July 23, 2015
Column #1,769
How a Marriage Champion Can Win the Presidency
By Mike McManus

Chief Justice John Roberts called the Court's 5-4 decision to force all states to offer same-sex marriage "illegitimate" in a rare dissent he read from the bench. "Those who founded our country would not recognize the majority's conception of the judicial role. They after all risked their lives and fortunes for the precious right to govern themselves."

Yet 50 million people who voted for limiting marriage to the union of one man and one woman – had their ballots overturned by unelected judges. Some 33 state constitutional amendments were erased, while only three states voted for same-sex marriages.

What can be done? Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage, urged the Family Leadership Summit in Iowa to affirm that marriage can only be the union of a man and woman, and to reject the Court's "illegitimate decision." He also said, "We need a champion for marriage as President of the United States" who can appoint justices who can overturn the decision. "There will be another case before the Supreme Court."

"We also need to support an amendment to the Constitution to overturn this decision. It may take five years or 40 years."

Five of the Republican Presidential candidates spoke at the Forum on the issue. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker asserted, "I was frustrated that five unelected jurists overturned state constitutional amendments. I support a U.S. Constitutional Amendment," sparking applause.

Former Sen. Rick Santorum pledged he would "make saving the institution of traditional marriage my No. 1 priority if elected President. Instead of spending our bully pulpit time on global warming, we will spend it on trying to nurture children and raising healthy and happy families."

He said "Schools need to talk to students about the importance of marriage and the responsibility of fatherhood. We have to stop the federal government from breaking up families, whether it is welfare laws or our tax code. That will be a high priority for me as President. Two-parent families fare much better economically than single parent households."

For example, he noted that in Wisconsin a woman with two children earning $15,000 is eligible for $38,500 of government benefits. But if she marries, she "loses them all. The Federal Government is the single largest impediment" to the mother marrying the father.

"We have to stop the Federal Government from breaking up families," Santorum argued passionately to enthusiastic applause.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal asserted, "Marriage is a union or a man and a woman. The next President will appoint one to four Justices." He noted Republican Presidents have not always nominated conservatives, who will apply the Constitution, such as Justice Kennedy appointed by Reagan, who wrote the same-sex marriage decision with four liberals.

"The Supreme Court is clearly wrong that they can change what God instituted with marriage." Therefore he argued for a "Constitutional Amendment limiting marriage to unions of one man and one woman."

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry noted the next President could pick as many as three U.S. Supreme Court Justices and he vowed to appoint jurists who have solid conservative credentials. He too noted that Republicans haven't done a very good job in putting justices on the nation's highest court. In his 10 years as governor, he named six of the nine justices on the state Supreme Court, all of whom are credentialed conservatives.

"I don't think we can take any chances of having individuals put on our Supreme Court without them having a clear understanding of their constitutional roles as justices. It is not for them to legislate. It is for them to be a judge," Perry argued, sparking applause.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee charged that Obama "was not being honest with the American people in 2008" when he said marriage was between a man and a woman. "That was not a conviction of his." He said one of three things happened. Obama wasn't being truthful in 2008. "He's not being truthful now, or the Bible got re-written and he's the only one who got the new version."

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said that while he "disagrees with the Supreme Court's same-sex marriage ruling we must abide by that decision for the time being. However, the next President would have the power to bring in justices who would protect Americans that support traditional marriage going forward."

While Rubio's stance was relatively weak, both he and Gov. Walker would beat Clinton in Iowa by 8 percent, if an election were held this week.

A Republican champion for traditional marriage can defeat Clinton over her support of same-sex marriage.