Media and the politics of gay marriage

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Well same sex marriage and related social issues getting a lot of attention this week in the news media.

You might say it started Sunday when vice president Joseph Biden voiced his support for gay marriage on one -- the Sunday chat show us.

On Tuesday North Carolina approved constitutional ban on same sex unions.

A day later President Obama granted -- TV interview to announce his personal support for gay marriage and explain his latest shift on that hot button political issue.

Yesterday on line the Washington Post released a story about governor Mitt Romney and his alleged behavior toward -- gay student in high school.

It's the front page of today's print edition.

Overall it has been quite a week.

Let's talk about it with -- and -- a columnist for the Daily Beast.

Judith Miller is a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter both are Fox News contributors this.

Washington Post piece today Romney's pranks could go too far all about a a teenage Mitt Romney in the boarding school he attended in Michigan.

I don't know I've raised two teenage boy is one of whom still as a teenager.

Teenage boys can do stupid things I did some stupid things when I was a teenager does it deserve front page coverage in the Washington Post -- While I don't think it does and I think it's kind of reflects.

A desperation.

To come up with something new through its gonna be a long long long hunt campaign and you know you have to ask yourself.

Just in terms of President Obama.

Our are other newspapers and and magazines and broadcast networks looking at what he was doing when he was at Columbia.

-- when he was here in New York -- in what he acknowledges were his kind of wild and crazy days where not -- that's another thing manly kind of irrelevant.

But it's also does raise -- kind of double standard issue.

You know are we -- applying the same standard -- governor Ronnie that we aren't the president yet what about that yours and you do you think that this is.

A fair article -- that a hit job.

Well I think if it's accurate it is -- is a fair article.

Now if they're not covering similar stuff about Obama than than not to double standard but that doesn't mean that it's completely irrelevant -- this happened.

I think.

But I I think that what is relevant the most relevant in my mind is how Romney has responded to it.

I think most people could say look yes people -- high school students do stupid things.

It's been his response that's been troubling the fact that when he was asked about it he laughed like it was sort of funny and you know it it seems like a more appropriate response to these are horrified at the idea of holding someone down -- crying and cutting their hair -- -- that that would be sort of the normal response to being told that you.

Did something like that to say well gosh I hope I -- -- evident that that's terrible and instead.

He laughed and so I think that is made it into more of the story than it would have otherwise been.

But I you know looking at the one of the headlines on the jump page and and this is a huge article two full pages.

Inside the Paper as well as as the front page.

One of the headlines on one of the jump pages says I just remember being terrified woman says a prank.

Talking about a prank where he pretended to be a police so police officer apparently.

And told a couple of his classmates in the dates they were with that they were in trouble for parking on -- -- At any rate.

It stresses the fact that this woman remembers being terrified.

But it says the article goes on to say once she realized it was all -- -- -- was safely back at her dorm she joined in the laughter that part gets left out of the headlines Judy.

Yeah well that's that's I've taken -- yet another problem with this story I mean is this really what we're going to have.

For the next you know the minute remaining part of this campaign I just.

I have some degree of sympathy with that though it mr.

-- -- now says.

-- can we talk about the economy please can we talk about Iran can we talk about the important foreign policy and national security issues facing this country.

Of course that plays stand his strength his perceived strength that he went back.

But I do think that there are certain things that should be beyond the pale.

Attacks on candidates children or their spouses and I think digging up things.

That have occurred when you were fifteen or seventeen or you know at that that that really doesn't deserve front page banner -- -- any major Paper -- -- -- I have the media had done this kind of digging on President Obama I mean that he was something of a cipher at that point in his life as far as I can tell.

Yes well I I don't I don't think that they have necessarily done the same kind of thinking -- there's -- plenty -- coverage about.

You know the information -- information that came out about.

Obama -- girlfriend and call legend that she it was a composites and and try you know there's a lot of time that's spent on a lot of stuff that I think is completely irrelevant.

But it is for both people and and the same conservatives who complain.

About this have no problem obsessing over in the fact that Obama allegedly went to a madrassa when he was eight years old.

So it's it's -- that the double standard cuts both ways I think.

So let's talk about the the media coverage of the other big issue of the week the president's flip flop on gay marriage.

There are some who.

Think this was all carefully calculated and rolled out by the White House he had.

Arnie Duncan -- -- -- agreed with Joseph Biden who set it on Sunday Arnie Duncan set -- on Monday then you have the on North Carolina election on Tuesday.

And Wednesday that -- all got eclipsed by the president's change of heart in his interview with ABC news Judy.

Well his evolution or if it where -- republic and you would say his flip flop on this issue.

I mean come on here again I don't I have -- of Texas -- this site that double standard I think whether or not.

We in the press agree or disagree with the president's position the position he took.

I finally after his evolution.

Shouldn't be the issue the issue is how did he come to this decision was the vice president's statement on Sunday at trial balloon it certainly looks that way.

And most important.

How was going to affect his reelection prospects -- on this I think the media have done a pretty good job.

We have been trying analyze.

What it means and I'm amazed at how divided the pundits really are in terms of whether they think it's gonna help or hurt his campaign.

Was it really just clever way pierced into you know.

You know cover over some of the employment numbers which aren't good I mean more people dropped out of the labor force them.

Then got new jobs in the latest for.

Actually my understanding of it is it is that Joseph Biden was speaking out of school and sort of put the president in a position where he had to come out and do this at a point where.

I don't think they necessarily thought it was the best time this has however -- his position.

For awhile which is has been reported in.

That the coverage of this and it was just a question of one the government and when the president was gonna come out and actually now sent.

Well Richard Benedetto who used to be the White House correspondent for USA today.

Has written an interesting take on all of this it's on foxnews.com.

Our viewers might want to check that out.

It's getting a lot of attention he seems to think that this was all carefully calibrated but again let the voters decide eventually.

Thanks very much -- in power is Judy Miller thank you.

You can -- more.

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Media and the politics of gay marriage

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