Back in 2004, I was part of a small group of Republican senators that forced a floor vote on a motion to consider a constitutional amendment defining marriage as being between a man and a woman. We needed 60 votes to proceed; we fell just short of 50. Many senators who voted “yea” privately castigated me for making them “walk the plank” on such a tough issue.
A majority of Americans still supports traditional marriage. It has been on the ballot in 31 states and won every time. However, the inside-the-Beltway power centers – the media, campaign contributors, and politically active special-interest groups – passionately want to, as the 2004 Massachusetts majority opinion put it, “eradicate that stain” on our country.
That’s why, when last week’s ruling in Boston knocked down the last defense against judicially mandated same-sex “marriage,” there was largely silence from the political class.
With the exception of a core group of conservatives, most politicians – including the president – continue to publicly back marriage while eagerly awaiting the day when judges will take this issue out of their hands. In this case, silence, as my former colleague Zell Miller once said, is not golden; it’s yellow.
via The Elephant in the Room: Boldly defending marriage | Philadelphia Inquirer | 07/14/2010.