Obama: Liar or Bigot?
Princeton University professor Robby George tells it like is today on NRO.
It has become a matter of orthodoxy among progressives that those who believe that marriage is properly defined as the union of one man and one woman are guilty of bigotry.
There is a problem, however: Barack Obama has assured voters that he believes marriage to be the union of one man and one woman — not two men, two women, or some combination of more than two people….
I suspect that very few progressives doubt that President Obama is lying. So why do they give him a pass? Why do they let him get away with publicly embracing a position they regard as bigotry? Why is he not given the treatment they have meted out to Carrie Prejean, the Mormon Church, and others who oppose the redefinition of marriage?
My guess is that it’s because they know that redefining marriage remains a losing proposition politically. …Evidently, progressives do not want to force one of their own to tell the truth and accept the political consequences.
But progressives who attack those who disagree with them about marriage as “bigots” should not be able to get away with this smear while simultaneously giving liberal politicians such as Barack Obama a pass. They need to give us an answer: If opposing the redefinition of marriage is bigotry, then what is Barack Obama, a bigot or a liar?
Loading ...
I think this is a valid point, EXCEPT that most people against same-sex marriage are also against any form of legal recognition of same-sex relationships that would give same-sex couples the same rights and responsibilities under the law that heterosexual couples enjoy. Clearly, President Obama does not hold that point of view. Also, it is possible for a person to be personally opposed to a particular viewpoint without believing that such viewpoint should be the law of the land. For example, I am personally opposed to abortion. I could never imagine having one except under extremely limited circumstances and even then I don’t know if I could go through with it, and the idea of abortion is morally problematic for me. However, I don’t believe that I have the right to make that kind of moral decision for another person, nor do I believe that the government should interfere in a private moral decision. So, although I don’t like the idea of abortion, I am pro-choice because I am willing to grant the liberty to another human being to make her own moral choices about her own body and her own life. Of course, I would love to convince her to make a choice to have the child, but in the end, I realize that it is not my choice to make for her. The same sort of thing could be going on in the President’s mind with respect to the issue of same-sex marriage. He could personally believe that marriage is only such when the participants are of the opposite sex, but he could also believe that it is not for the government to treat two sets of couples in love differently under the law. He need not be a bigot or a liar in this scenario–simply a person who grapples with religious faith on the one hand, and the promises of liberty and equality contained in our Constitution on the other.
Then again, being somewhat cynical about politicians in general, I am probably more disposed to believe that he is saying what he believes some need to hear to continue to support him. Because as much as I believe that marriage equality is the just and right thing for America, I recognize that there are much more crucial issues that this country and this world face and that could be lost altogether if the conservative right-wing were to regain power–economic justice and world cooperation for global problems being two big ones. So if that means placating the bigots in the service of the greater good, then as much as it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, I can see the pragmatism in such a stance. Yuck.
In the end, it really doesn’t much matter what President Obama thinks about it since he does not control the question. It will be up to the U.S. Supreme Court and/or Congress to act on marriage equality. However, in the sphere of influence that he does have, Obama has thus far acted in favor of equality for same-sex couples by expanding rights for federal employees and by other indications of support. So, while I cannot get inside the man’s head to know his personal views and whether he is personally morally opposed to same-sex marriage or is only acting as a pragmatic politician, I will certainly still appreciate any and every victory toward full equality.