So there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical about Obama’s announcement. For one thing, it isn’t really a surprise. It’s been obvious for a long time that Obama wasn’t ‘really’ troubled by gay marriage. Which means there’s clearly a political element to the whole announcement. And, of course, his statement in favor of gay marriage still maintained support for the notion that this is up to states. And, as I posted about two days ago, it’s not absurd to think that the tangible benefits of this declaration might actually be outweighed by the polarization that comes from presidential association. And so on.
But frankly, I really appreciate the occasional moments in our public life where people seem to step outside of the realm of politics-for-its-own-sake and cynicism. I think yesterday was one of those moments. All the details faded away and pure, unadulterated joy of the instant was allowed to flourish.
I am a deep skeptic of the Great Man approach to politics, and I get very tired of obsession with the president as an individual, which ignores the broader institutional role. I think it’s silly to expect the president to be able to simply give a speech and change minds. But all that said, yesterday felt like something big. Whether or not it ultimately makes a difference, it still just felt like an important moment: to hear the president of the United States actually say it.