Obama just lost my mom’s vote

I kind of had a hunch that Obama’s support of same-sex marriage might go over with my devoutly Roman Catholic mother like ham and cheese sandwiches at a bar mitzvah. I was right.

“He lost my vote,” my mom announced as I sat next to her during my annual Mother’s Day visit. If other moms and grandmoms react similarly, Obama might be a one-term president.

It’s not as if Obama had lost my vote. He didn’t get it back in 2008. He didn’t get my brother’s vote either.

For quite a spell, my mom was miffed at both of us for not voting for the man that would become the first black president of the United States.

“Mom,” I told her, “you know your sons. You knew we weren’t going to vote for him before we didn’t vote for him.”

We certainly aren’t the type that would vote for a black guy just because he’s black. I don’t know why my brother, three years younger than me, didn’t vote for Obama, but I know my reasons.

First, there was that abortion thing. I believe the 1973 Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision is the worst ever handed down. Obama believes it’s practically God’s 11th commandment.

Then there’s the matter of Obama being a Democrat. Name any issue and I’m probably directly opposed to the Democratic Party’s position on it.

Finally, there’s the not-so-minor matter of a guy who got himself elected to the U.S. Senate from an obscure state legislative district in Illinois, then after one year decided he was qualified to run for president of the United States.

I figured he must have been joking, and I’m still waiting for the punch line. But it looks like the joke might have been on those of us who noticed Obama’s weak credentials and voted accordingly. Others were so dazzled, so mesmerized by the thought of electing the first black president that they went out and cast their ballots for Obama.

My mom was one of them. She was with him in 2008, but not in 2012.

And all those tired, worn-out accusations about the “bigotry” of those opposed to same-sex marriage won’t work this time, at least not with my mom. She’ll turn 90 on May 27. She’s been a Mass-attending Catholic for decades and supports her church’s position on same-sex marriage. She’s not going to be swayed by anyone telling her what a “bigot” she is.

What if other senior citizens — especially those who voted for Obama in 2008 — feel the same way? What if there are a bunch of such senior citizens? Proponents of same-sex marriage aren’t going to sway many senior citizens over to their position. It certainly won’t work to tell them how “bigoted” they are.

And senior citizens have this annoying habit of showing up at the polls and voting. Younger Americans — say those in the 18-25 age range — are a lot more likely to support same-sex marriage, but they’re a lot less likely to show up at the polls. They’re much more fit and able-bodied than most seniors, but they’ll be too busy texting someone or checking their Facebook statuses.

My mom will ease into her wheelchair and roll herself to the nearest polling station to vote out the man she voted in four years ago. Do you have a strategy to win her vote back, Mr. Obama?

Examiner Columnist Gregory Kane is a Pulitzer nominated news and opinion journalist who has covered people and politics from Baltimore to the Sudan.