“The matured Mitt” by Drew Sheneman - © 2012 Tribune Media Services
Jay-Z’s gay marriage endorsement: More influential than Obama’s?
Hip-hop king Jay-Z also just publicly announced his support of same-sex marriage. “I’ve always thought [of] it as something that’s still holding the country back,” the rapper told CNN. “It’s no different than discriminating against blacks. It’s discrimination, plain and simple.”
“A prominent rap star speaking out in solidarity with global acceptance is as big a cultural step forward as the leader of the free world making the same claim,” says Clinton Yates at The Washington Post. Jay-Z is a leader in the massively influential hip-hop community, and this could “lead generations of music fans out of the fog,” changing their attitudes toward homosexuals and same-sex marriage.
Remember Americans Elect, the group working to get a credible third-party candidate on the 2012 presidential ballot?
Well, 10 months, $35 million, and 420,000 online delegates later, the group has failed to produce a candidate.
If a well-funded, well-organized, pundit-approved organization like Americans Elect can’t succeed, is there any hope for third parties in U.S. politics?
Will Republicans ‘evolve’ on gay marriage too? A respected Republican pollster wrote in a memo leaked over the weekend that public opinion is quickly shifting in favor of same-sex marriage — by 5 percent a year since 2010 — and that the GOP needs to change with the times. Is there any chance the GOP will follow his advice?
Ron Paul effectively ended his presidential campaign yesterday, likely signaling the end of his storied career. Paul never had much of a chance to win the nomination, but many of his libertarian beliefs have become keystones for the Tea Party. Whether you love or hate Paul, no one can dispute that he gave us plenty to talk about.
Here’s a visual history of his quirky career — as a country doctor, newsletter writer, staunch libertarian, proud isolationist, dark horse candidate, and Tea Party father.
Attachment politics CHRISTOPHER WEYANT ©2012 Cagle Cartoons
Your daily dose of the best political cartoons
(Source: theweek.com)
![Most commentators see Newsweek’s provocative new cover as a cynical rebuttal to rival newsweekly TIME’s breast-feeding head-turner last week. (Newsweek editor Tina Brown reportedly responded to TIME’s cover by saying, “Let the games begin.”)
But Andrew Sullivan, the openly gay writer who penned the cover story, means it seriously — in a figurative way — much like what Toni Morrison meant when she called Bill Clinton the “first black president” in 1998: He just gets it.
Thanks to Obama’s fraught relationship with his mixed race, Sullivan writes, “he intuitively understands gays and our predicament — because it so mirrors his own.” Still, first gay president?
Is this the kind of thing that kept Obama from fully “evolving” on gay marriage for so long? Best opinions:
Obama can’t be happy about this one: It’s sad that the once-mighty newsweeklies are stooping to “stunt covers” like this to sell magazines, says Ed Driscoll at Pajamas Media. But give “Tina Brown credit for one thing — albeit not necessarily intentionally.” Newsweek and TIME have been running near-“messianic” covers of Obama almost nonstop since 2008, and now “at least Tina has put up a cover that will give Obama plenty of derision in flyover country.”
In 2012, this barely registers as shocking: Even a few years ago, Newsweek proclaiming Obama “the first gay president” would have been “a rainbow-wrapped gift” for any Republican challenger, says Rick Klein at ABC News. But “for once Democrats aren’t worried about the image [the cover] projects.” Obama and Mitt Romney both know that, demographically if not politically, Democrats are winning the culture wars. And if nothing else, this cover promises another week “where the Obama economy was not front and center.”
Gay marriage won’t change anyone’s vote: Actually, like Romney, “Obama no doubt wishes the same-sex marriage question would fade into the background, so that issues more important to most Americans — say, the economy — could become the focus of campaign 2012,” says Brad Knickerbocker at The Christian Science Monitor. People have already made up their minds on gay marriage, and Obama isn’t winning over those who oppose it. But people’s views of the economy matter a lot, and on that front he has a lot of persuading to do. Bottom line: “Whether or not Obama is ‘the first gay president’ may make little difference come November.”](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m41395bobv1qdjbb7o1_500.png)
Most commentators see Newsweek’s provocative new cover as a cynical rebuttal to rival newsweekly TIME’s breast-feeding head-turner last week. (Newsweek editor Tina Brown reportedly responded to TIME’s cover by saying, “Let the games begin.”)
But Andrew Sullivan, the openly gay writer who penned the cover story, means it seriously — in a figurative way — much like what Toni Morrison meant when she called Bill Clinton the “first black president” in 1998: He just gets it.
Thanks to Obama’s fraught relationship with his mixed race, Sullivan writes, “he intuitively understands gays and our predicament — because it so mirrors his own.” Still, first gay president?
Is this the kind of thing that kept Obama from fully “evolving” on gay marriage for so long? Best opinions:
- Obama can’t be happy about this one: It’s sad that the once-mighty newsweeklies are stooping to “stunt covers” like this to sell magazines, says Ed Driscoll at Pajamas Media. But give “Tina Brown credit for one thing — albeit not necessarily intentionally.” Newsweek and TIME have been running near-“messianic” covers of Obama almost nonstop since 2008, and now “at least Tina has put up a cover that will give Obama plenty of derision in flyover country.”
- In 2012, this barely registers as shocking: Even a few years ago, Newsweek proclaiming Obama “the first gay president” would have been “a rainbow-wrapped gift” for any Republican challenger, says Rick Klein at ABC News. But “for once Democrats aren’t worried about the image [the cover] projects.” Obama and Mitt Romney both know that, demographically if not politically, Democrats are winning the culture wars. And if nothing else, this cover promises another week “where the Obama economy was not front and center.”
- Gay marriage won’t change anyone’s vote: Actually, like Romney, “Obama no doubt wishes the same-sex marriage question would fade into the background, so that issues more important to most Americans — say, the economy — could become the focus of campaign 2012,” says Brad Knickerbocker at The Christian Science Monitor. People have already made up their minds on gay marriage, and Obama isn’t winning over those who oppose it. But people’s views of the economy matter a lot, and on that front he has a lot of persuading to do. Bottom line: “Whether or not Obama is ‘the first gay president’ may make little difference come November.”
(Source: theweek.com)
Photo flipbook: Behind the scenes on the campaign trail
(Source: theweek.com)
We know, we know. Following elections can be tiring, confusing, even stressful. That’s why we’re introducing the 2012 Election Center — the only site you need to keep up with all the election news that matters.
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"The president’s decision to speak his belief, plainly, movingly, even if it is controversial, offers a stark contrast to Mitt’s marathon flip-flopping and glaring insincerity … That should be rewarded, not punished, in November — and I think it will be. Americans are a decent people; sometimes it just takes time."
— Robert Shrum: Obama’s gay-marriage endorsement is a moral and political win
