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Over nearly two s polics, Print Obama has staked out changg posns on gay rights. Here are the biggt ton.

Contents:

OBAMA'S GAY MARRIAGE NTROVERSY: 'I AM JT NOT VERY GOOD AT BULLSHTG'

“Opposn to gay marriage was particularly strong the black church, and as he ran for higher office, he gdggly accepted the unsel of more pragmatic folks like me, and modified his posn to support civil unns rather than marriage, which he would term a ‘sacred unn’, ” Axelrod wr.

OBAMA AND GAY MARRIAGE: ONE YEAR LATER

As a ndidate for the Illois state senate 1996, Obama said he favored same-sex marriage rponse to a qutnnaire om a Chigo-area gay and lbian newspaper. He went on to give an gural addrs that will be famo for s referenc to gay and lbian equaly, vokg Stonewall the same sentence as Sene Falls and Selma, touchston of the women’s and civil-rights movement.

AXELROD: OBAMA MISLED NATN WHEN HE OPPOSED GAY MARRIAGE IN 2008

Kaplan, the lawyer who argued before the Supreme Court for Edh Wdsor, the platiff the se that seeks to overturn the feral Defense of Marriage Act, recently told me that she believed that the broar transformatn we see “did not happen bee Barrack Obama or any other polician led on this issue, but bee they followed the same path as the rt of the untry their unrstandg of gay people as iends, fay, lleagu, and neighbors. ”Last week, Kaplan spoke on a panel at a gay Wall Street nference lled “Out on the Street—LGBT Learship Summ, ” held at Goldman Sachs and -sponsored by many other banks and fancial-servic pani. (It had been nicknamed the “Gay Davos.

THE 'EVOLUTN' OF OBAMA'S STANCE ON GAY MARRIAGE

”) Wall Street has seen s own transformatn on gay cln. A number of nference participants told me that as recently as five years ago beg openly gay at a big Wall Street firm was nsired bad for your reer. “Opposn to gay marriage was particularly strong the black church, and as he ran for higher office, he gdggly accepted the unsel of more pragmatic folks like me, and modified his posn to support civil unns rather than marriage, which he would term a ‘sacred unn, ’ ” Axelrod wr.

The print was champg at the b to announce his support for the right of gay and lbian upl to wed—and havg watched him stggle wh this issue for years, I was ready, too. ABC broke to s daytime lp May 9, 2012, to announce a historic shift: the print of the Uned Stat clarg his personal support for gay marriage.

While the print has nsistently supported civil rights for gay upl — pepperg his ments wh specifics such as hospal visatn, transfer of property and Social Secury benefs — his discsn of marriage has differed. I am not favor of gay marriage.

OBAMA NCEALED SUPPORT FOR GAY MARRIAGE 2008, FORMER SENR ADVISER CLAIMS NEW BOOK

In 1996, as he ran for Illois state Senate, Chigo’s Outl gay newspaper asked ndidat to fill out a qutnnaire. Gay marriage? I am not a supporter of gay marriage as has been thrown about, primarily jt as a strategic issue.

"(But) is my obligatn not only as an elected official a pluralistic society, but also as a Christian, to rema open to the possibily that my unwillgns to support gay marriage is misguid, jt as I nnot claim fallibily my support of abortn rights. Still, a 2007 Democratic primary bate sponsored by a gay rights group and a gay-oriented ble TV channel, he spoke stead about his support for civil unns wh "all the benefs that are available for a legally sanctned marriage" — but not for legal regnn of "marriage" between same-sex upl.

OBAMA ON GAY MARRIAGE

He offered an explanatn that would prage his 2012 shift: "I thk that is an issue that I wrtle wh and thk about bee I have a whole host of iends who are gay partnerships. I've always been adamant that — gay and lbian — Amerins should be treated fairly and equally. And I had hated on gay marriage — part, bee I thought civil unns would be sufficient.

Obama, a nsistent supporter of civil rights for gay upl, neverthels said as early as 2004 and through 2008 that he didn’t support same-sex marriage. Fox News, "OBAMA FLIP FLOPS ON GAY MARRIAGE, " May 9, 2012. POLITICO, "Evolve: Obama gay marriage quot, " May 9, 2012.

