Romney Promises Judicial Litmus Test on Gay Marriage
While he may have been silent during the entire debt-ceiling debacle, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has been very vocal about his support of a federal constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Romney took that support even further and signed a pledge sponsored by the National Organization for Marriage promising future support.
At first blush such an act may seem purely symbolic. But the pledge pushed by NOM goes much further than simply promising to push amending the Constitution. It includes a promise to establish a presidential commission on “religious liberty” whose sole purpose is to investigate alleged harassment of opponents of same-sex marriage and to nominate federal judges who “reject the idea that our Founding Fathers inserted a right to gay marriage into our Constitution.”
Other Republican candidates including Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann signed the pledge as well. Tim Pawlenty refused the pledge, preferring to express his “commitment to the institution of marriage” in his own words.
That the Republican party plans to campaign on wedge issues should come as no surprise. But given the dramatic increase in support nationwide for same sex marriage, this move seems especially out of touch with most American voters. It also shows a significant unwillingness to deal seriously with the economic issues facing this country.
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