TresSugar

Obama's Complicated Relationship With Gay Marriage

Tara Block — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:25:00 PDT

The Obama administration has had a rocky relationship with its stance on gay marriage, so our interest was piqued at Joe Biden's recent comments in support of same-sex marriage. On Meet the Press the vice president said:

"I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women and heterosexual - men and women marrying - are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties. And quite frankly, I don't see much of a distinction beyond that."

While Biden has made his stance on the issue clear, Barack Obama hasn't always been forthright in his support of gay marriage. And while he's been quoted as saying he's "evolving" in regards to gay marriage, looking at his track record we have to wonder toward which direction? And things have only gotten more complicated during this election season, when he's trying to appease liberals along with the swing voters. Not only do conservative and working-class groups oppose same-sex marriage, many of his African American supporters do, too. But what has Obama actually said on the issue? Here are some of his quotes on gay marriage:

1996: "I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages." - questionnaire
2004: "I am a fierce supporter of domestic-partnership and civil-union laws. I am not a supporter of gay marriage as it has been thrown about, primarily just as a strategic issue." - Windy City Times interview
2006: "I agree with most Americans, with Democrats and Republicans, with Vice President Cheney, with over 2,000 religious leaders of all different beliefs, that decisions about marriage, as they always have, should be left to the states." - Federal Marriage Amendment speech
2007: "I will appeal any proposal to amend the U.S. constitution to ban gays and lesbians from marrying. I know how important the issue of equal rights is to the LGBT community. I share your sense of urgency." - speech opposing Defense of Marriage Act
2008: "As the Democratic nominee for President, I am proud to join with and support the LGBT community in an effort to set our nation on a course that recognizes LGBT Americans with full equality under the law." - letter to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club
2008: "I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage." - MTV interview
2010: "I am a strong supporter of civil unions. I have been to this point unwilling to sign on to same-sex marriage primarily because of my understandings of the traditional definitions of marriage. . . . attitudes evolve, including mine. And I think that it is an issue that I wrestle with and think about . . . I think it's fair to say that it's something that I think a lot about." - interview with liberal bloggers
2010: "My feelings about this are constantly evolving. This is something that we're going to continue to debate, and I personally am going to continue to wrestle with going forward." - TV speech

If he's going to call himself a supporter of the LGBT community, do you think it's time for Obama to commit to the gay marriage cause?

White House Asks Developers to Make iPhone an Anti-Rape Tool

Annie Scudder — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 10:40:07 PDT

Unfortunately, sexual assault is a common occurrence on college students; one in five college-aged women reports being a victim. The White House and the Office of the Vice President hope to turn something else prevalent on college campuses - iPhones and other smartphones - into a tool to prevent sexual violence. They've announced a contest for programmers, and the challenge is to create an app that would help both women and friends help stop sexual assault before it happens.

The contest's rules point out that 75 percent of college students want to intervene in the case of sexual assault, but half say they don't know how. And 60 percent of college students who have been in an abusive relationship say no one helped them. The contest also notes that while there are various websites, hotlines, and other resources to help people who have experienced abuse, there are few that proactively prevent it.

Vice President Joe Biden has turned his attention to on-campus relationship violence and sexual abuse for some time now. The contest describes his and Health and Humans Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius's vision for the app:

The application envisioned will offer individuals a way to connect with trusted friends in real-time to prevent abuse or violence from occurring. While the application will serve a social function of helping people stay in touch with their friends, it will also allow friends to keep track of each other's whereabouts and check in frequently to avoid being isolated in vulnerable circumstances.

Do you think something like this would have been helpful during your college days?

3 Ways Joe Biden Wants to Stop Sexual Violence on Campus

Annie Scudder — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 11:50:38 PDT

When a Good Morning America reporter showed up on Yale's campus recently to look into the campus's alleged hostile sexual environment, a male student provided a demonstration by interrupting the interview to shout a sexually explicit remark. The school is currently under investigation for violating Title IX of the Civil Rights Act and has been home to many scandals, including a fraternity rape chant.

Yale isn't the only campus with a problem. According to the Department of Education, one in five college women has been the victim of attempted sexual assault. Today, Vice President Joe Biden is on a New Hampshire college campus with Education Secretary Arne Duncan to unveil new guidelines to prevent campus sex crimes under Title IX. It's part of a greater effort by the Obama administration to address sexual harassment and violence in schools. Here are three ways the new guidelines promise to curb sexual violence.

Encourage more reporting: Biden says crimes often go unreported because victims worry the schools won't take action. The new guidelines make a school's obligation to respond to sexual assault clear. They read: "Once a school knows or reasonably should know of possible sexual violence, it must take immediate and appropriate action to investigate or otherwise determine what occurred." Schools must also take steps to protect the complainant.
Start young: One in 10 high school girls will have been physically forced to have sexual intercourse before she graduates. By the time they get to college, almost 20 percent of women will be victims of attempted or actual sexual assault. For that reason, Biden and Duncan announced a new national sexual assault awareness campaign for colleges, as well as K-12 schools. The new guidelines also recommend all schools take "proactive measures to prevent sexual harassment and violence" and "implement preventive education programs."
Expand the school's role: The new guidelines say schools "have an obligation to respond to student-on-student sexual harassment that initially occurred off school grounds, outside a school's education program or activity. If a student files a complaint with the school, regardless of where the conduct occurred, the school must process the complaint." Also, schools "should take steps to protect a student who was assaulted off campus from further sexual harassment or retaliation."

