WaPo/ABC poll: 54% of blacks support gay marriage in wake of Obama announcement...

[Drunken Irishman]

To quote Joe Biden, this is a big fucking deal because I think with the President coming out in support of gay marriage, it will help inch more and more blacks toward it. While 54% is not a huge number, only 37% now say they don't have a favorable impression of it. To compare, in '08, only 35% said gay marriage was acceptable.

The biggest holdouts? White Protestants. Anyone really surprised?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/behind-the-numbers/post/voters-split-on-obamas-gay-marriage-announcement/2012/05/14/gIQALve4PU_blog.html

The fact is: Blacks are more supportive of gay marriage than the overall public as a whole (46%). So, maybe the media should stop trying to create this bigger divide that really doesn't exist.

[RKP5637]

1. K&R !!! n/t

[NYC_SKP]

2. K/R (nt)

[Pirate Smile]

3. Awesome.

[Tarheel_Dem]

4. It's not even the media that offends me so much. It's the progressives, who should know better....

who seek to divide us along these lines, for only reasons they know. I just watched the Rev. Joseph Lowery on Sharpton's show, and I think most of us agree with him that this is not about how you feel about same sex relationships, it's about extending the same rights to minorities that everyone else enjoys. When explained, in this context, it makes one helluva difference.

I've seen this coming for some time, in my own circle of family & friends, and I'm ecstatic that some people are beginning to separate their religious beliefs from matters of state. Now on to the Mormon church.

[unc70]

8. That is a change from the vote here in NC

Glaad to see it is having a positive effect, but it was a significant factor in the voting here in NC. Not something I will dwell on, though we must not ignore this as an area needing more work.

[Tarheel_Dem]

11. More work indeed. But there are Civil Rights groups, including the NC chapter of the NAACP....

who are making headway in this arena. I applaud their efforts, and I certainly applaud Pres. Obama if people begin to see this, not so much about their idea of "marriage", but equality for all.

[LostinRed]

5. I love Obama

but the fact is they used his stance about gay marriage to pass prop 8 in California. I believe that if he came out in support of gay marriage in '08 prop would not have passed. I partially blame him for it's passage. I wish he would have evovled sooner. But I say 'Yay' now.

[Jamaal510]

6. K&R.

I kinda knew it all along. The M$M has been trying to frame it as if all of us are against gay marriage, when in reality most of us could care less about this and have much bigger fish to fry.

[David__77]

7. White heterosexism is more deeply-rooted, in my opinion.

...

[LetTimmySmoke]

9. I thought to myself that this might happen.

Especially with all the pundits talking about black voters abandoning Obama over this. Some must have reacted by rallying to Obama and his position. No group of people in America want to defend and rally to Obama more than African Americans. Thank 3 years of extreme and unwarranted right wing disrespect of the president for that, much for it bordering on racism.

The consequence - Obama became able to easily sway the black community on marriage equality.

[SpartanDem]

10. The poll was whether they supported the President's statement

NOT whether they supported gay marriage "But there also a twist to the latest breakdowns: although African Americans typically oppose gay marriage, most in the new poll have favorable impressions of Obama’s support of it..... More than half of all African Americans in the poll back the president’s statement: 54 percent have favorable impressions; 37 percent unfavorable ones. The sample size of black respondents is relatively small in this poll (results have a more than 10-point error margin". This poll also has huge margin of error so might not want to celebrate yet.

[Iliyah]

12. Majority of blacks in my church

do not support gay marriage but support Pres O.

That said, 99% of the church members are totally against discrimination and are 100% for civil rights!

[dbackjon]

14. You stats do not compute

You can not be against gay marriage, but be against discrimination and for civil rights.


GAY RIGHTS ARE CIVIL RIGHTS.

The majority of bliacks in your church therefore do NOT support civil rights, and are bigots that support discrimination.

It is really that simple.

[Fearless]

15. Impossible. Gay rights are civil rights.

They may be "tolerant" of some things, if indeed 99% of this church disagrees with marriage equality, but they are not 100% for civil rights while also excluding a group from their equally deserved rights.

[azurnoir]

13. good deal that is finally being said

The media and some others attempt to create walls and animosity in a divide and conquer sort of way

[bigwillq]

16. K and R (nt)

[markpkessinger]

17. All these pollsters are failing to get at the real issue . .

Asking folks whether they support or agree with the President's position or not is all well and good, and interesting so far as it goes. But if they really want to get a read on the extent to which this issue will influence the election, they need to ask an additional question, which would be, "Has the President's announcement caused you to change your decision as to whom to vote for in the upcoming Presidential election?" If this poll had said, for example that 60% disagree with the President, that really wouldn't tell you much. If you went on to ask that 60% whether the President's announcement cased them to change the candidate they intend to vote for, then you might actually be able to begin to make some intelligent political analysis.. I suspect there are many7 folks who may disagree with marriage equality, but for whom the issue is not a make or break concerning their vote.

[Vanje]

18. They call that kind of influence....

LEADERSHIP!