If Obama VS Romney on the issue of gay marriage makes you cringe, it should. When these 2012 titans start wrestling over what is ‘right’ and what is ‘wrong’ is it really a question of ‘gay marriage’ or perhaps who’s got the gay vote? OR, if not the ‘gay vote’ to what extent is Obama VS Romney alienating the ‘pro-gay’ or ‘anti-gay’ vote.
It’s enough to make one’s head spin, right round, like a record baby.
http://www.youtube.com/v/zJv5qLsLYoo?version=3&feature=player_detailpage
When it comes to Obama VS Romney on gay marriage, perhaps everything you need to know, in a single sentence is: Obama For (sort-of), Romney Against (sort-of). According to this article, while Romney is against gay marriage being considered “a marriage”, he does support the concept of civil unions and even the allowing of gay couples to adopt (as a state’s right). Obama was against it before he was for it, although due to his political bedfellows, by the time the election rolls around, he may be unequivocally for.
Has anything you’ve read here, or anywhere for that matter, made up your mind as to where Obama VS Romney stand regarding gay rights?
Here’s the bigger question regarding Obama VS Romney, and it isn’t really about gay rights, but individual rights. Because, what gay rights is about (at least in the eyes of this article’s author) is being equal (not better or favored) under the law. According to The ACLU, Obama Ranks 3rd in Grades for Civil Liberties – Romney below, but interestingly, Ron Paul ranks 2nd, and Gary Johnson 1st. The article posted as of this January. For current stats on Obama VS Romney and your congressman, scope out the ACLU.
What’s interesting about that is candidate Gary Johnson is a full on libertarian receiving the Libertarian party nomination, while Ron Paul is a Republican-Libertarian, or perhaps a Libertarian-Republican depending on one’s perspective, while Obama VS Romney are full on democrat vs full on republican.
To put things flatly, if you support gay rights but don’t support individual rights, you really have no moral high ground when it comes to debate because in the end, you’re perhaps lobbying on behalf of yet another special interest for its right to extort “liberty” out of the system — no matter how ‘good’ the initial intention. To get a sense of what the Law should be, read Bastiat’s timeless piece, for the ninety minutes it takes to plow through it, you’re political vision will be clear for years to come.
What, I for one, would like to see in the Obama VS Romney debate is how close they come to using gay rights, not as a platform for morality and justice of the individual, but for personal political gain. And by personal political gain, we can assume that to mean the extent that gay rights are presented as privileges at the expense of straights or perhaps as the ignorance of straights at the expense of gays.
If it feels like you’re reading one of those riddles where you’ve got a character telling you “I always lie and he always tells the truth, which one is a liar?” and the other telling you “I always tell the truth and he always lies…” it’s OK. I feel that way, too. So perhaps a reframe is in order:
In considering Obama VS Romney on this particular topic, reconsider them as abstractions of what their arguments represent: Gays at the Expense of Straights VS Straights at the Expense of Gays. In terms of Obama VS Romney, as people though, the ‘other’ could be taken to represent the argument that one’s constituents fear.
As a final exercise in thought, to help you determine what sounds most accurate not only in terms of Obama VS Romney, but in life, let’s consider the gist of what Gary Johnson and Ron Paul present as the debate: People at the Expense of The Government.
Of all the abstractions, what sounds most accurate to reality?
-Straights at the Expense of Gays
-Gays at the Expense of Straights
-People at the Expense of The Government
The thing about Obama VS Romney is that to a certain extent, they’re actually both FOR a government solution when it comes to individual rights. When it comes to economic rights, Obama much more than Romney, but ‘much more’ is a relative statement because compared to Gary Johnson or Ron Paul, Obama and Romney have more in common with each other than either of them with Gary Johnson.
The thing to figure out, for you, is not necessarily… Obama VS Romney? but what is true and what is false.