The White House Continues to Wear Blinders on Same-Sex Marriage

With South American nations like Argentina - even Mexico is ahead of the USA - far ahead of the USA on marriage equality and conservatives like Ted Olson leading the charge to have Proposition 8 declared unconstitutional, the disconnect with reality coming from the White House is nothing less than bizarre. Meghan McCain and Margaret Hoover are gay marriage activists compared to Obama. These conservatives are setting Barack Obama to find himself on the wrong side of history since gay marriage will someday be nationwide - even if only because the majority of the gay-hating homophobes are dying off and being replaced by a younger generation that views same sex marriage as largely a non-issue. It would seem that Obama needs to end his ties with BFF Rick Warren and embrace modernity and those who might actually support him. Courting the Christian Right set has gained him virtually nothing to date nor will it do so in the future. Kerry Eleveld's latest "View From Washington" at The Advocate looks at the increasingly ass backwards mindset at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and the reality that many conservatives are moving ahead of the curve compared to the faux "fierce advocate" in the White House. Here are some highlights:
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Last week I argued that if White House officials think their only critics on same-sex marriage are LGBT activists in Washington, they are sadly out of touch with the reality that state advocates are actually more passionate about the issue. This week I would venture to guess that queers are the least of their worries.
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First, the mainstream press is progressing from covering the issue simply as a political football bandied about during elections to being one of real consequence that speaks to the moral fiber of a politician.
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By Wednesday, Ken Mehlman — former Republican National Committee chair, Bush-Cheney campaign manager, and a virtual mastermind of the conservative movement — flipped the partisan marriage equation on its head, making Obama’s bumbling look downright backward.
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While much of the LGBT movement understandably rehashed Mehlman’s involvement in propagating antigay hatred during his GOP reign, what seems to have been missed was the tectonic shift taking place as conservative leaders band together to raise money for the cause of overturning same-sex marriage bans, potentially nationwide.
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Same-sex marriage is perhaps still seen as the most contentious LGBT issue in the country, and yet some of the sharpest conservative minds nationwide in both the legal and political realms are now prominent advocates in the fight.
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[I]nstead of crucifying Mehlman, let’s hand him a pickax and a shovel and let him get to work on dismantling the hate he and his cronies helped heap upon a vulnerable and undeserving minority. And who knows, maybe even President Obama and his advisers will get a whiff of the fact that spring is on its way.