Facebook co-founder lauds "historic" Obama decision
(CBS News) Chris Hughes, a co-founder of Facebook and an online organizer of President Obama's 2008 campaign, called the president's decision to back same-sex marriage "historic."
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In an interview with ABC News Wednesday, Mr. Obama publically endorsed same-sex marriage just six months before the November presidential election.
On "CBS This Morning" Thursday, Hughes, publisher and editor-in-chief of The New Republic called the president's position, "affirming and energizing. And I think really important for the country that he's shown this type of moral leadership on this issue."
In a recent profile, The New York Times called Hughes and his fiance Sean Eldridge a "significant force" in New York's political circles.
"From what I've seen in my own experiences with the president and my friends who are GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) in the administration, he's always been absolutely embracing of, whether it's staff, friends, family who are in committed relationships," said Hughes. "Being who he is, it's very difficult for him to recognize those types of people and those relationships and not believe that LGBT people should be entitled to the same rights as everyone else is."
Hughes thinks the political ramifications on the whole is supportive.
"Anyone who was opposed to marriage equality was not likely to vote for the president in the first place," Hughes said.
"From a political perspective, there's a whole segment of people who are now all the more enthused and all the more ready to get out and knock on doors and recruit their family and friends and register to vote and get them ready to go out in November," he said.
The White House said Mr. Obama intended to announce the new stand, just not this soon. The timing was moved up after Vice President Joe Biden voiced his support on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday.