has religious implications. First, this is NOT about rights, but about the re-definition of a sacred institution. In most states, same sex couples can enjoy the same civic benefits as heterosexual couples in civil union. The question is why does it have to be called marriage? Marriage supersedes the US, and by stating it is separation of Church and state is ignorant. If you read the writings of the founding fathers, they intended the government to keep out of the Church and not vice versa. It was through their faith that they were able to write the constitution and it is through moral law that any civil law comes to be. God, the creator of all created moral law, created marriage and has defined marriage between one man and one woman.
J Stratford
@Mike:
You must not be Christian because the sacred institution, one of the Catholic seven sacraments, is called “Holy Matrimony”, not civil marriage.
We dont want to force churches to marry us. All we want is government recognition.
tjr101
@Mike: Nice try, it’s a typical lie of the religious right that the founding fathers wanted religion and the state to mix. Truth be told, they didn’t really give a damn.
You have the right to practice you religion but you don’t have the right to push it into people’s faces. It’s civil marriage and the majority of gay couples want nothing to do with the church.
Matt
Some quotes from the Founding Fathers on religion might be helpful at this point:
“Lighthouses are more helpful than churches”–Benjamin Franklin
“In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abbetting his abuses in return for protection to his own”–Thomas Jefferson
“This would be the best of all possible worlds if there were no religion in it”–John Adams
“The government of the United States is not in any sense founded upon the Christian religion”–John Adams
“Belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man”–Thomas Paine
B
Re No 12, where Matt wrote, ‘“The government of the United States is not in any sense founded upon the Christian religion”–John Adams’. The quote is actually from the Treaty of Tripoli, which was drafted while George Washington was president (with Adams not involved) and which was ratified while Adams was president.
The treaty was an agreement with states located along what at the time was called the “Barbary Coast”, an area that included Tripoli, Algiers, Morocco, and Tunis. The wording indicated that the U.S. was not specifically a Christian country and had no a priori reason to be hostile to Muslims.
dj riz
@7 cave man . so gays are at the same place after 3 years of the obama administration as we were four years before ? i did not know that.
@9 mike.. it must really make you sad that my husband and i had a church wedding. officiated by a minister. attended by our families and 250 people who support us in prayer and deed.. oh.. and god was there too
B
No. 9 · Mike wrote, “This is not just a political issue, but has religious implications. First, this is NOT about rights, but about the re-definition of a sacred institution. In most states, same sex couples can enjoy the same civic benefits as heterosexual couples in civil union. The question is why does it have to be called marriage?”
Read the California Supreme Court decision overturning Proposition 22 and allowing same-sex marriages and you’ll find the answer (and BTW, this decision specifically states that religious organizations are not required to conduct ceremonies that are not consistent with their beliefs).
One reason: job discrimination – if employers know that a job applicant is in a civil union instead of a marriage, the employer might infer that applicant is gay, and discriminate on that basis. It is a lot harder to prove discrimination due to not being hired than for being fired. Such discrimination is illegal, but it can happen.
That reason (job discrimination) is explicitly mentioned in the court’s decision.
Lifet
All I know is that I was ready for God to take Cheney over 3 heart attacks ago.
Cam
@Cave Man: said…
“Gay marriage is a political issue. Obama only addressed it because it’s an election year. Such “historic policies” are made every election year. Just wait and see if he gets reelected, then you’ll feel all the “love” for us—or lack thereof.”
_____________
No, actually politicians AVOID controversial issues during an election year. By him making this statement during an election year he has doubled down on support for the gay community.
But then again, you already knew that. You have been on here, in every single post that even mentions Romney trying to attack Obama and take attention off what an anti-gay bigot Romney is.
Nice try.
Cave Man
@Cam: Politicians AVOID issues during an election? You must be either very young and naive or just downright stupid. Judging from your many, many off-the-wall comments, it’s likely the latter. But, unlike you, I believe that we’re all entitled to our opinions.
Paula Day
All that matters is whether couples can marry in the courthouse. If you don’t have a marriage license, you are not legal.
Paula Day
@dj riz: What a loving Christian spirit. Isn’t God everywhere?