Why Standing Up for Marriage Equality Could Get Obama Re-elected

Yeah, Newsweek? Not helping. Image from source.

I started this blog almost five years ago after extreme Bush fatigue.  Plus FOX "News" and the whole right-wing noise machine, really. At that point, I was a semi-regular commenter and a constant reader of John Aravosis' AmericaBlog.com. I refreshed the home page of that site many times on any given day. In the haze of Karl Rove-brewed alternate reality, I'd found a place that made me feel sane. So, I was inspired to become a blogger myself. Not a full-time career blogger like Aravosis of course, but at least it gave me an outlet. He's sort of my blogfather (a term I wish I invented, alas I did not).

After Obama was elected, the tone at AmericaBlog got a little strident for my taste. Being gay like me--but much more of an actual activist--Aravosis' focus could sometimes stray deep into the gay weeds. The stories rubbed me the wrong way a bit of the time, but the comments section ran me out. It was all, "Obama doesn't care about gay people!" and "we're not voting for him, he's not going fast enough," and when I'd try to comment on the futility of that, I was run out as a "concern troll." It left me a little bitter.

But I got over it. The site seemed to become a little less strident. I still read it several times a week, even if I don't check it every hour any more. I mostly stay out of the comments section. And I still have a thing for Aravosis, a man who I respect, despite my for-a-time disagreement. He started it all for me, and he's still a heck of a writer. Witness. . .


[Excerpt]

John Aravosis, image from bartnagel.com

Why Gays Did President Obama a Favor by Pushing Him on Gay Marriage

“Black voters will freak.” That’s what the chattering class kept warning those of us pushing President Obama to endorse same-sex marriage. He’ll lose the black vote and energize evangelicals all the way to defeat this November, they told us. And, of course, it would be the fault of the gay community for making such an unreasonable demand. . .

Read more at: The Daily Beast