Hmmm ok. How about this, abortion has been decided from a legal standpoint for 40 years. You either fall on one side or another but most people (and public opinion in general) aren't changing sides.

Same sex marriage hasn't been settled legally and public opinion is moving towards one side. Since the public in general is becoming more and more accepting of same sex marriage, the public is also more understanding of a president admitting that he supports it.

Posted by swamphawk22 on 5/19/2012 6:13:00 PM (view original):

Posted by jrd_x on 5/19/2012 4:43:00 PM (view original):
I think abortion is a different and far more divisive issue without a clear right answer. Changing course on that issue wouldn't be seen as someone revealing publicly what everyone already suspected.

So you feel that Obama lied in the debate when he said he opposed SSM?

Only Obama knows if he lied or his opinion changed.

Posted by jrd_x on 5/19/2012 6:21:00 PM (view original):
Hmmm ok. How about this, abortion has been decided from a legal standpoint for 40 years. You either fall on one side or another but most people (and public opinion in general) aren't changing sides.

Same sex marriage hasn't been settled legally and public opinion is moving towards one side. Since the public in general is becoming more and more accepting of same sex marriage, the public is also more understanding of a president admitting that he supports it.

We will disagree on whether public opinion is moving towards one side.  You can keep going back to your web link, but the fact remains that voters in states are still consistently voting against SSM.  It's the special interest groups that are challenging it.

We can disagree on it. I'd be willing to bet every dollar in my bank account that same sex marriage will be legal in all states in our lifetime. That's a republican pollster's data showing the 5% yearly increase in public acceptance.

Do you believe everything you read?

No, do you?

Here's 538's analysis of the polling data in 2011:

fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/20/gay-marriage-opponents-now-in-minority/

Posted by jrd_x on 5/19/2012 7:13:00 PM (view original):
Here's 538's analysis of the polling data in 2011:

fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/20/gay-marriage-opponents-now-in-minority/

I find this portion of that article of interest:

"Past trends, of course, are no guarantee of future ones, and it’s always possible that the momentum toward increasing support for gay marriage could flatten out or even reverse itself."

Posted by jrd_x on 5/19/2012 7:08:00 PM (view original):
No, do you?

No.

But I get the feeling that when you read an article that affirms something you want to believe, you more readily accept it as "fact" than you might an article that goes counter to what you want to believe.

Agree or disagree?

Posted by tecwrg on 5/19/2012 8:04:00 PM (view original):

Posted by jrd_x on 5/19/2012 7:13:00 PM (view original):
Here's 538's analysis of the polling data in 2011:

fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/20/gay-marriage-opponents-now-in-minority/

I find this portion of that article of interest:

"Past trends, of course, are no guarantee of future ones, and it’s always possible that the momentum toward increasing support for gay marriage could flatten out or even reverse itself."

Sure, that's a possibility. But that's not the direction the trend is headed.

Posted by tecwrg on 5/19/2012 8:07:00 PM (view original):

Posted by jrd_x on 5/19/2012 7:08:00 PM (view original):
No, do you?

No.

But I get the feeling that when you read an article that affirms something you want to believe, you more readily accept it as "fact" than you might an article that goes counter to what you want to believe.

Agree or disagree?

Disagree

So no one finds the fact that there was a sudden jump in the poll numbers for SSM odd? And the fact that even in California people vote to oppose SSM?

jrd says that's the trend.  That's good enough for me.

NO

I bet you will find that teens want to legalize pot more than seniors.

That doesnt mean when they grow up they will still think that way.