When President Barack Obama states that he opposes legalizing same-sex marriage but supports civil unions and equal rights for same-sex couples, there is an inconsistency in what he really believes. If Obama really supported equal rights for everyone, wouldn't he fight and do something about it? Even so, I think Obama may agree with Nava and Dawidoff's argument that prohibiting same-sex marriage is a denial of the basic rights of gays and lesbians who wish to marry.
However, we must remember that Obama was chosen as President to represent our country as a whole. This does not mean that he has the right to set all his options to action; everyone is given the chance to make their own decisions for how they feel the country should live (for example, through voting). Knowing that half the people in America oppose same-sex marriage, he must make the final decision for all. Same-sex marriage is, and has been, a big debate. When Obama says he supports same-sex marriage, he may truly mean it. But making a decision for everyone in America (that's 350 million people) is different than making a decision solely on his own opinions.
Hello A, great post! Personally, I did not even think of certain aspects that you did concerning this question. I agree with you that President Barack Obama would most likely agree that making same sex marriage illegal is infringing on our basic rights. Although he does seem to contradict himself on occasion, mostly about whether it is his place at a federal level to make that decision legally, I do think he would side with Nava and Dawidoff. One point you made that really made me look deeper into the issue was when you said that President Obama is in fact the entire United States' president. I think sometimes being in the Bay Area which is very liberal, we forget that our president is representing people of other beliefs which are sometimes less liberal. Although on the topic of civil liberties, I believe a certain way, I also am grateful to have a president that takes all opinions into consideration.
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