(CNN) - President Barack Obama planned to announce his support for same-sex marriage during an appearance on ABC's "The View" next week, before comments Sunday by Vice President Joe Biden caused a timeline change, a top Democrat told CNN.
A senior administration official said the president was booked to appear on the talk show for weeks. Following Biden's comments, the campaign expected he could address the issue then. However, they ultimately decided to move up the announcement and tell ABC News Wednesday. Obama will tape the interview on Monday, according to the official.
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One source said Obama aides expected the issue to surface during the 2012 campaign because of the push for same-sex marriage to be included as part of the Democratic Party platform. They also expected it to be raised during the presidential debates.
Obama came out publicly in support of same-sex marriage during an interview Wednesday, after the vice president expressed support for such unions during an interview on Sunday.
Although the president did not originally plan to announce his policy shift Wednesday, the source told CNN the president planned to make his position clear prior to the Democratic Convention and the fall debates.
"I had already made a decision that we were going to probably take this position before the election and before the convention," Obama told ABC's "Good Morning America," referring to the Democratic National Convention in September.
Biden "probably got out a little bit over his skis, but out of generosity of spirit," the president said.
In addition to the president's taping for "The View" Monday in New York, Obama will attend an event hosted by openly gay Latino musician Ricky Martin and speak at the Barnard College commencement, during which Evan Wolfson, the founder of the pro-gay group Freedom to Marry, is expected to receive an award.
From CNN Politics
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Barbara Walters is probably fuming over this. Oh well, it's not about her. GOOD FOR YOU, Mr. President!!
Oh ya! VP Biden was born first before most of us. He always come first on everything.
Gotta love Obama's double standard. His position on gay marriage "evolved", but Romney's position on abortion "flip-flopped". A rose by any other name.... The POTUS need to know more than most that words have meaning.
The President has had over three years to take a stand on this issue. Why now?
Ya, Ya, that's it. I was going to tell everyone next week. That's what I was going to do. Trust me.
Right!
I call bs. If Biden hadn't opened his mouth, he still would be against it!! Just another lie from this administration.....
way to go Mr. President. No flip flopping here. Obama/Biden 2012
Traditional marriage is only for opposite-sex couples. Marriage is only for couples who can procreate. This is so simple. This has nothing to do with religion or societal norms...it's science...biology.
Vice President Biden showed a lot of courage supporting marriage equality for all, and for President Obama to publicly support this issue as well shows they are the right tandem to lead America into the 21st century. Good Job . Leadership at it's best , OBAMA/BIDEN 2012.
Congratulations to President Obama for making an announcement about same sex marriage that may not be politically helpful for him but was the right thing to do. He has proven over and over that he is a very caring person and feels strongly about people being treated equally. Canada has had same sex marriage for many years and Canadian society has not collapsed. Far from it. Neither have all of the other civilized countries that allow it. President Obama said this was his personal opinion and that is his right to feel that way. Probably everyone has gay family or friends and how can they be denied the same personal freedoms that others enjoy? It looks like the social wedge issues are going to be front and centre of this election and it should be pretty interesting to see how the Republicans spin that they want government out of their lives and yet they think government should be able to tell people how to live their lives and what women can do healthwise with their bodies. Isn't that a big contradiction?
The Palin supporter, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, made a real fool out of herself in her attempt to attack President Obama. When the person(s) she should have attacked was herself or Palin for making a fool out of her and then to put salt on the wound, Palin got the job at FOX that Elisabeth wanted.
@ Deab – I'm happily married, as I assume you are, but it's a religious thing. Otherwise, this is nothing but the overly religious trying to force their religious views on everyone - to hell with Civil Liberties guaranteed by our 1st Amendment.
A Civil Marriage is just as legal as a Religious Marriage.
Don't try to make us all believe your religious beliefs.
Good for the President.. because like him..when looking at the polls of the past few years.. and the recent polls on this issue...it seems a lot of American's opinions have also evolved..
if the GOP's want to call it flip-flopping .. then they are also labeling half of the American public....
OOPS -
@ Dean – I'm happily married, as I assume you are, but it's a religious thing. Otherwise, this is nothing but the overly religious trying to force their religious views on everyone – to hell with Civil Liberties guaranteed by our 1st Amendment.
A Civil Marriage is just as legal as a Religious Marriage.
Don't try to make us all believe your religious beliefs.
@Dean – so now you want everyone to think there is such a thing as religiscience and religibiology?
hilarious!!
So for the last 3.5 years Obama has been a hateful bigot but today he's suddenly a new evolved/de-evolved/evolved guy??? Sort of like him sitting in that the church of his hate-filled minister for 20 years and then suddenly it all just disappears and all is well.
Can't stand all those women but I would go just to look at Hasselbeck.
After watching the View a few times I'm pretty well convinced the 19th amendment was an error...
Obama is such a hypocrite and shameless, he truly doesn't care what he has to say to gain votes. First he hesitated because he believed a civil union would be enough then his opinion evolved. Sure he had already made a decision to announce his support for gay marriage, he is so full of it and people buy it!
The President's decision to support gay marriage will contribute to the moral decline of America. I wonder how many votes it will cost him.
Hey Dean,
"Traditional marriage is only for opposite-sex couples. Marriage is only for couples who can procreate. This is so simple. This has nothing to do with religion or societal norms...it's science...biology."
I am married to someone of the opposite sex, and have no plans to procreate, how come I can get married?...Oh and I have several gay friends who have procreated...and are pretty awesome parents too...Seriously, where do you guys come up with this stuff...the world is changing for the better, it won't affect your life one bit, just get over it...
Gene
Gotta love Obama's double standard. His position on gay marriage "evolved", but Romney's position on abortion "flip-flopped". A rose by any other name.... The POTUS need to know more than most that words have meaning.
May 10, 2012 10:36 am at 10:36 am |
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If Romney wants to make the case that he "evolved" on abortion (or contraception, or Planned Parenthood) he's always free to do so. It seems to me, though, that instead he's trying very hard to pretend that Liberal Mitt never existed. The Democrats would be mighty foolish not to point out the political game he's playing, just as I expect the Republicans to try to find some angle that will work to their advantage in President Obama's announcement that his personal view of same-sex marriage has changed. Spin - framing the story so your side looks good or the other side looks bad - is what politics is about these days.
As for me, I'm happy President Obama chose the Good Morning America interview to make this announcement. The View just seems needlessly contentious and silly to me. I have gay friends who care about this issue and so I'm glad that in the end President Obama presented his new thoughts on the matter with the dignity and respect that my friends and their friends deserve.
I dare Mitt Romney to appear on "The View".