Update: President Obama says same-sex marriage should be legal
msnbc senior analyst and Morning Joe regular, Mark Halperin, just finished up an interview with Andrea Mitchell where he said there is "...every expectation that we will within the next hour be in a different world where we have a POTUS who supports the legalization of gay marriage."
Halperin cited the president's upcoming interview with Robin Roberts, "Good Morning America" co-host, as the place where he expects the president to state his position.
Halperin also said he believes Vice President Joe Biden's comments on "Meet the Press" forced the president's hand.
"But even before the Vice President spoke on 'Meet the Press' in favor of gay marriage. The president, I think, was headed in this direction before the election."
Halperin also said "there will be a lot of speculation of the political implications, it's just as likely to help him win re-election than hurt him."
The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza also joined the conversation and said there are "real dangers" for President Obama if he does come out in favor of same-sex marriage. Yet Cillizza also agreed with Halperin on the idea the GOP runs the risk of taking their eyes off the economy if they go after the president hard on gay marriage.
If the president does come out in favor today of same-sex marriage, it will be a day after voters went to the polls in North Carolina to amend the state's constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. Obama's re-election campaign expressed disappointment in the passage of the amendment, Amendment 1, but he frustrated many in not coming forward in favor of same-sex marriage ahead of the vote in North Carolina.
During a Wednesday visit to Colorado, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney clarified his stance on the issue and said he supports domestic partner benefits but not civil unions.
"Well, when these issues were raised in my state of Massachusetts, I indicated my view, which is I do not favor marriage between people of the same gender, and I do not favor civil unions if they are identical to marriage other than by name,” Romney said. “My view is the domestic partnership benefits, hospital visitation rights, and the like are appropriate but that the others are not.”
Politico's Maggie Haberman has some great analysis on the issue.
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