On a scale of one to ten, how surprised are you that David Frum has had a sudden change of heart with regards to homogamy now that New York has legalized it? I’d say minus four. About the only thing less surprising will be Obama’s new position on the topic once he doesn’t have to run for office anymore.
I was a strong opponent of same-sex marriage. Fourteen years ago, Andrew Sullivan and I forcefully debated the issue at length online (at a time when online debate was a brand new thing). Yet I find myself strangely untroubled by New York state’s vote to authorize same-sex marriage — a vote that probably signals that most of “blue” states will follow within the next 10 years.
I don’t think I’m alone in my reaction either. Most conservatives have reacted with calm — if not outright approval — to New York’s dramatic decision.
Frum illustrates what today’s “conservative” opinion “leaders” do. They do their best to march in front of the mainstream media parade in an attempt to appear they’re leading it. What will be amusing is Frum’s desperate attempt to have another change of heart once he realizes that the buying off of a few Republican senators is not the political sea change that he is reading.
Since all politics ebb and flow over time, it can be amusing to watch how the pragmatists’ positions float along with them.