Favorable media coverage is frustrating President Barack Obama’s efforts to downplay the public controversy over his May 9 announcement in favor of same-sex marriage.
The importance of his media management efforts was demonstrated by two new polls which show his donation-boosting decision to be a negative at the polls.
A new May 11-13 poll of registered voters by the New York Times and CBS showed that 22 percent of independents were “less likely” to support Obama because of his May 9 announcement that he supports same-sex marriage.
In contrast, only 14 percent of the independents said the decision made them more likely to support him in November, according to the poll.
Gov. Mitt Romney’s support for traditional marriage increased his support among 11 percent of Democrats and 20 percent of independents, while costing him the support of just 2 percent of Republicans.
Another poll of adults — not registered voters — showed that the decision was a wash among independents. The May 10-13 poll showed that 19 percent of independents were more likely, and 19 percent were less likely, to support him because of the decision.
But the Pew poll of 1,003 adults also showed that 13 percent of Democrats were less favorable towards him, while only 7 percent of Republicans were more favorable towards him, because of the decision.
The CBS/NYT poll showed that Obama’s decision boosted his standing among 2 percent of Republicans, but dropped it among 12 percent of Democrats.
The decision has boosted political activism among conservative religious denominations, and threatens to potentially cut into Obama’s support among African-Americans, Latinos and swing-voting whites in critical Midwest swing states.
Rev. Harry Jackson, an African-American pastor in Maryland, told The Daily Caller that Obama’s decision has surprised some African-Americans and may reduce his support.
But favorable media coverage is making it difficult for Obama and his deputies to manage or minimize the public’s recognition of the issue.
Newsweek’s cover this week showed him wearing a gay-themed halo, and tagged him as the nation’s first gay president.
In response, White House spokesman Jay Carney tried to downplay the image May 14, telling reporters that “I don’t know that [Obama] has seen it and I haven’t spoken to him about it… I haven’t read the story yet.”
Also, Obama was pushed to address the issue by the five supportive women who host ABC’s “The View” May 14.
“This is going to be a big contrast in the campaign because you’ve got Governor Romney saying we should actually have a constitutional amendment installing the notion that you can’t have same-sex marriages,” Obama said in remarks due for broadcast May 15.
Yet Obama also tried to downplay the issue, saying it was being decided by states. “This is something that historically had been determined at the state level,” but the denial of federal benefits, such as Social Security, to unmarried gay couples pushed him to support single-sex marriage, he told The View.
To mute debate, the White House refused to send any officials to the May 13 Sunday TV shows to talk up the decision.
Immediately after the May 9 announcement, he also worked behind the scenes to persuade African-American pastors to support or not oppose his decision, partly because the issue threatens to torpedo vital support among African-American women.
Even as he downplays public discussion of his decision, Obama has carefully touted his decision at several recent fund-raisers that were attended by gay-friendly donors in Seattle, Hollywood and New York.
“It’s been said this election is going to be about values,” he told 200 progressive fundraiser at an May 14 event hosted by gay singer Ricky Martin.
“Everything we do — from Wall Street reform… to repealing [the Defense of Marriage Act]… are designed to make sure that we’re restoring middle-class security for all those folks out there that are struggling for their small portion of the American Dream,” he said.
The DOMA says the federal government only recognizes the marriage of a man and a woman as valid.
In court, Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder have asked the Supreme Court to strike down DOMA as unconstitutional.