|
|
"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource."
|
Congress Not Rushing Gay Marriage Ban
|
|---|
| Parent(s) |
Issue
|
| Contributor | Gerald Farinas |
| Last Edited | Gerald Farinas Feb 25, 2004 04:35pm |
| Logged |
0
|
| Category | News |
| Media | News Service - Associated Press |
| News Date | Wednesday, February 25, 2004 06:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Congress Not Rushing Gay Marriage Ban
The Honolulu Advertiser
President Bush wants quick election-year enactment of a constitutional amendment prohibiting gays from marrying each other, but Republicans in Congress are not rushing to heed his call.
After Bush's announcement Tuesday, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, said it would take time to gauge the level of support in Congress for a constitutional amendment. He suggested the difficulty of passing one may cause lawmakers to take a different approach to preserving marriage as a solely man-woman union. "We don't want to do this in haste," DeLay said.
Bush called on Congress "to promptly pass and to send to the states for ratification" an amendment to define marriage as a union of a man and a woman. Still, Bush's move could hold political risks, especially if voters see him as intolerant or question his self-description as a "compassionate conservative."
Several GOP lawmakers said they would prefer to see Congress take a different route rather than amend the Constitution. Rep. David Dreier, R-Calif., a co-chairman of Bush's campaign in California in 2000, said he doesn't support a constitutional amendment. "I believe that this should go through the courts, and I think that we're at a point where it's not necessary," he said. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said the matter should be left to the states, and Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., said changing the Constitution should be a last resort on almost any issue.
The Log Cabin Republicans, a gay GOP group, worried that Bush risks alienating the 1 million gays and lesbians who voted for him in 2000 by pushing for the constitutional amendment. "We believe that this is a move to start a culture war, fueled and pushed by the radical right, that will end up in George Bush's defeat, and defeat for a lot of good Republicans who are with us on equality," Mark Mead, the group's political director, said in an interview with AP Radio. |
| Share |
|
|
2¢
|
|
| Article | Read Full Article |
|
| Date |
Category |
Headline |
Article |
Contributor |
|
|
