President Barack Obama says it is "hard to say"
whether his new stance supporting same sex marriage will hurt his re-election.
He says there's a major difference between himself and Republican challenger Mitt
Romney on the issue, but says the economy will ultimately determine the outcome
of the election.
Obama made his remarks during a discussion on ABC's
"The View," a daytime talk show. That interview will air later
Tuesday, but ABC broadcast an excerpt on "Good Morning America."
He said churches should have the right to make their own
determinations about marriage. But he said that as a matter of civil law, all
Americans should be treated equally.
Obama became the first sitting president to support same-sex
marriage last week. Before, he had said his views had been evolving.
Among Democrats hungering for inspiration from the man who
instilled hope four years ago, you hear talk of newfound respect for a
candidate they supported, before this, only halfheartedly. The word
"courage" comes up again and again.
"I'm really proud of him," said Margie DeLong, a
retired nurse in northern Lake
County who plans now to
volunteer for the Obama campaign, as she did in 2008.
The Rev. Courtney Jenkins found something else to celebrate
in her Mother's Day sermon at Euclid Avenue Congregational Church. Jenkins
preaches to a mostly black congregation in Cleveland,
where high turnout among African-Americans will be one make-or-break factor for
Obama in Ohio.
She knows there are those who theologically disagree with his position; she
heard as much from one colleague last week. Still, that person told her,
"This is the president I've been waiting on. One who will stand up and
say: This is what I believe."
Said Jenkins: "I think that's really what voters were
looking for. He preached change. We've been waiting on change."
For some Republicans here, the gay marriage comments only
reinforced long-held suspicions of, and opposition to, Obama. But more than
that, this statement feels like another in-their-face reminder that the country
is headed off-track in ways that have nothing to do with job numbers and debt
statistics.
"This is the Bible Belt, and we still believe what the
Bible says," said Harty Wallingford, a civil engineer in Ohio's Appalachian region. "They can
change the Bible in the city, but we won't change it here. We're not like California. They've just
gone crazy there."
Will this renewed debate go so far as to be a decider in
the state that itself could determine the election? Probably not. Will it
dominate the discussion as the campaign goes on? Not likely. This is a place,
like much of America,
far more concerned about jobs and foreclosures, but also matters such as
student loan costs, collective bargaining rights and fair elections laws.
But has gay marriage entered into the dialogue here on the
ground? Absolutely. And what we find in those conversations is what we may already
know as Americans: That while our families, our pocketbooks and our communities
may drive our choices come Election Day, our hearts — whether motivated or
alienated — play a part as well.
Just listen to some of the many people talking now all
across this bellwether state.
