The RP: Told You So…

A little over a year ago, I came out of the closet in support of marriage equality, and urged the President to do the same.  While my own announcement was personally gratifying, I believed that Obama’s support could provide trmendous momentum for the gay marriage movement:Indeed, there’s one politician whom I’m confident supports marriage equality, but has been afraid to admit it. I suspect he’s waiting for the right opportunity to announce it, when the electoral benefits outweigh the political downside.

Mr. President, the time is now. Yes, you can… trigger the tipping point. Exercising bold leadership — instead of waiting to follow the generational tide — might be your most enduring legacy.

Early evidence seems to prove that I was right.  Esteemed New York Times pollster Nate Silver detects a pronounced shift among the electorate, particularly among African-Americans:

President Obama’s self-described “evolution” on same-sex marriage — from opponent to proponent — appears to be catalyzing a similar shift among some of his most loyal supporters, African-Americans. Although evidence for such a shift is preliminary — there are just a few data points and a number of caveats — Mr. Obama’s announcement may have accelerated the acceptance of gay marriage among blacks.

Read Silver’s full analysis here.