Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN) reminded Americans in his Democrat National Convention speech that former Vice President Joe Biden helped push for same-sex marriage.
“Love makes my marriage real, but political courage made it possible, including that of Joe Biden, who stepped out ahead even of this party when he said that marriage equality ought to be the law of the land,” Buttigieg said in a live speech from the same location as his wedding in South Bend.
“The very ring on my finger, a wedding, we celebrated here where I’m standing reflects how this country can change,” he said.
Biden famously blew up the Obama White House by coming out in favor of same-sex marriage before former President Barack Obama had planned a dramatic change of heart ahead of his re-election campaign.
Biden said in a Meet the Press interview in May 2012:
I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women marrying one another, are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties. And quite frankly, I don’t see much of a distinction — beyond that.
Obama’s senior adviser, Valerie Jarrett, was furious and accused Biden of “downright disloyalty,” according to a book on the subject Forcing the Spring by Jo Becker.
Biden apologized to Obama for the controversy, but the White House was forced to quickly schedule an interview with Obama for him to complete his evolution on same-sex marriage.
“He probably got out a little bit over his skis, but out of generosity of spirit,” Obama said during the interview, which was scheduled with Robin Roberts.
“Would I have preferred to have done this in my own way in my own terms without, I think, there being a lot of notice to everybody, sure,” Obama said. “But all’s well that ends well.”
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