Black voters are not the problem here, folks.
“Blacks and Latinos killed same-sex marriage in California” is one of the nastiest 
lies out of 2008, and it’s been held against those groups by some in the left now for years. It’s still being held against blacks in particular when it comes to President Obama’s “refusal” to fully embrace same-sex marriage as a right. It’s one of the most egregious wedges being driven into the Obama coalition, and the mistruths surrounding that are still on display today, as National Journal’s Josh Kraushaar goes after the President’s “evolution” by saying “black voters won’t support him” is the reason he won’t come out for same-sex marriage. This black voter disagrees.
Public opinion on gay marriage is pretty straightforward. There’s a huge generational divide – with older voters solidly opposed, and younger voters solidly supportive. Over time, support for gay marriage should increase. And if Obama came out in support of gay marriage, he would probably excite and inspire many college-aged Democrats to show up at the polls and support him — not to mention winning back some socially-moderate independents who have been disenchanted with the president over the economy.
But college-aged voters are only part of the president’s coalition. The bigger element consists of African-American voters, who are solidly opposed to gay marriage. California’s Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage passed in 2008 thanks to overwhelming black support; 70 percent backed it, according to exit polls. Recent gay marriage legislation in Maryland drew opposition from leading Democratic African-American legislators in the state. The same ministers organizing get-out-the-vote efforts in black churches for Obama are also railing against gay marriage.
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