Richard Socarides, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton, took to Out Magazine to reflect on the 2012 election, an election he calls “The Gay-Rights Election.”
Like everyone else who understands reality, Socarides says no longer can politicians, particularly Democrats, stand on the sidelines when it comes to marriage equality, for unlike his time in Washington, same-sex nuptials can now be a load-bearing plank for successful electoral platforms:
Obama’s support for marriage equality helped him win the election and helped us win the ballot initiatives. During this latest campaign, President Obama’s support for gay-rights was never an issue used by Republicans against him. In fact, it worked to his advantage to energize progressives and young people.
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For as long as I have been in politics—which is all of my adult life—it has been “Washington groupthink” that gay issues are dangerous and only mean trouble for elected officials, even ones who are sympathetic to our cause. It is now a new day — one that has been a long time in coming. Politicians need to recognize that their embrace of us is not only the right thing to do, but leads to success at the ballot box.
Some politicians of course won’t be able to adapt in time; they first have to start believing in evolution.
