Yesterday’s overwhelming approval of a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and civil unions by the voters of North Carolina underlines the growing likelihood that the issue will be a major factor in the 2012 presidential election. Consider the following circumstances:
One aspect of President Obama's philosophically revealing — and mock-worthy — "Julia" web ad doesn't seem to have garnered as much attention as one might have expected. Just as Julia's life of government dependency isn't likely to inspire a new set of books along the lines of the celebration of self-reliance and freedom depicted in the Little House on the Prairie series, her romantic life isn't likely to spawn any sequels to Jane Austen novels.
At a Politico breakfast this morning, Los Angeles mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, the Democratic convention chair, said the Democratic party's platform should include same sex marriage:
Mitt Romney released a new ad Tuesday that touted the fact that the former Massachusetts governor has been married to the same woman for 42 years and has been a member of the same church his entire life.
During Herman Cain’s generally strong performance on Meet the Press on Sunday, David Gregory asked him, “Would you seek a constitutional ban for same sex marriage?” Cain replied, “I wouldn’t seek a constitutional ban for same sex marriage, but I am pro-traditional marriage.” Gregory followed up: “But you would let the states make up their own mind as they’re doing now?” Cain responded, “They would make up their own minds, yes.”
In the wake of President Obama’s conclusion that his own professed view of marriage is unconstitutional (at least when codified as federal law), the House of Representatives will step up and defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in federal court.
When Judge Vaughn Walker struck down California's constitutional amendment banning gay marriage on the grounds that it violated the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause, some argued that what really mattered in the decision were Walkers findings of fact--which supposedly prove there is no rational basis for keeping marriage a union between a man and a woman.
At Ricochet, John Yoo explains the trouble with Walker's "factual" findings:
David Blankenhorn, a valued contributor to THE WEEKLY STANDARD, has embarked on a doubtless quixotic quest for fair treatment at the hands of the New York Times. His letter to the paper’s “public editor” details, with characteristic clarity and courtesy, his thuggish treatment at the hands of columnist Frank Rich.
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