General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPennsylvania Just Legalized Same Sex Marriage And Rick Santorum Has Nothing To Say
On Tuesday afternoon, a conservative federal judge appointed by President George W. Bush struck down Pennsylvanias same-sex marriage ban, ruling that prohibiting gay and lesbian couples from marrying violates the Constitutions equal protection clause. We are a better people than what these laws represent, and it is time to discard them into the ash heap of history, U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III, concluded. A day later, Gov. Tom Corbett (R) who is facing a tough re-election bid announced he would not appeal the ruling, allowing Pennsylvania to become the 19th state, along with the District of Columbia, where same-sex couples can marry.
What happened next may surprise you.
Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator, who rose to prominence for his stalwart opposition to gay and lesbian unions and attracted national attention in 2012 for running a presidential campaign comparing same-sex marriage to inanimate objects, remained silent. The senator appeared on Fox News just minutes after the decision on Tuesday but didnt address the matter. He tweeted voters to support his chosen primary candidate in Oregon, but couldnt spare 140 characters to condemn the liberal social agenda coming to his home state. ThinkProgress made repeated requests for comment to Santorums organization Patriot Voices and his personal spokesperson over a period of two days, but did not receive a response.
Any comment would prove undoubtedly awkward, since Judge Jones was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2002, at the urging of Santorum, who described him as highly qualified to assume the important role of Judge and the duty of protecting the Constitution and ensuring the effective operation of our judicial system. Still, politicians rarely allow consistency to get in the way of political expediency and Santorum had plenty of opportunities to express disappointment with his nominee.
But some Republican strategists suggest that Santorums choice to remain silent is indicative of the GOPs decision to de-emphasize its rhetorical opposition to gay rights in an effort to attract younger and more moderate voters.
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2014/05/22/3440116/rick-santorum-no-longer-wants-to-talk-about-the-gays/
DonViejo
(60,536 posts)if this is true:
I just cannot see Santorum keeping his mouth shut about anything, especially something like gay marriage.
William769
(55,144 posts)I have said all along it's not about conviction with them, it's all about the money. Him keeping his big mouth shut just adds credence to that.
Freddie
(9,258 posts)Time to redouble their efforts on women's bodies.
gratuitous
(82,849 posts)He said that the marriage equality fight wasn't going to be over until the gay community said it was over, and it's not over until we win.
It seems the repressives picked a fight about 20 years ago that they didn't have the belly to see through. It took the gay community a little while to decide whether they really wanted to avail themselves of marriage, but once they decided it was a fight worth winning, the repressives were in trouble. They had a few early victories, but they were on shaky ground the whole time. Public opinion has shifted greatly, and the gay community is far more organized and effective.
There will be some bitter enders (looking at you, Tony Perkins) who will bleat plaintively that they can't be out and proud bigots anymore, but this battle is won. I don't know if Santorum has the ability or inclination to think it through, but I would guess that some calculating part of his little mind realizes that marriage equality have moved into the "dead issue" column. There's less and less to be gained for a politician to oppose marriage equality.
Orrex
(63,185 posts)Love it!
RoverSuswade
(641 posts)no less