CNN Transcripts, "Anrson Cooper 360: Polics of Gay Marriage; Same-Sex Marriage Flip-Flop? MTV, "Barack Obama Answers Your Qutns About Gay Marriage, Payg For College, More, " Nov. POLITICO's Unr the Radar blog, "Obama says he's evolvg on gay marriage, " Oct.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* 2008 OBAMA GAY MARRIAGE

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data-ttid="timtamp" class="wpds-c-kgabfe wpds-c-kgabfe-ieEDlgV-css"><span data-ttid="display-date" class="wpds-c-iKQyrV">Febary 10, 2015 at 12:44 p.m. EST</span></div></div></div></hear></div><article class="grid-article mb-xxl-ns" data-qa="ma"><div class="grid-body"><div class="wpds-c-PJLV wpds-c-PJLV-hSmMVC-isLuf2-false"><div class="wpds-c-jUMcim wpds-c-jUMcim-ibVGacg-css hi-for-prt mb-sm"><div class="PJLV PJLV-ieDMgMI-css flex ems-center" nfig="[object Object]" data-qa="article-actns"><div class="wpds-c-mfMEg"><div class="wpds-c-kSOqLF wpds-c-hnjNCH wpds-c-kSOqLF-bywHgD-variant-primary wpds-c-kSOqLF-biynoz-nsy-pact wpds-c-kSOqLF-hZSyid-isOutle-te wpds-c-kSOqLF-ejCoEP-in-left wpds-c-kSOqLF-futx-cv wpds-c-hnjNCH-eNNUQD-cv wpds-c-hnjNCH-jGqLyO-cv"><div id="gift-share" data-ttid="gift-share" class="PJLV PJLV-ieGzigK-css hi-for-prt"><button aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-expand="false" aria-ntrols="gift-share-drawer" role="button" tabx="0" aria-label="Share this article" id="gift-share-drawer-ntrol" data-ttid="gift-share-drawer-ntrol" class="wpds-c-PJLV wpds-c-gsmDXe wpds-c-gsmDXe-dTGBTO-placement-ActnBar foc-highlight"><svg xmlns=" fill="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 16 16" class="wpds-c-fBqPWp wpds-c-fBqPWp-idCxsxc-css " aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img"><path fill="currentColor" d="M8 .6v3.8h.1c-4.4 0-7.3 4.5-6.9 8.8.1.8.2 1.2.2 1.2l.2 1 .4-1.3c.8-2 2-4 6.2-3.9H8v4l7-6.9L8 .6Zm1 11.3V9.3h-.9c-3 0-4.8.5-6.2 2.9.5-3.3 2.7-6.8 6.2-6.8H9V3l4.5 4.4L9 11.9Z"></path></svg></button></div><span aria-hidn="te" class="wpds-c-fBEbFG">Share</span></div></div></div></div></div><div class="teaser-ntent grid-center"><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“It’s not a lie,” Gee Costanza <a href=">said</a>, “if you believe .” But is a lie if no one else believ ? That’s one of the qutns raised by <a href=">the news today</a> that David Axelrod’s new book, he reveals that Barack Obama wasn’t exactly forthright about his feelgs on same-sex marriage 2008:</p></div></div><div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class=" mb-md hi-for-prt" data-qa="subscribe-promo"><div data-orientatn="horizontal" role="separator" class="wpds-c-dbVHzF wpds-c-dbVHzF-hDkAcj-variant-flt"></div><a class="pt-sm pb-sm flex ems-center bold font-xxxs font-xxs-ns offblack hover-blue-bright jtify-between" href=" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="text-ratn:none;borr:none"><span class="mr-xs flex ems-center"><span class="ml-xs">Opns to start the day, your box. Sign up.</span></span><svg class="ntent-box" width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 16 16" xmlns=" style="transn:right .2s;posn:relative;right:4px;fill:#2a2a2a" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img"><tle>ArrowRight</tle><path d="M7.664 1.25l6 6a1 1 0 010 1.414l-6 6L6.25 13.25 10.499 9H2V7h8.585L6.25 2.664 7.664 1.25z" fill-le="nonzero"></path></svg></a><div data-orientatn="horizontal" role="separator" class="wpds-c-dbVHzF wpds-c-dbVHzF-hDkAcj-variant-flt"></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><blockquote data-ttid="quote" class="wpds-c-BNTaj wpds-c-BNTaj-fDUVQq-showBorr-te wpds-c-BNTaj-iPJLV-css blockquote borr-box black font--article-body"><div data-qa="article-quote" class="wpds-c-PJLV"><em>Axelrod wr that he knew Obama was favor of same-sex marriag durg the first printial mpaign, even as Obama publicly said he only supported civil unns, not full marriag. Axelrod also adms to unselg Obama to nceal that posn for polil reasons. “Opposn to gay marriage was particularly strong the black church, and as he ran for higher office, he gdggly accepted the unsel of more pragmatic folks like me, and modified his posn to support civil unns rather than marriage, which he would term a ‘sacred unn,’ ” Axelrod wr.