The Week looks at the final four Senate Democrats who have not yet indicated their support for same-sex marriage: Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Tim Johnson (D-SD), and Mark Pryor (D-AR).
Two More Senators Back Gay Marriage
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) both announced their support for same-sex
marriage in statements this morning.
The two announcements leave just four Senate Democrats who have
not yet indicated support for marriage equality.
Majority of Senate Now Supports Gay Marriage
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) “has endorsed gay marriage, the latest in a string of lawmakers to change his position on the issue,” the Washington Post reports.
He becomes the 51st senator to announce his support for same-sex marriage.
Would Reagan Have Supported Gay Marriage?
Patti Davis, daughter of former President Ronald Reagan, told the New York Times that she believes her father would back same-sex marriage if he were alive today.
Said Davis: “All I know is the heart of the man who raised me as my father.”
But Michael Reagan, the late president’s son by a different marriage, told the Washington Post that people shouldn’t be making assumptions about where this father would stand on the issue today.
Said Reagan: “You’d have to ask him… t’s easy to say he would do or not do something when he’s not here to answer.”
Two More Senators Back Same-Sex Marriage
Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) announced his support for same-sex marriage, becoming the second sitting GOP senator to do so, The Hill reports.
Said Kirk: “Our time on this earth is limited, I know that better than most. Life comes down to who you love and who loves you back — government has no place in the middle.”
Meanwhile, The Hill also reports that Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) said he now supports same-sex marriage, now leaving just seven Senate Democrats who have not publicly voiced support for allowing gays to marry.
Casey Now Supports Gay Marriage
Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) told the Allentown Morning Call that he “had decided over time that the Defense of Marriage Act — the federal law that defines marriage as one man and one woman — should be repealed, and determined that such a belief could not be separate from the overall question of gay marriage.”
Said Casey: “I ultimately decided that to make a decision about DOMA was making a decision about marriage equality itself… It wasn’t until recently that I thought some point this year it will be reintroduced, so that was a question I was asking myself: Can you separate the vote on that [from] the ultimate question on marriage equality? There’s no way to do that.”
Gay Son Doesn’t Change Lawmaker’s View of Gay Marriage
Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ) told KTVK-TV that he does not support gay marriage despite having a gay son.
Said Salmon: “I don’t support gay marriage. My son and I have had a lot of dialogue about it. I will say this: you know, my son is by far one of the most important people in my life. I love him more than I can say.”
He added: “My view is while I don’t believe we should be vitriolic and try to enact harmful policies, by the same token, I’m just not there as far as believing in my heart that we should change 2,000 years of social policy in favor of a redefinition of the family.”
Quote of the Day
“You may be as straight as an arrow, and you may have a friend that is as straight as an arrow. Say you had a great job with the government where you had this wonderful health plan. I mean, what would prohibit you from saying that you’re gay, and y’all get married and still live as separate, but you get all the benefits? I just see so much abuse in this it’s unreal.”
— Georgia Republican Party Chairwoman Sue Everhart, quoted by the Marietta Daily Journal, arguing against same-sex marriage.
Quote of the Day
“I don’t think you would ever see the Republican Party platform saying we are in favor of same-sex marriage.”
— Former RNC Chair Ed Gillespie, in an interview on Fox News Sunday.
Which Justice Wanted to Take on Gay Marriage?
New York Times: “Why did the Supreme Court agree in December to hear a major same-sex marriage case and then seem to think it had made a terrible mistake on Tuesday when it came time for arguments?”
“The answer lies in the gap between two numbers. It takes four votes to hear a case and five to decide one.”
“If nothing else, this week’s arguments provided a telling glimpse into the process through which the court selects its docket, one that is usually shrouded in exceptional secrecy. The arguments also cleared up most of the mystery of whose idea it had been to hear the case, a challenge to Proposition 8, California’s ban on same-sex marriage.”
Wonk Wire: When did same-sex marriage bans become unconstitutional?
