memeorandum: News Analysis: Obama's Marriage Equality Support Is Not the Half-Loaf Some Are Claiming (Chris Geidner/Poliglot)

12:45 AM ET, May 10, 2012

Top Items:

Rick Klein / Yahoo! Good Morning America:

President Obama Affirms His Support for Same Sex Marriage — President Obama today announced that he now supports same-sex marriage, reversing his longstanding opposition amid growing pressure from the Democratic base and even his own vice president. In an interview with ABC News' Robin Roberts …

Discussion: Yahoo! News, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Mediaite, slacktivist, Politicker, White House.gov Blog, NO QUARTER, Rush Limbaugh, The Reaction, Politico, New Yorker, The Huffington Post, ABCNEWS, CNN, Gay Politics, Mother Jones, American Prospect, Weasel Zippers, The Gateway Pundit, Freedom to Marry Blog, Campaign Stops, SEIU.org, Newsy, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, Viewpoint with Eliot Spitzer, TVNewser, PoliticusUSA, msnbc.com, Public Discourse, Poynter, Washington Post, Truthdig, DownWithTyranny!, Outside the Beltway, TIME Ideas, Eclectablog, Campaign 2012, The BRAD BLOG, Guardian, Weekly Standard, Firedoglake, americanthinker.com, Crooks and Liars, The Democratic Daily, DISSENTING JUSTICE, Prop 8 Trial Tracker, Washington Wire, ACS Blog, his vorpal sword, Business Insider, Capital New York, Patterico's Pontifications, Stinque, Liberal Values, GayPatriot, Taylor Marsh, Gay Politics, Mother Jones, New York Magazine, Midwest Voices, Boing Boing, RedState, Gawker, ThinkProgress, Alas, a Blog, Blue Mass Group, JustOneMinute, National Review, Rod Dreher, Instapundit, The Awl, Indecision Forever, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Hot Air, The Charlotte Observer, BuzzFeed, The Caucus and Shakesville

Cameron Joseph / Ballot Box:

Top social conservative worried the right may lose on gay marriage — Conservative religious leaders predicted President Obama's support of gay marriage will hurt him this election — but one fretted that the tide has turned against them long-term on the issue, and that Obama's statement could further erode their position long-term.

Discussion: Politico, Human Events, Reuters, CNN, Liberal Values and American Spectator

Elliott Abrams / Weekly Standard:

‘On My Behalf’ — The debate over same sex “marriage” has engaged the heartfelt feelings and convictions of millions of Americans. Then there is Barack Obama. — In his ABC interview, the president pretended that his much touted “evolution” had now led him, ineluctably, to speak out now, today; he simply could longer stay silent.

Discussion: American Spectator, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit and Betsy's Page

Politico:

Biden blamed; politics drove timing — Joe Biden just might go down in history as the guy who forced Barack Obama to publicly announce his private support for gay marriage. — But the vice president is no hero in the West Wing, and administration officials are struggling to cast Obama's truly historic …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Mediaite, CNN and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

E.J. Graff / American Prospect:

I Am Gobsmacked — Well, I guess I'm cynical. I had a list of reasons as long as my arm for President Obama NOT to state that he favors equal marriage. My heart is turning such cartwheels that I am not sure I can write anything cogent. — Here's what I was all ready to say before the announcement:

Discussion: pandagon.net and Washington Monthly

Log Cabin Republicans:

Obama Announcement Is Cold Comfort to LGBT Americans — (Washington, DC) - Log Cabin Republicans respond to President Barack Obama's latest evolution on the freedom to marry. — “That the president has chosen today, when LGBT Americans are mourning the passage of Amendment One …

Discussion: Hot Air, ThinkProgress, Addicting Info, SEIU.org, Mediaite, ABCNEWS, Daily Kos, Guardian and Indecision Forever

Dan Eggen / Washington Post:

The Influence Industry: Same-sex marriage issue shows importance of gay fundraisers — video platform video management video solutions video player — President Obama says his position on same-sex marriage has evolved. (ABC News) — President Obama's announcement Wednesday …

Discussion: thenation.com/blogs/163230, Power Line, GayPatriot, Weasel Zippers, New York Times, OpenSecrets.org, The Moderate Voice, Ezra Klein, PoliticusUSA, Outside the Beltway, Hit & Run, American Spectator, The Raw Story, JOSHUAPUNDIT and The PJ Tatler

Ta-Nehisi Coates / The Atlantic Online:

Obama Evolves — If you're going to go down (and I don't think he is) go down with your sword: … I know what the polls show, and I know he was pushed into it, but I still credit the president with doing the right thing. So much of this process reminds me of Lincoln weighing emancipation …

Discussion: American Prospect and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Erick Erickson / RedState:

A Terrible, No Good, Awful Night for Barack Obama — One initial point to ponder: if the No-H8 campaign tries to fire up in North Carolina as the No-A1 campaign, people will wonder why they are campaigning against steak sauce. Probably won't happen. North Carolina did not pass a ban on gay marriage as the media reports.

