Money Quote Update:
President Obama: "For me personally it's important 2 affirm that I
I think same sex couples should be able 2 get married”
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Rumors have been flying all day about an interview the President was to do with ABC News today at 12:00 noon with Robyn Roberts in part addressing the marriage equality kerfuffle that the Vice President began several days ago in which he did, or did not, support marriage equality.
ABC is supposed to have a special report on the interview airing at 3:00 PM EST. The news seems to have been well guarded for almost two and half hours, but then began leaking around 2:30 PM EST.
Now multiple sources have confirmed that the President has "come out" in favor of marriage equality.
Just Seen On ABC's Site: Obama Says Same-Sex Marriage Should Be Legal
-- Joe My God
Markos Moulitsas @markos
RT @samsteinhp: BREAKING: ABC NEWS: Obama: 'Same-Sex Marriage Should be Legal' in headline http://abcn.ws/...
HuffPost Politics @HuffPostPol
.@ABC will air a special report on the network at 3 p.m. ET, after President Obama was interviewed by Robin Roberts
GetEQUAL @GetEQUAL
Sources say @BarackObama coming out for marriage equality today. Interview w/ Robin Roberts shd be available soon. Stay tuned...
AMERICAblogGay @AMERICAblogGay
Obama "just" finished gay marriage interview http://bit.ly/...
Joe Sudbay @JoeSudbay
REPORT: Obama Expected To Endorse Marriage Equality In ABC News Interview http://thkpr.gs/... via @igorvolsky
ABC livestream
And then we have this, a poll result from polling over the weekend:
PublicPolicyPolling @ppppolls
On national poll last weekend we found most voters opposed to legal recognition for gay couples ALREADY think Obama supports gay marriage
Thank the President, via GetEqual, via Change.org
12:00 PM PT: "I thought civil unions would be sufficient."
"I was sensitive to word 'marriage'."
"Over the course of several years..."
12:02 PM PT: President says he has concluded, personally that same sex couples should be allowed to marry.
12:03 PM PT: Romney: ABC: Opposes same-sex marriage. Supports constitutional amendment.
12:04 PM PT: "For his (Obama's) children, no big deal. Generational issue."
12:06 PM PT: ABC Special Report finished.
12:21 PM PT: Happy Dance!
12:26 PM PT: Read responses from LGBT groups, Mayor Bloomberg, Senator Gillibrand, more at P8TT
12:30 PM PT:
Nancy Pelosi @NancyPelosi
A great day in our fight for civil rights-President Obama adds his support for marriage #equality. #BeautifulDay
12:30 PM PT:
Markos Moulitsas @markos
RT @joshorton: So who's making the "other issues we should ask Biden about" Tumblr?
12:31 PM PT:
CLP @cooper888
@Clarknt67 Suggestion for the GayTM, if folks donate, donate $19.69 in honor of 1969 Stonewall Riots
12:34 PM PT:
Dan Choi @ltdanchoi
I am energized by @BarackObama supporting marriage equality; I look forward to his continued leadership.
12:40 PM PT: Founder of GETEQUAL:
Robin McGehee @speechadvice
To all those who said - stop pressuring @BarackObama he won't do it - I say, #believe - now, sign me up to canvass #Obama2012
12:41 PM PT: From the comments from SwedishJewfish:
And dispaches from the next generation-when my 5 year old daughter asked me what I was cheering about I told her "President Obama just said a man should be able to marry a man, and a woman should be able to marry a woman if they are in love, just like anyone else"
Her response?
"Well duh"
From the mouths of babes
1:16 PM PT:
Scottie Thomaston @indiemcemopants
Shep Smith on Fox News called out GOP for being on the wrong side of history on marriage equality
Robin McGehee @speechadvice
Thank u for pointing that out! “@markos: Confrontational #LGBT movement the last couple of years has been a model of effectiveness"@GetEQUAL
1:41 PM PT:
The Associated Press @AP
BREAKING: Romney reaffirms his view that marriage should be between man and woman, contrasts with Obama. -EF
1:43 PM PT:
Joshua Holland @JoshuaHol
RT @delrayser: Shirtless, drunk-with-power Joe Biden spotted on roof of Naval Observatory, shouting commands at pedestrians below.
1:54 PM PT: More of Presidential interview:
“This is something that, you know, we’ve talked about over the years and she [Michelle], you know, she feels the same way, she feels the same way that I do. And that is that, in the end the values that I care most deeply about and she cares most deeply about is how we treat other people and, you know, I, you know, we are both practicing Christians and obviously this position may be considered to put us at odds with the views of others but, you know, when we think about our faith, the thing at root that we think about is, not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it’s also the Golden Rule, you know, treat others the way you would want to be treated. And I think that’s what we try to impart to our kids and that’s what motivates me as president and I figure the most consistent I can be in being true to those precepts, the better I’ll be as a as a dad and a husband and hopefully the better I’ll be as president.”