Unlikely 2016 GOP Nominee Will Back Gay Marriage
Obama campaign manager Jim Messina tells Businessweek that he doesn’t believe that the 2016 GOP presidential nominee will support same-sex marriage.
Said Messina: “Given who their primary electorate is and given the fact that the ABC/Washington Post poll showed that 60 percent of older Republican primary voters still oppose it. I think you will see people talk less about it. But I don’t think they’re showing any signs of moderating.”
“Messina’s analysis runs counter to what many Republican strategists in
Washington are telling reporters–that the GOP will have to evolve on the
issue, as Democrats have done. But this may be wishful thinking on the
part of elite Republicans. The Republican consultant class has always
been more comfortable with gay rights than the party’s base.”
Walker Suggests “Third Way” on Gay Marriage
John Fund notes Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) raised a “third way” of looking at the same-sex marriage debate.
“On Meet the Press this month he remarked on how many young people have asked him why the debate is over whether the definition of marriage should be expanded. They think the question is rather ‘why the government is sanctioning it in the first place.’ The alternative would be to ‘not have the government sanction marriage period, and leave that up to the churches and the synagogues and others to define that.'”
While Walker was careful to note his thoughts weren’t “anything I’m advocating for,” he gave voice to many who would like to avoid a culture war over the issue.
Limbaugh Declares Defeat on Gay Marriage
Rush Limbaugh said those who oppose same-sex marriage must accept that they’ve “lost the issue.”
Said Limbaugh: “This issue is lost. I don’t care what the Supreme Court does, this is now inevitable — and it’s inevitable because we lost the language on this.”
He added that conservatives “lost the issue when we started allowing the word ‘marriage’ to be bastardized and redefined by simply adding words to it.”
Anti-Gay Marriage Democrats Dig In
“After the sudden flip of several Senate Democrats from opposition to endorsement of gay marriage this week,” Alex Rogers notes “the stampede may have come to an end, leaving a handful of holdouts in states where opinion still lags the national trend.”
Just nine Senate Democrats remain in opposition, a core group that includes some of the party’s most socially conservative members: Joe Manchin (WV), Mark Pryor (AR), Bob Casey (PA), Bill Nelson (FL), Tom Carper (DE), Tim Johnson (SD), Mary Landrieu (LA), Heidi Heitkamp (ND) and Joe Donnelly (IN).
Murkowski Says She’s Evolving on Gay Marriage
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) told the Chugiak-Eagle River Star that her views on gay marriage are “evolving” and that she’s reviewing her stance on the issue “very closely.”
Said Murkowski: “I think it’s important to acknowledge that there is a change afoot in this country in terms of how marriage is viewed.”
She added: “The term ‘evolving view’ has been perhaps overused, but I think it is an appropriate term for me to use.”
Gay Marriage Already Won
Rick Stengel: “Whatever the Supreme Court decides, it seems clear that the majority of Americans feel marriage is a civil right and that denying that right to people because of their sexual orientation is a violation of equal protection under the law…. We had a long debate in our offices about this week’s cover images of two same-sex couples. Some thought they were sensationalist and too in-your-face. Others felt the images were beautiful and symbolized the love that is at the heart of the idea of marriage. I agree with the latter, and I hope you do too.”
The Week: Why even red state Democrats are jumping on the gay marriage bandwagon.
Why Republicans Should Want to Lose Gay Marriage Case
The Week: “Most members of the Republican Party hope that the Supreme Court will not use the two gay-marriage cases it heard this week to issue a broad ruling affirming the constitutional right of gays and lesbians to marry. However, top officials in the GOP are reportedly praying for precisely that outcome, calculating that it would be the most effective way to remove gay marriage as a political liability.”
Hagan Declares Support for Same-Sex Marriage
Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC), who is up for re-election in 2014, became the latest Democrat to announce her support for gay marriage in an interview with the Raleigh News & Observer.
Roll Call: “With Hagan’s reversal, there are now only nine Democratic senators who have not expressed support for gay marriage rights.”
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