WASHINGTON — President Obama’s decision to come out in support of gay marriage in 2012 was heavily influenced by advice from George W. Bush’s former campaign manager, according to a new book.
“Forcing the Spring: Inside the Fight for Marriage Equality,” by Jo Becker, recounts how Obama turned to Ken Mehlman, Bush’s 2004 campaign chief and former Republican National Committee chairman, when contemplating the politically risky move.
Mehlman, who came out as gay in 2010, was brought in by Obama’s top political adviser, David Plouffe, and drafted a detailed game plan for the president’s announcement that he had “evolved” to support gay nuptials.
Obama followed the Mehlman strategy almost to the letter, including giving an interview to a female journalist — ABC’s Robin Roberts — and using “soft lighting,” according to the book.
Mehlman’s advice settled a dispute among White House advisers about whether a shift on the hot-button issue would hurt Obama’s re-election run.
Vice President Joe Biden had forced the issue when he went off script and endorsed gay marriage while Obama was still on record favoring civil unions for homosexuals.
“The notion that politically this is going to kill you — I don’t buy it,” Mehlman told Obama, according to the book.
Mehlman was right. Exit polls in 2012 showed Obama did not lose support among key constituents, such as Catholics and Latinos, who largely supported his position.
The book also revealed that Michelle Obama pushed her husband for months to back gay marriage. But he stubbornly resisted.
The first lady saw Biden’s flub as a blessing in disguise and celebrated the fact that Obama could stop “dancing around this issue,” according to the book.
“Enjoy this day,” she told Obama as he headed off for the interview with Roberts, according to the book. “You are free.”