Barack Obama Believes Augusta National Golf Club Should Admit Women

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama personally believes that the Augusta National Golf Club, site of the top annual golf tournament in America, should break with tradition and admit female members.

With the Masters Tournament set to begin on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was asked the perennial political question surrounding the tourney: should the private club stop discriminating on grounds of gender?

"He believes, his personal opinion is, that women should be admitted," Carney responded. "We are kind of long past the time when women should be excluded from anything."

Membership at Augusta has been all male since its opening in 1933. While women were allowed to play as guests of members, their formal exclusion from the club led to a hot-button political debate that has continued over the past few decades. Martha Burk, former chair of the National Council of Women's Organizations, led a high-profile protest of Augusta in 2002, prompting a seemingly annual return to the topic of the legal rights of private institutions to determine their membership guidelines.

This year's discussion has two notable wrinkles. IBM, which sponsors the Masters and whose top official has routinely been given membership, is now led by a female CEO, Virginia Rometty. Secondly, the White House will host a summit on Friday geared toward women in the workplace.

The president, an avid golfer, is set to appear at Friday's event.

UPDATE: 3:20 p.m. -- Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has joined Obama in calling on Augusta to allow women to become members. According to CNN's Peter Hamby: "Romney just told reporters on the ropeline that women should be admitted to Augusta National."

"Of course. I am not a member of Augusta. I don’t know if I would qualify," Romney said, according to Hamby. "Certainly if I were a member, if I could run Augusta, which isn’t likely to happen, of course I’d have women into Augusta."

UPDATE: 5:00 p.m. -- On Twitter, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich joined in, saying that he would like to see his wife admitted into Augusta: "I think callista would be a great member #Augusta -maybe she would let me come and play."

Also on HuffPost:

Comments

[narfertiti]

03:44 AM on 04/13/2013

Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina financier Darla Moore were the first women invited to join the club, home of the Masters Tournament......Forward America

[Marceline Crutchfield]

05:38 PM on 04/06/2012

As much as golfers love having sex with different women; lord forbid for them to have to play golf with women. Gross, they have Cooties! And anyway what if she Wins? OMG! The Shame of it all, lol.

[clematisvine]

04:30 PM on 04/06/2012

Dumb! Going to the restroom will be the next political issue. Ahhhhh, love election year. Not!

[TheImpossibilityOfReason]

04:29 PM on 04/06/2012

This is a private club. I dont know much about golf, but I would think its the PGA that chooses where to hold its events. If thats the case, dont be mad at Augusta Golf Club, be mad at the PGA, if they're the ones choosing to hold events there

[fisch123]

05:50 PM on 04/06/2012

Maybe this will bring the attention needed, and the PGA will be pressured to reconsider where it holds events in the future.

[Scooter2]

05:27 PM on 05/14/2012

The PGA loves the Masters tour. so they would not even think of stopping the Tour.

[Bob716]

04:09 PM on 04/06/2012

Obama & Romney are not as different as Romney would lead people to think they are. Many of the things that he says he is NOW against......he was for as few short years back. A pretty quick mindset change if you ask me. As the old Indian saying goes...."hmmm him speaked with forkked tongue".

[BRETT3066]

05:48 PM on 04/06/2012

obama has a forked tongue also.

[Bob716]

11:06 PM on 04/06/2012

AGREED!!! All politicians.....dem & rep.....have "forked tongue"!!

[Scooter2]

05:07 PM on 05/14/2012

Why do you think Obama is the President of change? He changes his mind every two weeks.
Indians were not talking about Obama, because his tongue is not forked, it is crooked.

[obamathegreat235]

04:03 PM on 04/06/2012

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama personally believes that the Augusta National Golf Club, site of the top annual golf tournament in America, should break with tradition and admit female members."---Even though this is a private organization, forward thinking must change this backward attitude for this is the 21st century.

