A master campaigner

Say what you will about President Obama coming out in favor of gay marriage, but as is often the case with his election team, it was a masterstroke of campaigning.  To wit:

• It takes the sting out of the crushing loss Amendment One suffered in North Carolina.
• Because it's an election year, Willard Romney will look like the lame-ass he actually is trying to answer questions about it without looking like a bigot.
• Makes republicans look wasteful--a constitutional ban against same sex marriage?  Really?  Because for a party that swears austerity is the way to go, spending millions to get this voted on when there is so much more we can be spending the money on makes republicans seem a tad hypocritical.
• Makes republicans look intolerant--could the Catholic Church possibly put a worse face forward than the Catholic League's Bill Donohue?  He wants the law to discriminate against gay people?  That ought to help with Independent voters--and shore up the Church's sagging parishioner numbers.
• Makes republicans look petty--too many bozos to comment on.
• Makes republicans look overwrought--Santorum thinks it's a "tragic" day for America?  What the fuck?  Let me tell you, November 22, 1963 was a tragic day for America.  September 11, 2001 was a tragic day for America.  That one-sixth of our population lives in poverty is tragic.  That foreclosures are at all-time highs is tragic.  That we have more hunger in America than since the Great Depression is tragic.  The President supporting equality in marriage?  Not so much.
• Shores up the youth vote--voters who overwhelmingly support marriage equality.
• Provides red meat to the base (who turn out to vote in the biggest numbers)--I lost count of all the "attaboy" e-mails I've collected in the last two days, from Move.On to the ACLU to Democracy for America.  Turnout counts and this definitely will help Dems on election day.

I've seen a few who think this will hurt Obama--it may cost a vote or two, but I highly doubt it will be significant.  The people most against marriage equality weren't going to vote for Obma anyway, under any circmstance.  And this isn't 2004--gay marriage isn't quite the bogeyman it once was.

Now if we could get the President to lead and govern the way he campaigns--we'd really have something then.

Peace,
emaycee