WyBlog

Obama defends DOMA, angers same-sex marriage supporters

The Obama Administration drove a stake into the hearts of their gay-rights supporters today. In a widely watched federal court case challenging the constitutionality of the Federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) the Justice Department filed a brief that comes down firmly and unambiguously against the recognition of same-sex marriage in the United States. (h/t Memeorandum)

The gay rights gang is flummoxed.

It's pretty despicable, and gratuitously homophobic. It reads as if it were written by one of George Bush's top political appointees. I cannot state strongly enough how damaging this brief is to us. Obama didn't just argue a technicality about the case, he argued that DOMA is reasonable. That DOMA is constitutional. That DOMA wasn't motivated by any anti-gay animus.

Glenn Reynolds asks Who were the rubes on this one? They've gotta be feeling more than a little betrayed. Dick Cheney endorsed gay marriage! And he's evil; the Chosen One told us so!

Of course I agree with the stance taken by President Obama. I believe in traditional marriage and see no reason to conflate it with any notion that two men or two women can ever consider themselves "married". I suppose that will make my liberal friend Len label me as a "hater", while he'll contort his principles until he can be merely "disappointed" with The Obamessiah.

The Obama DOJ brief makes many of the same arguments that have long been offered by proponents of traditional marriage. You can read an analysis of the whole thing (slanted to the pro-same-sex-marriage viewpoint) to see just how eminently reasonable it truly is.

But the one pro-DOMA argument that jumped out at me is the same one made last month by RNC Chairman Michael Steele. Recognizing gay marriage imposes new and unreasonable costs; in Steele's case on small businesses, and in Obama's world on the government.

DOMA ensures that evolving understandings of the institution of marriage at the State level do not place greater financial and administrative obligations on federal and state benefits programs. Preserving scarce government resources - and deciding to extend benefits incrementally - are well-recognized legitimate interests under rational-basis review.

Imagine that! Obama agrees with Michael Steele! All the enlightened kids scoffed at Steele's remarks. It must be pretty awkward to see their Dear Leader saying the same thing.

First Obama distanced himself from any repudiation of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Now he's flat out endorsed traditional marriage. To paraphrase Tom Lehrer, the gay rights guys now know what it feels like to be a Christian Scientist with appendicitis.

UPDATE 14 Jun 2009 13:03:

Conor Clarke presents an interesting counter-argument to the "gay marriage will cost the government money" stance taken by the Obama DOJ. (h/t Instapundit)

Essentially he says the increased cost of items like Social Security benefits will be outweighed by the additional revenues generated from things like the marriage penalty, estate taxes, and some means-tested spending like Medicaid and SSI.

Sounds reasonable to me, although guesstimating federal revenues is a voodoo art that's above my pay grade.

Posted at 15:15 by Chris Wysocki   [/obama_watch]   Comments | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Obama DOMA gay+marriage   |   Tweet