Same sex marriage: Is President Obama leading from behind Joe Biden?

Living on the wedge ain't easy.  


President Obama tries to have it both ways; he caters to the black vote by not endorsing same-sex marriage, and he curries favor with the gay vote and their donations by supporting LGBT rights every way he can, short of endorsing gender-segregated marriage.  


Meanwhile, Vice President Joe Biden spoke out strongly in favor of redefining marriage to include gender-exclusive couples.


Daily Caller:

President Barack Obama is staying in the gay marriage closet because he doesn’t want to alienate black voters or gay donors.

He’s refusing to confirm or deny that he would use a second term to champion new marriage rules that would allow same-sex couples to get marriage licenses. 

“We respect the right of all people to have a personal opinion,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said on May 7 — a day after Vice President Joe Biden endorsed marriage for gays and lesbians. 

Marriage is a tough dilemma for Obama because his base is deeply split: Strong majorities of black Americans oppose changing marriage rules to endorse same-sex couples. Like many other social conservatives, that community sees marriage as an institution to bind parents together and to their children. 

That’s a popular position. Voters in more than 30 states — including liberal California — have used state-wide votes to solidify state support for the traditional view of marriage. 

But many gays want to see White House endorsement of same-sex marriage because it would provide additional social validation of their relationships.

When it comes to redefining marriage, President Obama is reduced to leading behind Joe Biden.  At least until November, 2012.