Discussion: PoliticusUSA and American Spectator

BuzzFeed:

11 Politicians Who Changed Their Minds On Gay Marriage — President Obama endorsed same-sex marriage today in an interview with ABC News. Here are 11 other politicians who famously changed their minds on the issue of same-sex marriage. — Andrew Kaczynski — an hour ago — 20 responses

Discussion: The PJ Tatler

GOProud, Inc.:
GOProud Statement on President Obama's Remarks Regarding Marriage Equality

Discussion: The Huffington Post

BuzzFeed:
Leaked: White House Talking Points On Gay Marriage Flip

Discussion: Weekly Standard

Jeffrey Bell / Weekly Standard:
Gay Marriage: North Carolina and the Nation

Discussion: alicublog

Chris Geidner / Poliglot:
News Analysis: Obama's Marriage Equality Support Is Not the Half-Loaf Some Are Claiming

Discussion: Mother Jones, The Huffington Post and Business Insider

M.S. / Democracy in America:
Good for Obama, bad for gay marriage

Discussion: The New Republic, The Caucus, No More Mister Nice Blog and New York Times

Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:
President Obama's calculated gamble on gay marriage

Discussion: Gawker, The Maddow Blog, The Huffington Post, American Power, Los Angeles Times, ABCNEWS, Towleroad News #gay, Ezra Klein and JOSHUAPUNDIT

Zeke Miller / BuzzFeed:
Gay Marriage Reversal Means Cash For Obama

Discussion: The Lonely Conservative

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Breaking: Noted gay-marriage supporter finally drops cynical charade

Discussion: Politico, ABCNEWS, Mediaite, The Hill, The Daily Caller, The Greenroom, The Agitator, New York Times, The Other McCain and Instapundit

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Obama Lets Go Of Fear

Discussion: The New Republic, Politico and Power Line

Matthew Dowd / The Huffington Post:
The Facts: Gay Marriage Didn't Tilt 2004 Election

Discussion: Weekly Standard

Washington Free Beacon:
Gay for Pay — President Obama announced his support …

Discussion: Capital New York, alicublog, AMERICAN DIGEST, Balloon Juice, The Right Sphere, msnbc.com, Washington Post, The Right Scoop and Gawker

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:
An Obama Gay Marriage Timeline

Discussion: ThinkProgress, ABCNEWS, Weasel Zippers, The Mental Recession, The Daily Caller, The Huffington Post, Power Line, Los Angeles Times, The PJ Tatler, Wake up America, Hot Air and The Moderate Voice

Alex Roarty / NationalJournal.com:
N.C. Vote to Ban Gay Marriage a Warning for Obama and Democrats

Discussion: 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com, Washington Post, 2012 Decoded, American Prospect, Hot Air and msnbc.com

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Shep Smith: ‘Wrong side of history’ — Fox News anchor Shep Smith made his own news today when he said President Obama was “now in the 21st century” after announcing his support for same-sex marriage. Minutes later, in a conversation with colleague Bret Baier, he added:

Discussion: The Other McCain and The Raw Story

Media Matters / Media Matters for America:

Fox Nation: “OBAMA FLIP FLOPS, DECLARES WAR ON MARRIAGE” — In response to President Obama's declaration of support for marriage equality this afternoon, Fox Nation ran the following headline: — Fox Nation's post linked to a Yahoo News article on Obama's announcement, which ran the headline …

Discussion: Booman Tribune, PoliticusUSA, Advocate and US Politics

James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:

Sore Lugar — For a “statesman,” he's sure acting childish. — When Richard Mourdock, Indiana's state treasurer, defeated six-term incumbent Dick Lugar in yesterday's Republican Senate primary, he sent out a graceful email to supporters: “When I began my campaign for U.S. Senate in 2011 …

Discussion: msnbc.com, New York Magazine, The Right Sphere, ThinkProgress, Ezra Klein and UrbanGrounds

Josh Israel / ThinkProgress:
EXCLUSIVE: Former Sen. Danforth (R) Says GOP Becoming ‘Increasingly Inconsequential,’ ‘Intolerant’

Discussion: msnbc.com, New York Times, The Gateway Pundit, Weekly Standard, Liberal Values and Politico

Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:
Richard Mourdock: ‘Bipartisanship Ought To Consist Of Democrats Coming To The Republican Point Of View’

Discussion: Washington Post, Firedoglake, DealBook, New York Times, Washington Monthly, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Capital New York and The Maddow Blog

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Moderate Republicans Fall Away in the Senate

Discussion: The New Republic, Washington Monthly, Hullabaloo, msnbc.com and Swampland

KDVR.com is the website for KDVR Television …:

Romney in Colorado: “I do not favor civil unions” — DENVER — Mitt Romney, who's now a sure bet to be the Republican Party's presidential nominee this fall, commented about gay marriage and civil unions during an interview with FOX31 Denver's Jeremy Hubbard Wednesday.

Discussion: BuzzFeed, The Hill, Yahoo! News, Business Insider, Ballot Box, CNN, The Caucus and Advocate

Ashley Parker / The Caucus:
Asked About Gay Marriage, Romney Doesn't Answer

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, Washington Post, City Room, Guardian, ACS Blog, New York Times, ThinkProgress, No More Mister Nice Blog, Swampland, The Maddow Blog, Poliglot, Towleroad News #gay and The Hill

Sarah Huisenga / CBS News:
Romney affirms opposition to same-sex marriage

Discussion: Politico, New York Magazine, Human Rights Campaign, Hit & Run, Washington Monthly and Harry's Place

Holly Bailey / ABCNEWS:
Mitt Romney reaffirms opposition to gay marriage

Discussion: Yahoo! News, New York Magazine and Poliglot

Dan Froomkin / Reuters:

Colin Powell's New Book: War With Iraq Never Debated … REACT: — FOLLOW: — Colin Powell, Dick Cheney, George W Bush, War Wire, Video, Iraq WMD, Scooter Libby, Works For Me, Politics News — WASHINGTON — In his new book, former Secretary of State Colin Powell provides …

Discussion: Addicting Info and ThinkProgress

Peter Taylor / BBC:

‘Vomiting and screaming’ in destroyed waterboarding tapes — Jose Rodriguez told Newsnight he was right to destroy the tapes — Secret CIA video tapes of the waterboarding of Osama Bin Laden's suspected jihadist travel arranger Abu Zubaydah show him vomiting and screaming, the BBC has learned.

Discussion: ThinkProgress