Some Reactions to Obama's Statements

This morning, everyone was bemoaning the results of the North Carolina vote that saw passage of its discriminatory legislation that would keep same-sex, as well as opposite-sex couples not in a legal marriage, from many of the rights that were available to them the day before (North Carolina already had an anti-same-sex law on the books).

But now that Obama has stated his case--on a Disney-owned TV network no less--it's time for people to start weighing in on what that means for many people around the country.

The Advocate has collected a slew of comments from politicians and other notables. But we wonder if Tracy Baim, publisher of Windy City Times' statement from her Facebook page--"He did it -- he came back to truth, back to reality."--might mean for other Obama supporters. Does this mean the disillusionment is over?

But we gotta give it to Steven Thrasher over at the Village Voice who checked in with some prominent bloggers and activists to see what they thought of the revelations (and also re-ran the newspapers provocative cover, pictured). He asked Joe Jervis, who said:

"I don't think it will have the slightest affect. This will give the other side some ammunition which they were using anyway. It will create some hot air, but nobody on either side of this quagmire doubted where he stood. People who wouldn't vote for him anyway won't vote for him more now. But he certainly won back some progressives, and people in the middle -- not that we really had anywhere else to go. But it's a wonderful day. Could he have done this sooner? Why did he put us through this? Today, I'm just going to sit back and smile."

Sounds about right. It also sounds like the way a cynical New Yorker would be expected to respond.

The most disappointing reaction, although also expected to some extent, is that Fox News blared the president's statement, editorializing that the president has: "Declared War on Marriage".

Not only does that not make any sense. It's just disgusting.