Based on your college experience, do you think it's necessary for the federal government to step in to prevent sexual hostility and violence on campus?

Source: Flickr User avinashgodbole

Joe Biden Gives Kids Unsolicited Dating Advice

Colleen Barrett — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 16:16:38 PST

This is so creepy! Today at Congress's swearing-in ceremony, Joe Biden shook hands with the families of what seems like every statesman there. He asked every child, teenager, and young adult how old they were, and then said, "Remember, no dating until you're 30." It's the same old-man joke over and over again, followed by awkward laughter. He does not give up, not even when he's failing.

Health Reform Is a BFD T-Shirt - Love it or Leave it?

TresSugar — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 11:05:55 PDT

I cringed (then chuckled) last week when Vice President Joe Biden told his boss - and the world - that healthcare reform is "big f*cking deal." I thought, OMG, after all these years as a politician doesn't Joe Biden realize there's such a thing as a hot mic at a major press conference? Well, the President wants me to chill out. Apparently health reform is a big f*cking deal.

To celebrate, BarackObama.com slapped the (abbreviated) slogan on a t-shirt and is selling it for 25 bucks. The product description for the super-soft, union-printed, made-in-the-USA t-shirt explains: "There are things that are a big deal - birthdays, anniversaries, the NCAA Championship game. And then there are things that are a BFD, like delivering health insurance to 32 million Americans." No, this is not an April Fool's joke . . . as far as I can tell.

Speed Read! Joe Biden Commands Jill's Heart

TresSugar — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 09:30:00 PST

Jill and Joe Biden talk love at first sight - Good Morning America
Twilight saga might go 3-D - BuzzSugar
Tiger Woods to buy Elin a boat? - People
Some blame fashion industry for Alexander McQueen's death - Jezebel
Ali from The Bachelor has a new boyfriend - Silicon Valley Insider

Front Page: Federer Gives Up US Open Finals

TresSugar — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:00:10 PDT

Roger Federer loses the US Open finals to Argentine Juan Martin del Potro. - ESPN
Patrick Swayze dies at 57 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. - PopSugar
A Wells Fargo exec is accused of using a bank-owned Malibu house for entertaining. - Los Angeles Times
Joe Biden arrives in Baghdad on an unexpected visit. - AP
ABC's Terry Moran tweets that Obama called Kanye a jackass, then deletes it. - Politico

Front Page: Gates and Crowley Drink and Make Up

TresSugar — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 08:00:08 PDT

The "beer summit" came and went last night. The president drank Bud Light, Sgt. Crowley drank Blue Moon, Professor Gates drank a Samuel Adams Light, and Joe Biden drank a nonalcoholic beer. - Washington Post
Seven US banks that received $175 billion in taxpayer bailout funding simultaneously paid $32.6 billion in bonuses. - Bloomberg
Meanwhile, Congress wants to give the government a role in determining how much Wall Street executives get paid. - AP
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair will be testifying about the Iraq War during a UK-televised parliamentary inquiry. - Telegraph
Anderson Cooper grilled Bachelorette Jillian Harris yesterday about how many guys she actually slept with on the shows. - CNN

Obama & Biden Grab Cheeseburgers at Arlington Burger Joint

YumSugar — Wed, 06 May 2009 05:50:01 PDT

Maybe President Obama and Vice President Biden needed a break from white-tablecloth dining or perhaps they just felt like getting out on the town. Either way, the two took a short lunch trip yesterday to a popular local burger joint called Ray's Hell Burger.

Upon arriving at the strip plaza eatery, the duo declined offers from other patrons to cut the line. Ray's - which prides itself in serving unconventional sodas and cheesy tater puffs in lieu of fries - couldn't accept Obama's order for fries, so he went with the potato puffs and a bottle of water instead. To check out footage of the presidential lunch outing,

Since it's well-documented that President Obama prefers his burger medium well, it's no surprise that he ordered a basic cheddar cheeseburger, medium well, with lettuce, tomatoes, spicy mustard, and no ketchup. The executive branch must love its burgers medium well, since Biden ordered his Swiss cheeseburger prepared the same way, but topped with ketchup and jalapeño peppers, and a good old-fashioned root beer to drink.

The best part? When the cashier taking the presidential order wanted to take care of the tab, Obama insisted otherwise: "See all those people?" he said, pointing to the press pool that came along. "They'll write about how we were freeloaders." He paid for all the burgers in cash, leaving a $5 bill in the tip jar.

Check out the footage below - I was particularly entertained by the fans taking pictures of the president in the background - and tell me your thoughts.

Source

Karl Rove and Joe Biden in a War of Words

CitizenSugar — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:15:54 PDT

"I'm rubber and you're glue!" Well Karl Rove didn't exactly say that to Joe Biden, but he did call him a "blowhard" and a "liar." Ouch!

Earlier this week the vice president recalled an encounter he had with President Bush. He said Bush told him "Well, Joe . . . I'm a leader." And Joe responded: "Mr. President, turn around and look behind you. No one is following."

Well Rove says it ain't so Joe. And he's Bush's brain, so he should know. Going on Fox News, Rove tried to set the record straight: "It didn't happen. It's his imagination. It's a made-up, fictional world. He ought to get out of it and get back to reality.” Rove also dropped the "blowhard" and "liar" labels, too.

Are you on Team Joe or Team Karl?