Obama's changed views on same sex marriages stirs doubt

By now, most Americans would have suspected that President Barrack Obama was driven by politics, and not policy, when declaring support for gay marriage. A poll released on Monday showed that the untimely announcement shaped public attitudes. A survey conducted by the New York Times and CBS News revealed that 67 percent said that Obama had made it “mostly for political reasons.” On the other hand, 24 percent said that it was “mostly because he thinks it is right.” The survey also highlighted the fact that Independents were more likely to attribute it to politics, with nearly half of Democrats agreeing.

The results reinforce the concerns of White House aides and Democratic strategists who worried that the sequence of events leading up to the announcement last week made it look calculated rather than principled. Mr. Obama, who had said since late 2010 that his position on the issue was “evolving,” finally proclaimed his support for same-sex marriage only after Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. did so first in a television interview.

So if Biden hadn't said anything relating to that, I don't think Obama would have said anything either. Since more Americans had approved of same sex marriage, he believes that it could help him win the election. Another survey indicated that about 38 percent of Americans support same-sex marriage, while 24 percent favor civil unions short of formal marriage. Thirty-three percent oppose any form of legal recognition. When civil unions are eliminated as an option, opposition to same-sex marriage rises to 51 percent, compared with 42 percent support. Polls showed that few voters considered gay marriage as their top issue amongst economic uncertainty while a little over 50 percent said that it would not make a difference in their choice for president. Among those who said Obama’s position would influence their vote, more said they would be less likely to vote for him as a result; in a close race, even a small shift in swing states could be costly.

Now, with less than six months until the election, Obama remains in a tight race with Mitt Romney. A month ago, polls showed the two tied at 46 percent each; the latest survey had the Republican challenger (Romney) at 46 percent to the president’s 43 percent. Obama’s vulnerable standing in the poll came despite rising optimism about the economy. About a third of voters said it was very or fairly good, the most since January 2008. More than a third said it was getting better, compared with a quarter who said it was getting worse. Jobs and the economy remain by far the most dominant issue, with 62 percent naming it their top priority and 19 percent their second highest. By contrast, just 7 percent chose same-sex marriage as the most important issue and 4 percent as the second-most important.

While most respondents said the candidates’ position on the issue would not affect their vote, about 4 in 10 said it would, which does not go in Obama's favor. Twenty-six percent of respondents said they were less likely to support him as a result, while 16 percent said they were more likely to. Many of those who described themselves as less likely to vote for Obama were Republicans, but in the current situation, even small numbers can matter.