Biden Reveals What Everyone Already Knew

Biden Reveals What Everyone Already Knew: Obama’s Actions Are Guided Purely By Politics

“IF BIDEN HADN’T SAID SOMETHING, I DON’T THINK HE WOULD HAVE SAID ANYTHING EITHER.”

Vice President Biden Forced “Obama’s Hand On The Issue” Of Gay Marriage.“President Obama’s decision to express support for gay marriage in an interview with ABC’s Robin Roberts is a decision that comes with real political risk. In truth, Obama’s hand was forced on the issue by comments made by Vice President Joe Biden over the weekend in which he seemed to express support for gay marriage.” (Chris Cilliza, “President Obama’s Calculated Gamble On Gay Marriage,” The Washington Post , 5/9/12)

• At One Time, Biden Was “The Highest-Ranking U.S. Official” To Come Out On The Issue. “After Biden’s interview was broadcast Sunday morning, gay-rights advocates swiftly proclaimed him to be the highest-ranking U.S. official to endorse gay marriage publicly and pressed the president anew to do the same.” (Calvin Woodward, “A Slo-Mo Evolution For Obama On Gay Marriage,” The Associated Press , 5/10/12)

Biden “Aggrandized” His Role As Vice President, Which Upset The White House. “But Biden’s remarks deeply annoyed Obama’s team, people close to the situation tell POLITICO, because it aggrandized his role at the expense of Obama’s yeoman efforts on behalf of the community and pushed up the timing of a sensitive announcement they had hoped to break – at a time and place of their own choosing – in the weeks leading up to the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte this fall.” (Glenn Thrush And Carrie Budoff Brown, “Talking ‘Bout An Evolution,” Politico, 5/9/12)

The New York Times’ Maureen Dowd: Biden Made Obama Look “Like An Equivocator, Once More Lagging In The Leadership Department.” “The controlling Obama team did not like the fact that the uncontrollable Biden’s forthright statement to David Gregory about being ‘comfortable’ with gay marriage left the president looking like an equivocator, once more lagging in the leadership department.” (Maureen Dowd, Op-Ed, “Seeking Original Bliss,” The New York Times, 5/12/12)

Biden Forced Obama’s Hand

The New York Times’ Maureen Dowd: “Who Knows How Long He Might Have Kept Evolving, While His Advisers Gamed It Out, If Joe Biden, Arne Duncan And Shaun Donovan Hadn’t Forced His Hand By Speaking Out In Such An Unabashed Way In Support Of Same-Sex Marriage.” (Maureen Dowd, Op-Ed, “Seeking Original Bliss,” The New York Times, 5/12/12)

• Biden Exposed Obama’s “Position To Ridicule.” “Biden’s comments put Obama on the spot, exposing the president’s position to ridicule among gay-rights activists who see it as a wink-and-nod stance to avoid alienating conservative swing voters as well as African-Americans and Latinos key to Obama’s reelection.” (Peter Wallsten, “Obama Endorses Same-Sex Marriage,” The Washington Post, 5/9/12)

Obama “Had Little Choice But To Get Off The Fence On The Issue.” “In the end, President Obama had little choice but to get off the fence on the issue given the furor caused by Biden. The decision is now made. How it plays politically won’t be determined for several months – or maybe until November.” (Chris Cilliza, “President Obama’s Calculated Gamble On Gay Marriage,” The Washington Post , 5/9/12)

• Biden’s Remarks Were “The Catalyst” For Obama To Announce His Position On The Issue. “Senior administration officials admit that Biden’s comment was, indeed, the catalyst for Obama to make his historic announcement weeks earlier than planned.” (Glenn Thrush And Carrie Budoff Brown, “Talking ‘Bout An Evolution,”Politico, 5/9/12)

The White House Attempted To Frame Biden’s Comments As Nothing New Or Different But “It Reeked Of Bad Spin.” “While Biden’s office and the White House insisted there was no space between Biden’s remarks and Obama’s stated position in support of civil unions but not gay marriage, it reeked of bad spin – and everyone (including the White House) sensed it.” (Chris Cilliza, “President Obama’s Calculated Gamble On Gay Marriage,” The Washington Post , 5/9/12)