</em></div></blockquote></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The simple terpretatn of Obama’s cisn is that was jt wrong. Any time a polician says he believ somethg that he don’t actually believe, ’s an act of ceptn that ought to be nmned.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The more plited way to look at is to place on a spectm of misleadg statements that policians make all the time. When a ndidate says, “I am so exced to be here Dubuque!” when he’d actually prefer to be back home wh his fay, ’s certaly an tentnal ceptn, but ’s one we accept and expect. That’s at the most fivable end; at the other end might be <a href=">somethg like</a>: “Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hse now has weapons of mass stctn. There is no doubt he is amassg them to e agast our iends, agast our alli, and agast .” That was not jt a lie meant to mislead and terrify, but one that had tastrophic nsequenc for the untry.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The ntext of Obama’s falsehood is important to unrstand both his own thkg and the receptn his statements on the matter received. In 2008, the Democratic Party was unrgog a rapid change s approach to same-sex marriage, and the stated posns of almost every ndidate were flux. Four years before, when the issue explod to natnal bate after the Massachetts Supreme Court legalized marriage equaly (their lg actually me down late 2003), Democrats scrambled to e up wh a posn on an issue many hadn’t much thought about before. Most of the printial ntenrs me down support of civil unns but agast marriage rights, a posn that jt happened to be where the median voter was. By 2008 that was still the saft posn, and the <a href=">party platform</a> didn’t mentn marriage equaly except to say that the party opposed the Defense of Marriage Act.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="wpds-c-eyhHZm wpds-c-eyhHZm-igCbUYf-css"><div data-state="closed"><button type="button" aria-ntrols="" aria-expand="false" data-state="closed" class="wpds-c-kCVdRh"><div class="wpds-c-qEzGg"><span class="wpds-c-diBAsU"><span data-ttid="avatar" class="wpds-c-qhccP wpds-c-qhccP-dBwtqg-size-200"><span style="box-sizg:borr-box;display:le-block;overflow:hidn;width:ial;height:ial;background:none;opacy:1;borr:0;marg:0;paddg:0;posn:relative;max-width:100%"><span style="box-sizg:borr-box;display:block;width:ial;height:ial;background:none;opacy:1;borr:0;marg:0;paddg:0;max-width:100%"><img style="display:block;max-width:100%;width:ial;height:ial;background:none;opacy:1;borr:0;marg:0;paddg:0" alt="" aria-hidn="te" src="data:image/svg+xml,></span><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" dg="async" data-nimg="trsic" class="wpds-c-cNQNEw" style="posn:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizg:borr-box;paddg:0;borr:none;marg:to;display:block;width:0;height:0;m-width:100%;max-width:100%;m-height:100%;max-height:100%;background-size:ver;background-posn:0% 0%;filter:blur(20px);background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http%3A//; xmlns%3Axlk='http%3A//; viewBox='0 0 1280 853'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' lor-terpolatn-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGssianBlur stdDeviatn='.5'%3E%3C/feGssianBlur%3E%3CfeComponentTransfer%3E%3CfeFuncA type='discrete' tableValu='1 1'%3E%3C/feFuncA%3E%3C/feComponentTransfer%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage filter='url(%23b)' x='0' y='0' height='100%25' width='100%25' xlk%3Ahref='data%3Aimage/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAkAAAAGCAIAAACepSOSAAAACXBIWXMAAC4jAAAuIwF4pT92AAAAs0lEQVQI1wGoAFf/AImSoJSer5yjs52ktp2luJuluKOpuJefsoCNowB+kKaOm66grL+krsCnsMGrt8m1u8mzt8OVoLIAhJqzjZ2tnLLLnLHJp7fNmpyjqbPCqLrRjqO7AIeUn5ultaWtt56msaSnroZyY4mBgLq7wY6TmwCRfk2Pf1uzm2WulV+xmV6rmGyQfFm3nWSBcEIAfm46jX1FkH5Djn5AmodGo49MopBLlIRBfG8yj/dfjF5TUAAAAASUVORK5CYII='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E'")"/><noscript><img