[tg7357]

04:02 PM on 04/06/2012

More smoke and mirrors: if they can get the population to concentrate on whether or not Augusta is discriminationg by not leting women join, then they hope we'll forget about the horrible job Obama is doing on the economy, and the gaffs Romney keeps coming up with while trying to convince us that 'he's one of us, too'.
Sheesh.

[Jstoke]

04:39 PM on 04/06/2012

If this can really make people put attention on this than think of more pressing issues, I can believe why politicians trick and lie to the people on a daily basis.

[Scooter2]

05:18 PM on 05/14/2012

At least Romney won't try to destroy this great country like Obama is trying to do. The Dems
complain about Romney because he is rich, I think if the look back Kenndy wasn't living in
the poor house. Every human being that makes it to adulthood has had many gaffs, and every person in Congress has had many many gaffs, so gaffs don't mean a whole lot anymore.

[tg7357]

03:58 PM on 04/06/2012

With all the other crap happening in the US right now, including the price of gas going thru the roof, groceries and utilities skyrocketing, unemployment, especially for women, at an all time hihg, who CARES if Augusta lets women join their club or not???? Most of the women struggling with the economy and unemployment right now are not wealthy enough or elitist enough for a membership even if they DID let women in.
Focus on the national issues, you nitwits.

[richard newtonr]

03:53 PM on 04/06/2012

Frankly my dear, I don't really give a damn because their are more important things in the world to talk about.

[sirbosk1]

03:47 PM on 04/06/2012

Private clubs, by their name alone, should be able to associate or not associate with whomever they please. It's no one else's business but theirs. They're private. If you're not allowed in, go elsewhere or find like minded people and create your own private club and exclude the members of the other one. How hard is this to figure out?

[fisch123]

05:54 PM on 04/06/2012

What a perfect recipe to create a discriminatory and divided nation.

[sirbosk1]

06:18 PM on 04/06/2012

That's just nonsense! I don't see how having a private place to hang out with people you share a specific shared interest can do any harm to the nation.

What divides the nation is the Democrat Party who constantly seeks to balkanize each nationality, creed and sexuality into voting blocks while at the same time, stirring up hate and discontent between them so they can all be exploited for their votes and contributions. While doing that the Liberals trupet forcing each and everyone of us together for our own good. It's intrusive and outrageous.

If you're not welcome in a group, have the courtesy to stay away and go where you are welcome. Government interferance in that basic right to freely associate with whoever you want while excluding others is the first step towards tyranny.

People have the right to privately associate with their peers without unwelcome intruders.

[Brian Putnam 1956]

03:46 PM on 04/06/2012

This is one issue the president should stay out of, Trayvon as well.

[jetncat]

03:35 PM on 04/06/2012

"Polls state women are for Obama?

Maybe the stupid women vote....... And that is why women will never break the glass ceiling... They don't understand the real important issues. Birth control is NOT an issue that conerns ALL of America or does America really care about this issue.

Ask the gays,lesbians, people who can't conceive and the aged population.

This is NOT their issue nor do they care. Health care,taxes, the debt and national security is top concern for the ENTIRE nation.

How about women concentrate on the issues that concern the entire population if they ever want to be taken seriously in the political arena.

[mebdonenow]

04:02 PM on 04/06/2012

i guess like christians voting for sanatorium only because he is a christian.

[fisch123]

05:57 PM on 04/06/2012

Why should health people with good insurance worry about health care?
Why should people that don't pay any taxes worry about taxes?
Why should the aging population worry about the debt, soon they won't have to deal with it.

How about we concentrate on the issues that concern the entire population?

[bmitche]

03:21 PM on 04/06/2012

Romney is no fool ! He wouldn't dare to disagree on that subject LOL

[ispeakthetruthinpa1]

03:15 PM on 04/06/2012

Hmmmmm....I think they both agree that the other is a TOTAL IDIOT!

[beckym1488]

02:48 PM on 04/06/2012

As a woman that support men having private clubs would like it if men would in turn STAY OUT OF THE MISS AMERICA contest!!.

[rrobin6128]

07:57 PM on 04/06/2012

I promise, I won't enter!