Obama’s Decision “May Have Been Less A Profile In Courage.” “But his decision may have been less a profile in courage and more a response to intensifying pressure from his own party and what appears to have been a gaffe by his second-in-command.” (Jennifer Bendery And Hunter Stuart, “President Barack Obama Completes His ‘Evolution’ On Gay Marriage,”The Huffington Post, 5/9/12)

• The New York Times’ Maureen Dowd: “Not A Profile In Courage” Nor “Particularly Brave.” “His embrace of gay marriage was not a profile in courage. It was good, better than continued ‘evolving,’ but not particularly brave. He has been in office three and a half years and he is running for re-election, trying to bring back the thrill with a lot of constituencies and donors who felt let down by his temporizing.” (Maureen Dowd, Op-Ed, “Seeking Original Bliss,” The New York Times, 5/12/12)

AMERICANS SEE THROUGH OBAMA’S ACTIONS

SHOT: “Any News Story Portraying Obama As A Political Schemer Is Poison – Especially If It Appears In Newspapers Obama Respects, Such As The New York Times And The Washington Post, According To Senior Democrats.” (Glenn Thrush And Carrie Budoff Brown, “Talking ‘Bout An Evolution,” Politico, 5/9/12)

CHASER: Obama’s Recent Endorsement Is Viewed By Most Americans As “Motivated By Politics, Not Policy.” “Most Americans suspect that President Obama was motivated by politics, not policy, when he declared his support for same-sex marriage, according to a new poll released on Monday, suggesting the impact of his decision was undercut by the unplanned way it became public.” (Peter Baker And Dalia Sussman, “Poll Sees Obama Gay Marriage Support Motivated By Politics,” The New York Times , 5/14/12)

• Sixty-Seven Percent Of Americans Polled Believe That Obama Did It “For Political Reasons.” “Sixty-seven percent of those surveyed by The New York Times and CBS News since the announcement said they thought Mr. Obama made it ‘mostly for political reasons,’ while 24 percent said it was ‘mostly because he thinks it is right.’ Independents were more likely to attribute it to politics, and nearly half of Democrats agreed.” (Peter Baker And Dalia Sussman, “Poll Sees Obama Gay Marriage Support Motivated By Politics,” The New York Times , 5/14/12)

A California Graphic Artist And Registered Independent: “If Biden Hadn’t Said Something, I Don’t Think He Would Have Said Anything Either.” “‘If Biden hadn’t said something, I don’t think he would have said anything either,’ said Larry Gannon, 48, a graphic artist from Norwalk, Calif. and an independent, who participated in the survey.” (Peter Baker And Dalia Sussman, “Poll Sees Obama Gay Marriage Support Motivated By Politics,” The New York Times , 5/14/12)

• Another Registered Independent: “He [Obama] Believes It Will Help Him Win The Election.” “Holly Wright, 67, an independent from Smithfield, Va., who worked in the food industry, said she believed Mr. Obama concluded that more Americans agreed on same-sex marriage. ‘He believes it will help him win the election,’ she said. ‘In other words, say what the majority of the people want to hear.'” (Peter Baker And Dalia Sussman, “Poll Sees Obama Gay Marriage Support Motivated By Politics,” The New York Times , 5/14/12)

“Editorialists, Columnists And Bloggers Criticized Mr. Obama As Appearing Calculating By His Continued Ambivalence.” “The news media attention escalated on Monday when Mr. Obama’s education secretary, Arne Duncan, acknowledged in a television interview that he also supported same-sex marriage. Editorialists, columnists and bloggers criticized Mr. Obama as appearing calculating by his continued ambivalence.” (Jackie Calmes And Peter Baker, “Obama Says Same-Sex Marriage Should Be Legal,” The New York Times , 5/9/12)

The Wall Street Journal : “But As With Pretty Much All Presidential Actions Lately, You Don’t Have To Be A Cynic To Wonder About Team Obama’s Political Re-Election Calculations.” (Editorial, “Obama’s Marriage Act,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/9/12)