I told you so. So many LGB people have said “We won!” and walked away from advocacy, got married and had children. They are just starting to realize that nothing is forever.
A number of Congressional Republicans have announced that they plan on passing laws banning same-sex marriages and to make trans healthcare illegal. So in defense of marriage equality the Democrats have passed in the House the Respect for Marriage Act bill with some bipartisan support.
Everything to know about the Respect for Marriage Act and the new battle for same-sex marriage
USA Today vis Yahho News
By Marc Ramirez
July 23, 2022
The House passed the Respect for Marriage Act this week, codifying federal protections for same-sex marriage in the wake of concerns among lawmakers and LGBTQ advocates that the U.S. Supreme Court might reassess its landmark 2015 decision making gay marriage the law of the land.All 220 House Democrats voted in favor, with 47 Republicans also in support. Now, the measure heads to the Senate, where it is unclear whether it can win over enough Republicans and advance to the White House.
Worries over the future of gay marriage were sparked by Justice Clarence Thomas’ remarks in his concurring opinion on the court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in June. Thomas called on the court to also reconsider other so-called rights protected by the Constitution, such as those outlined in the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling protecting same-sex marriage.
Meanwhile NBC News reported that,
“The issue puts Republicans in an awkward spot," said Jack Pitney, a professor of political science at Claremont McKenna College. "Most Americans support same-sex marriage. Even a majority of self-identified Republicans support it. But evangelicals represent a huge share of GOP activists, and they still oppose it.
“More broadly, Republican activists dislike the idea of giving the Democrats a win — even on an issue where there is consensus in the general public,” he said.
[…]
But other Republicans, like Sen. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, both of Texas, have sharply criticized the Supreme Court's decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges ruling in 2015. Cruz's office emphasized that he wasn't predicting it would be overturned.
Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, who also faces re-election this fall, will vote against the bill, a Rubio spokesperson said, adding that he believes "it is unnecessary, there are other priorities, and this is an issue he’s always believed should be handled by the states."
It is for the Republicans it is a case of Jekyll and Hyde, they have laid down with the evangelicals and now are stuck with pacifying their radical base.
McConnell, whose top priority is to win a Senate majority this fall, has sought to downplay cultural issues in the midterm elections and instead make the contest a referendum on President Joe Biden amid voter disenchantment over inflation. His goal is to appeal to suburban swing voters, many of whom lean liberal on cultural issues and had fled the GOP during the rise of Donald Trump.
If he supports or green-lights the bill, it could nudge more GOP senators to vote for it. A Republican leadership aide said that same-sex marriage is not an issue the party is likely to pressure senators to vote one way or the other on, describing it as a personal decision based on conviction and views of the law.
I think no matter what the Republicans do they will get up with fleas.
Axios writes,
The bottom line: This is an issue Republicans have largely been able to ignore since 2015 when the court affirmed marriage equality in Obergefell v. Hodges. Politically, they have to straddle the divide in public opinion between their conservative base and the general public, who overwhelmingly support marriage rights.
What is happening here is the Republicans are finally figure out that they might have shot themselves in the foot by rallying the Democrat's base.
On the Republican’s agenda for decades like repealing Roe v. Wade is to cut Social Security and Medicare. Way back in 2016 according to the Chicago Tribune,
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan made clear Thursday that he is willing to pursue a major overhaul of Medicare, including changes that could eventually put private companies in charge of the health care for tens of millions of American seniors. But talk of wholesale changes to the popular federal programs has key GOP lawmakers nervous about overshooting their electoral mandate.
Cutting or doing away with Social Security and Medicare, banning abortion, and criminalizing us once again has always been their goals.
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