As same-sex marriage ceremonies commenced in Florida this week, so did the GOP's torturous 2016 dance with LGBT issues this election season. Sen. Marco Rubio's team was keen to share some forward-thinking views from his new book,
American Dreams,
where he asserts once again that marriage "should be defined as one man and one woman."
"Thousands of years of human history have taught us that the ideal setting for children to grow up in is with a mother and a father committed to each other, living together and sharing the responsibility of raising their children."
It's oh-so octogenarian for a Gen Xer, no?
In fairness, Rubio did attempt to moderate a bit while speaking with reporters about the Sunshine state's latest developments. "I'm against it. I don't agree with it," he said of marriage equality. "But we're in a democracy and people can debate those issues and ultimately it will be decided through that process."
So much for the young senator being the fresh new face of the GOP. Follow below the fold to read Gov. Jeb Bush's response.
In fact, the Florida politician who did show a hint of agility this week was former Gov. Jeb Bush. He initially bungled his response to the nuptial news with a lackluster remark about marriage being a "state decision" that's "been overturned by the courts, I guess." It was a gem of a political misdeed—at once alienating LGBT Americans with a states' rights argument and sending a signal to social conservatives that he wasn't all that concerned about it, "I guess."
But instead of sending him out to blather on to reporters without saying anything particularly new or interesting, Bush's team chose to issue a follow-up statement:
“We live in a democracy, and regardless of our disagreements, we have to respect the rule of law,” Bush said. “I hope that we can also show respect for the good people on all sides of the gay and lesbian marriage issue — including couples making lifetime commitments to each other who are seeking greater legal protections and those of us who believe marriage is a sacrament and want to safeguard religious liberty.”
It was certainly more artful than his first response, striking a conciliatory tone that aimed to soothe both the constituencies he had earlier offended. "Has Jeb Bush shown Republicans a new way to talk about same-sex marriage?" the
Washington Post cooed.
But it was the New York Times editorial board that hit the nail on the head.
[I]t is hard to see how allowing gay couples and their children the dignity that comes with marriage threatens anyone's religious liberty.
Exactly.
So to the Post's point—perhaps it is new for a Republican presidential candidate to acknowledge that gays are people too. What isn't new is for GOP candidates to propagate the myth that allowing LGBT Americans the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" somehow undermines the right of Christian fundamentalists to the very same pursuit. It quite simply does not.
So, no, Jeb Bush did not find a new way to talk about same-sex marriage this week. He just threw the gays a bone before blowing the dog whistle of "religious liberty."