alt="" srcSet=" 1x" src=" dg="async" data-nimg="trsic" style="posn:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizg:borr-box;paddg:0;borr:none;marg:to;display:block;width:0;height:0;m-width:100%;max-width:100%;m-height:100%;max-height:100%" class="wpds-c-cNQNEw" loadg="lazy"/></noscript></span></span></span><span class="wpds-c-knzOLY"><strong data-ttid="follow-span">Follow</strong> <span data-ttid="thor-span-mobile" class="PJLV PJLV-icxmzMM-css">this thor</span><span data-ttid="thor-span-non-mobile" class="PJLV PJLV-ikqOWxF-css">Pl Waldman</span>'s opns</span></div><div class="wpds-c-gwAEdF"><span aria-hidn="te" data-ttid="hover-show-span" class="wpds-c-cSlAcw wpds-c-cSlAcw-ieGvjgr-css">Follow</span><span aria-hidn="false" aria-label="Expand" data-ttid="pl-in-span" tle="Follow thor" class="wpds-c-cptzaU"><svg xmlns=" viewBox="0 0 16 16" fill="var(--wpds-lors-gold60)" class="wpds-c-tcCuY " aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img"><path d="M14 7.5H8.5V2h-1v5.5H2v1h5.5V14h1V8.5H14Z"></path></svg></span></div></button><div data-state="closed" id="" hidn=""></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">By 2008, everyone seemed to unrstand that the posn all the major Democratic ndidat were takg was a temporary way-statn on the path to an eventual embrace of full marriage equaly. Nobody really believed that was where the party and s reprentativ were gog to stay. Half of Democrats <a href=">supported</a> marriage equaly 2008 — up om 40 percent 2004 — but the public as a whole was not there yet. Support for civil unns was a posn that was acceptable both to the party base, who knew was only a matter of time before their lears “evolved,” and to the general public, which was unrgog s own evolutn.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font--article-body font-py gray-darkt ma-0 pb-md" dir="null">Was all that a spectacle of polil wardice? Absolutely. But ’s hard to say that anyone eher party had many illns about where would end up. To no one’s surprise, by 2012 — when a majory of the public now supported marriage equaly —  the Democratic party platform <a href=">embraced</a> , as did nearly every elected Democrat om Print Obama on down.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">There’s somethg else to nsir as we judge the magnu of Obama’s s. In practice, the media tend to make much more about li ndidat tell about themselv than the on they tell about their opponents, jt as they make more out of li on personal matters than out of li about policy. If you tell a lie about your opponent’s tax plan, reporters will scribe as a he said/she said dispute — focg on <i>what you said</i> — but if you lie about somethg like your ary rerd or your tn, they’ll say reveals somethg far more profound about <i>who you are</i>.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">This is exactly backward, bee ’s the li about policy that matter. This se is about both — Obama’s personal feelgs, and how those feelgs would eventually be reflected policy cisns. But isn’t that he was secretly plottg all along to create marriage equaly for every Amerin (the Supreme Court is the one that will do that). The policy steps his admistratn has taken on gay rights issu — endg “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” opposg DOMA — were thgs he said 2008 he was gog to do, and he ultimately did them. All of which uld reasonably lead to the ncln that although was certaly wrong for Obama to hi his te feelgs on this issue, may not be among the worst ss printial ndidat have mted.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Which brgs to today, and the printial mpaign that’s now begng. Most of the Republin ndidat are takg a posn that is some ways a mirror image of the one Democrats took 2008: they say they’re personally opposed to same-sex marriage, but they thk the cisn should be left to the stat. It’s another attempt to fd a morate-soundg middle posn that assur the base whout gog too far for the general electorate (there’s a good round-up of what the Republins have said <a href=">here</a>).