White House press secretary Jay Carney responded Monday to shifts from two influential political players: Democrat Hillary Clinton’s support of gay marriage and Republican National Committee's call for GOP support for immigration reform.
Carney said he had not spoken to President Barack Obama about Clinton’s announcement this morning but that “any time a public official of stature steps forward to embrace a commitment that he shares to equality for LGBT Americans, he thinks it's a good thing.”
And when asked whether Priebus’s call for the GOP to “embrace and champion comprehensive immigration reform” will help advance efforts on the issue, Carney said he didn’t know that it does and that progress remains in the hands of congressional negotiators.
“What moves it forward is what we continue to see as encouraging progress in the Senate with the so-called 'Group of Eight,'" he said.
But Carney suggested the president thought the RNC’s overall efforts to retool its message, image, and approach to minority voters was a wise plan -- noting that he doesn’t have a stake in their plans either way now that the presidential election is over.
“He believes that a strong two-party system is important in our democracy. It is also true, as he has noted and the Constitution requires, he has not -- he will not be running again for office. So, you know, his view of this is a little different probably than it was a year ago or more,” he said.
