Palin was asked yesterday whether she would support a constitutional amendment prohibiting the marriage of same-sex couples (Federal Marriage Amendment):
I have voted along with the vast majority of Alaskans who had the opportunity to vote to amend our Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman. I wish on a federal level that that's where we would go because I don't support gay marriage...
I do support that.
Now, I know that Palin's LGBT vote can probably be counted on the fingers of one hand, but the video worth watching. She is way far to the right, on this one.
Oh, remember what she said during the Katie Couric interview? On those big issues, like abortion, she was an advocate of States' rights, yes?
Video and transcript on the jump.
http://www.cbn.com/...
Transcript:
Brody: On Constitutional marriage amendment , are, are you for something like that?
Palin: I am, in my own, state, I have voted along with the vast majority of Alaskans who had the opportunity to vote to amend our Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman.
I wish on a federal level that that's where we would go because I don't support gay marriage. I'm not going to be out there judging individuals, sitting in a seat of judgment telling what they can and can't do, should and should not do, but I certainly can express my own opinion here and take actions that I believe would be best for traditional marriage and that's casting my votes and speaking up for traditional marriage that, that instrument that it's the foundation of our society is that strong family and that's based on that traditional definition of marriage, so I do support that.
(emphasis is mine)
This is a startling revelation, for a few reasons.
First, John McCain has voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment, aka the FMA or Marriage Protection Amendment. The FMA is a proposed Constitutional amendment that proposes:
Marriage in the United States shall consist solely of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.
This is a hard right stance that would explicitly remove the States' right to determine whether marriages between same-sex couples is legal.
But wait. It gets much better. Palin said, in her interview with Couric, regarding Roe v. Wade:
Sarah Palin: I think it should be a states’ issue not a federal government-mandated, mandating yes or no on such an important issue. I’m, in that sense, a federalist, where I believe that states should have more say in the laws of their lands and individual areas.
She re-iterates her federalist stance again when asked about the right to privacy:
Couric: Do you think there’s an inherent right to privacy in the Constitution?
Palin: I do. Yeah, I do.
Couric: The cornerstone of Roe v. Wade.
Palin: I do. And I believe that individual states can best handle what the people within the different constituencies in the 50 states would like to see their will ushered in an issue like that.
And finally, let's not forget what she said when she couldn't name a single Supreme court case other than Roe v Wade:
Couric: What other Supreme Court decisions do you disagree with?
Palin: Well, let’s see. There’s, of course in the great history of America there have been rulings, that’s never going to be absolute consensus by every American. And there are those issues, again, like Roe v. Wade, where I believe are best held on a state level and addressed there. So you know, going through the history of America, there would be others but ...
Couric: Can you think of any?
Palin: Well, I could think of ... any again, that could be best dealt with on a more local level.
So, let me get this straight: When it comes to abortion rights, Palin believes that States should make the determination. But when it comes to marriage, the federal government should take over?
What does this tell you?
If she were President, she'd try to punt any federal ruling she didn't like to the states. Any state issue she didn't like, she'd try to circumvent through a constitutional amendment.
Well, Governor Palin, I'm going to call you out: you're no federalist. You just pretend to be, when it happens to be convenient.