Ron Paul, the Republican House member and presidential candidate, seems as clear as mud on the Defense of Marriage Act. Here’s what he had to say about it in last week’s Republican debate:
PAUL: I think the government should just be out of [marriage]…. But if we want to have something to say about marriage, it should be at the state level and not at the federal government.
SHANNON BREAM (Fox News): All right. Given that answer, I have to ask you about your defense of the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman. Even just weeks ago, you criticized this administration for its decision to no longer defend it against legal challenges.
PAUL: And — and the main reason there is, the Defense of Marriage Act — and I’ve been quoted as I voted for it. Of course, I supported it, but I wasn’t there. But because that bill actually protects the states — see, I do recognize that the federal government shouldn’t tell the states what to do. And the Defense of Marriage Act was really designed to make sure that the — that the states have the privilege of dealing with it and the federal government can’t impose their standards on them.
As Jim Cook, among others, points out, DOMA has two parts. One lets the states go their separate ways on marriage. That’s consistent with federalism and with Paul’s stated position — and it’s the part of DOMA that is not under legal challenge.
The second part of DOMA establishes a separate federal definition of marriage as between a man and a woman, regardless of what states may say: a frontal assault on Paul’s stated federalism. This is the portion of DOMA which is under court challenge, and it’s the part President Obama says he can’t, in good conscience, defend.
I guess we can’t expect a Republican presidential candidate to come out and say he agrees with President Obama and Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders about DOMA (or anything else). But the implication of Paul’s position is that he does agree with them—but he’s going to try not to admit it.
If the GOP strategy in 2004 was to impale Democrats on gay marriage, in 2012 the Republicans’ priority is to avoid being pinned down on it themselves. Paul exemplifies the evasions they’ll try to use. How about we all ask him, and other Republican candidates, about DOMA at every opportunity. Smoke ’em out.
15 Comments for “Ron Paul, Obama, and GLAD…Together at Last?”
posted by Doug on
The Tea Party announced today that they would happily support an increase in the debt ceiling if DADT is re-instituted.
So much for the Tea Party not caring about social issues.
posted by Houndentenor on
Was there ever any doubt that the Tea Party was just as much about social issues as economic ones? Who was actually fooled?
posted by Walker on
It’s not “THE” Tea Party. It’s just some guy who claims to be a Tea Party leader. You can claim to be a Tea Party leader — there are no elections. This guy is not an officer of Tea Party Patriots, the closest thing to an “official” Tea Party organization.
posted by Houndentenor on
It’s not just this one news item. Look around the country and see what bills are being proposed by the “Tea Party” candidates. There’s a lot more anti-abortion and anti-gay legislation being discussed than there is budget-cutting.
posted by Lee on
Ummm…and exactly who is this designated national spokesperson for the Tea Party? There is no such person. The Tea Party is a movement, not an organization. The left thinks it must be organized top-down like a union. It is not. It is a large amount of local, regional people who band together in their communities. It has no national structure or leader that can make an “announcement”.
posted by Lymis on
Ummmmm… find us a candidate or elected official who is associated with the Tea Party who is NOT opposing gay rights and maybe we can talk. And even if you do, you’d need to find a majority of Tea Party candidates or officeholders who don’t vote against us at every turn to support the claim that the Tea Party isn’t anti-gay.
Saying “we take no official position on this, we just vote lockstep against any gay rights whatsoever whenever the subject comes up, and move these items on the agenda ahead of everything we did promise to do” is pretty thin cover.
posted by Houndentenor on
This is a clear acknowledgement not only in how far public opinion has shifted on same sex marriage but also that the GOP is well aware of that shift.
posted by esurience on
It’s pretty clear that Ron Paul supports DOMA.
He gives obfuscatory reasons for his support, yes, but he supports it. It is typical of politicians to bob and weave about why they support or oppose something… but his position on the issue, as I’ve argued here before, is very clear. He supports DOMA.
I don’t understand why smart people like Jonathan Rauch are confused about this.
Ron Paul could say “I support DOMA because I believe it will help us fend off an alien space invasion” — that would be an unequivocal message of support for DOMA.
That we cannot believe he would be so ignorant as to think that’s what DOMA actually indicates how strong his support for DOMA really is.
Ron Paul supports DOMA because he says he supports DOMA — it doesn’t matter what reasons he’s giving.
posted by Jorge on
But the implication of Paul’s position is that he does agree with them—but he’s going to try not to admit it.
I think the implication is closer to he doesn’t know what the heck he’s talking about.
posted by BobN on
“implication of Paul’s position”
With people divining his intent, you can see why he evades answers. Gets to please both sides (of the GOP).
posted by Jorge on
Enough people fool most of the people enough of the time that this could actually be true.
posted by Terry on
“But the implication of Paul’s position is that he does agree with [President Obama and GLAD about DOMA]—but he’s going to try not to admit it.
[…]
Paul exemplifies the evasions they’ll try to use. How about we all ask him, and other Republican candidates, about DOMA at every opportunity. Smoke ’em out.”
“Smoke out” the swine who dare agree with us discretely? Ensure no sympathizers survive among your enemy? Yeah, ’cause that’s clearly in our interest.
Party is more important to you than DOMA ever was.
posted by Terry on
Okay… scratch the last sentence. 🙂 But the perplexity in the preceding ones stands.
posted by BobN on
Got many examples of stealth votes for our side? You really think someone who can’t even articulate support for us is going to vote for us?
posted by Carl on
Some House Republicans continue to make blocking DADT repeal a priority:
http://www.washingtonblade.com/2011/05/09/house-defense-committee-to-vote-on-anti-gay-amendments/
Between this and a prominent Tea Party leader calling for DADT because gays in the military effeminize it, I think the GOP is becoming more and more vocal about this as the election gets closer.