Gay Marriage in Iowa
by Ryan Sager
Fri, 31 Aug 2007 at 3:27 PM
updated Fri, 31 Aug 2007 at 3:34 PM
This gay-marriage news in Iowa would be a bigger deal, I think, if Mitt Romney weren't already the assumed winner there. Iowans are outraged over the actions of an activist judge; Mr. Romney supports an amendment to the Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman. None of the other Big Four candidates supports such an amendment — not Rudy Giuliani, not John McCain, not even Fred Thompson. But what can the issue do to any of these candidates when Iowa's barely in contention?
That said, it will be interesting to see how the candidates deal with this sticky issue. Here are the responses so far:
Mitt Romney: "The ruling in Iowa today is another example of an activist court and unelected judges trying to redefine marriage and disregard the will of the people as expressed through Iowa's Defense of Marriage Act. This once again highlights the need for a Federal Marriage Amendment to protect the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman."
Sam Brownback: "We should have the courage and conviction to speak out against this decision. The people of Iowa reject the redefinition of marriage, and I pledge to defend the bond of marriage, as I have consistently done in the past. This decision shows how important it is to elect leaders who will stand for marriage and who will appoint judges that will not legislate from the bench. We need to rebuild the family and renew the culture, not redefine marriage."
John McCain: He called the decision "a loss for the traditional family" and said that he supports "the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman."
No responses yet from Messrs. Giuliani or Thompson.
UPDATE: Rudy's response is in, via spokeswoman Maria Comella: "It's becoming increasingly clear why we need judges who interpret the Constitution rather than legislate from the bench. It's the reason why Rudy is committed to appointing strict constructionist judges in the vein of Alito, Roberts and Scalia."
Related Topics: GOP Primary
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