How exactly does this "weaken the fabric of our democracy?"
The mere fact that politicians attempt to avoid a politically-sensitive issue doesn't mean it shouldn't be addressed. If anything, I think you have a situation here where the judiciary makes the legislature address a politically-sensitive issue instead of avoid it.
In fact, that's the only real decree I see in the Goodridge decision. They've simply said you can't discriminate. The legislature SHOULD be the ones to address the issue, but they have to do so in a manner that is not facially discriminatory. I feel the same way, and I have yet to hear a compelling, non-arbitrary justification for the discrimination.
Marriage is a particularly tough subject because our feelings are deeply rooted in religion, tradition, and morality. For our purposes, however, we must necessarily decouple the civil and religious aspects of marriage.
We're talking about marriage in the eyes of the government (and its accompanying rights) - no one is saying the Catholic Church needs to recognize homosexual marriages.
"The history of our nation has demonstrated that separate is seldom, if ever, equal." Opinions of the Justices to the Senate, 802 N.E.2d 565, at 569.