Rachel Maddow: Obama Gay Marriage Endorsement Is 'Political Bravery' (VIDEO)

Rachel Maddow reacted to President Obama endorsing same-sex marriage, calling Wednesday a "historic day in civil rights in this country."

On her MSNBC show Wednesday night, Maddow said it was "icing" on Obama's previous record on gay rights. During her Thursday morning appearance on NBC's "Today" show, Maddow called Obama's endorsement "political bravery" as she was unclear what the electoral impact will be.

Maddow added, "I think that symbolic value is hard to see in the moment. I think this is something we will know more in retrospect, in terms of what this milestone...means. But this is not a given that this would happen."

Although Curry showed poll numbers that demonstrated the country's growing support for gay marriage, Maddow pointed out that same-sex marriage has continuously lost when put at a state-wide vote. "Minority rights put up to a majority vote—they don't fare well," she said.

She also highlighted how GOP candidate Mitt Romney does not even support civil unions for same-sex couples. "Mitt Romney is right where Rick Santorum is," Maddow said of what she called Romney's very conservative view on gay rights.

She later added that she was interested in seeing what Obama's endorsement means on a practical level. "Gay people have very practical feelings about this. This is about our lives, this is about our families," Maddow stressed.

Watch Maddow speaking with Curry on "Today" in the clip above, and her reaction on her own show below:

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