Governor Rick Perry was quoted as saying:
“Our friends in New York six weeks ago passed a statute that said marriage can be between two people of the same sex. And you know what? That’s New York, and that’s their business, and that’s fine with me….That is their call. If you believe in the 10th Amendment, stay out of their business.”
As I said in my earlier post, there at least two bad ideas embedded in this statement attributed to Gov Perry. I’ve already dealt with the first problem: the states’ rights” position is not really available any longer. The second bit of foolishness is the claim that because “our friends” in NY redefined marriage, no one else has any right to say anything against it. It is highly dubious that those responsible for redefining marriage are “friends” to anyone else in the country, or to the people of New York.
According to the New York Times, marriage was redefined in NY through a combination of backroom deals, arm-twisting and loads of money. The NYT is not even embarrassed by the shameless corruption on display in the redefinition of marriage in NY: they reported it simply as a matter of fact. Marriage was redefined because of the pressure applied by Republican Wall Street Fat Cats and liberal Gay Lobbyists. These folks are not really “friends” to very many people, even inside the Republican Party.
In the meantime, the people of New York would like to vote on the subject. When the National Organization for Marriage held rallies across the state, people booed at the mention of the names of the turn-coat Republicans who ran on a pro-marriage platform but voted to redefine marriage. Friends and foes of natural marriage alike have noted that the movement for natural marriage is a multi-ethnic, inter-faith coalition. Supporting marriage is actually good politics. For instance, Proposition 8 got more votes than any Republican candidate in California in 2008. (7 million votes for Prop 8 vs. 5 million for John McCain. pg 8)
Anyone who wants to make friends with a lot of people inside and outside the Republican Party really ought to say something like this:
“I support the campaign to allow the people of New York State to have their say on the marriage issue. If legislators of New York are so sure that redefining marriage is the right thing, let them take their case to the people.”
As I say, I don’t claim to know what Governor Perry said, or what he meant to say, or what he may have said since the unfortunate statement attributed to him in Aspen. But I do hope that he or anyone who wants to be counted as a friend of natural marriage will seriously consider what I’m saying here. If a politician can’t bring himself to support the people’s right to vote on something that affects everyone so much as does the definition of marriage that we will all have to live with, well, I don’t know what to say. We just might conclude that aforesaid Fat Cats and Gay Lobbyists have been whispering in his ear and greasing his palms too.