JOE BIDEN’S GAY MARRIAGE SLIP-UP

[xchrom]

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2012/05/bidens-gay-marriage-slip-up.html

Gay marriage has always been a delicate thing for President Obama. For public consumption, he says he’s in favor of equivalent legal rights for same-sex couples, though not equal status—that is, civil unions, but not marriage. For gays, lesbians, and groups advocating for gay marriage, all of whom make up an important Democratic constituency, he says he’s “evolving,” hinting that he’ll finally support marriage publicly if they’ll just be patient.
And then there’s his Vice President. You have to hand it to Joe Biden—there aren’t many people who can threaten years of careful triangulating with a few comments the way he can.
During an appearance on “Meet the Press” on Sunday, as host David Gregory quizzed Biden on the subject, the Vice President made some news:

GREGORY: You’re comfortable with same-sex marriage now?

BIDEN: Look, I am Vice President of the United States of America. The President sets the policy. I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men marrying women are entitled to the same exact rights. All the civil rights, all the civil liberties. And quite frankly I don’t see much of a distinction beyond that.
Some people—like Igor Volsky, of ThinkProgress, a blog run by the Center for American Progress, a liberal think-tank with ties to the Administration—are interpreting this as an official endorsement of gay marriage. That is, as Andrew Sullivan argued, almost certainly not the case. Indeed, the White House was quick to walk back Biden’s remarks:
The vice president was saying what the president has said previously—that committed and loving same-sex couples deserve the same rights and protections enjoyed by all Americans, and that we oppose any effort to rollback those rights. That’s why we stopped defending the constitutionality of section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act in legal challenges and support legislation to repeal it. Beyond that, the Vice President was expressing that he too is evolving on the issue, after meeting so many committed couples and families in this country.


Read more http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2012/05/bidens-gay-marriage-slip-up.html#ixzz1uBJz8Jvi

[qb]

1. I think it was carefully scripted.

The VP is floating a trial balloon. And I say "Bravo!"
The repukes can get their panties in a bunch.
The gays & their allies can say "Yay!"
and the rest of the country can go on with their lives while marriage equality moves forward.

[LonePirate]

2. If it was an intentional trial balloon, then why were immediate retractions issued?

This administration obviously does not value equality for LGBT Americans or else Obama would issue a public statement in support of it. The fact that he is still coddling the bigots in this country is downright disgusting and shameful for the leader of the Democratic party and for America.

[qb]

3. It's in the script.

Biden is there to appease us and keep the pro-marriage message afloat while Obama does damage control with his homophobic supporters. It's quite a juggling act.

[Marrah_G]

4. They retracted it?

WTF.......I take back the praise I had for him/them yesterday....... grrrrrrrrr

[joeybee12]

6. I agree...sort of, we have to say we're against it, but

we're really on your side.

[Fearless]

5. "Oh and mom I'm gay... *silence* ...Just kidding!"

Basically what this is. What a bunch of cowards.