Remember when a Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex marriage was really going to
settle the issue for Republicans so they could focus on other things? Yeah, not so much,
reports Trip Gabriel.
The fast-developing story of Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk ordered to jail on Thursday for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, continued to divide the Republican presidential field.
Candidates vying for support from social conservatives issued increasingly heated statements of support for Ms. Davis as her case escalated this week.
There's
Ted Cruz: “Those who are persecuting Kim Davis believe that Christians should not serve in public office."
Rand Paul: “I think it’s absurd to put someone in jail for exercising their religious liberty.”
The Huckster:
If anything, it's been worse for the so-called establishment candidates who are trying to find some absurd middle ground where they essentially say "there should be a way" for the clerk's office to carry out its duties while allowing head clerk Kim Davis to refuse to carry out those duties. What?
Here's Jeb!:
"It seems to me that there ought to be common ground, there ought to be a big enough space for her to act on her conscience, and for now that the law is the law of the land, for a gay couple to be married in whatever jurisdiction that is," Bush told reporters after a town hall event in New Hampshire, according to Buzzfeed News. "I’m a little confused about why that can’t be done."
Actually, we're a little confused, Jeb!, about how Kim Davis is supposed to be able to "act on her conscience" (i.e. refuse marriage licenses) while gay couples still magically get marriage licenses from her.
Here's someone who isn't confused.