</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">It do reprent a retreat, though. A uple of those ndidat, like <a href=">Bobby Jdal</a> and <a href=">Ted Cz</a>, loudly proclaim their opposn to marriage equaly and advote a nstutnal amendment — but only one sayg the matter should be left to the stat, not an amendment outlawg same-sex marriage entirely. This is a very different place om where the party was a few years ago. Even Mike Huckabee, who has been more emphatic about his opposn to same-sex marriage than any of them, is focg on the legimacy of a Supreme Court cisn that tak the matter away om the stat, not rollg back marriage equaly where voters and state legislatur have ma the law. Would they actually prefer to outlaw same-sex marriage everywhere, spe what they say today about lettg each state ci? We won’t know until their advisers wre tell-all memoirs.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">So everyone is evolvg, one way or another. And there’s one other person whom I’d be terted to hear om, one whose evolutn exactly mirrors Obama’s: Hillary Clton. She <a href=">me out for marriage equaly</a> 2013. But where was she on the issue 2008? Did she personally believe gay people should have full marriage rights, but stopped short of sayg so, bee the polil atmosphere wasn’t que ready for that? We’ll have to wa to hear how she scrib her own evolutn.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div data-qa="article-vio" data-ttid="article-vio" class=""><div><figure class="mb-md mr-to-ns ml-to-ns hi-for-prt ml-neg-gutter mr-neg-gutter"><div class="w-100 aspect-ctom" style="background-posn:center;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-lor:rgb(245, 245, 245);background-image:url();background-size:nta;--aspect-height:0.5625;--aspect-width:1"></div><figptn><div class="mt-xs mr-to-ns ml-to-ns left font--subhead font-xxxs gray-dark ml-gutter mr-gutter" data-qa="vio-ptn">Print Obama said an terview wh BuzzFeed News that he anticipat a Supreme Court lg will regnize same-sex upl as beg entled to “the same rights as everybody else.” (Vio: Rters)</div></figptn></figure></div></div></div><div class="wpds-c-ipATMk wpds-c-ipATMk-hCiGAB-removeMobileStyl-te"><div class="wpds-c-dhzjXW wpds-c-dhzjXW-iPJLV-css overriStyl"><div id="gift-share-end" data-ttid="gift-share-end" class="PJLV PJLV-idiqKOk-css hi-for-prt"><button aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-expand="false" aria-ntrols="gift-share-drawer" role="button" tabx="0" aria-label="Share this article" id="gift-share-drawer-ntrol-end" data-ttid="gift-share-drawer-ntrol-end" class="wpds-c-PJLV wpds-c-gsmDXe wpds-c-gsmDXe-iIVoLq-placement-Shortcut foc-highlight"><div class="wpds-c-UazGY" id="gift-share-shortcut" data-ttid="gift-share-shortcut"><svg xmlns=" fill="var(--wpds-lors-primary)" viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img" class="wpds-c-fVfumU "><path fill="currentColor" d="M8 .6v3.8h.1c-4.4 0-7.3 4.5-6.9 8.8.1.8.2 1.2.2 1.2l.2 1 .4-1.3c.8-2 2-4 6.2-3.9H8v4l7-6.9L8 .6Zm1 11.3V9.3h-.9c-3 0-4.8.5-6.2 2.9.5-3.3 2.7-6.8 6.2-6.8H9V3l4.5 4.4L9 11.9Z"></path></svg><div class="PJLV wpds-c-kwcHlj">Share</div></div></button></div></div><div></div><div class="PJLV PJLV-iipsdti-css hi-for-prt"><div></div></div><sectn class="PJLV PJLV-iipsdti-css dn-ns hi-for-prt" data-ttid="mostRead" subscriptns-sectn="ntent"><div data-ttid="lazy-most-read-parent" class=""><div style="m-height:800px"></div></div></sectn><div class="PJLV PJLV-ickXkbz-css"><div data-qa="newsletter" class="hi-for-prt relative"><div class="dib w-100"><div><div class="flex jtify-center align self-center center transn-all duratn-400 ease--out" data-qa="sc-newsletter-signup" aria-label=""><svg aria-labelledby="react-aria-1-aria" role="img" viewBox="0 0 100 80"><tle id="react-aria-1-aria">Loadg....

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