Democrats' Domino Effect on Gay Marriage Issue?
Democratic politicians begin to flip-flop on gay marriage. Is this a new trend?
May 14, 2009— -- The recent approval of same-sex marriages in Iowa, Vermont, and Maine appears to have triggered a bit of a domino effect in the Democratic Party.
In 2008, the major contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination, including Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton, may have differed mightily over Iraq, health care, and diplomatic relations with our enemies -- but they stood firmly together in their opposition to same-sex marriage.
It's hard to imagine such unanimity ever occurring again in a field of Democratic presidential contenders.
"I believe the political class in Washington is behind where the American people are on this issue," Democratic strategist Steve Elmendorf told ABC News.
The political earth has been shifting in recent months on the gay marriage issue and some high-profile Democrats have been quick to follow.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., a member of the Democratic leadership team in the U.S. Senate, recently announced he had dropped his opposition to same-sex marriage.
"It's time. Equality is something that has always been a hallmark of America, and no group should be deprived of it," Schumer said in a statement. "New York, which has always been at the forefront on issues of equality, is appropriately poised to take a lead on this issue."
Howard Dean, the former Democratic National Committee chairman and ex-governor of Vermont, revealed his new position on ABC News' "Top Line" this week when he said he would have signed the same-sex marriage legislation recently enacted in Vermont by the state legislature.
Dean also indicated that political positioning on this issue appears to be almost inevitably moving in the direction of support for gay marriage.
"This is changing," said Dean. "You know, gay people are seen as people first and then as gay or lesbian later. That's the way it should be. The same as African Americans. The same as Hispanics. The same as everybody who is a member of a minority group. We have to see our humanity first and then whatever category we fall into afterward."
Related Stories
ABC News Live