Democrats are scrambling to remain one step ahead of the Supreme Court after failing to codify abortion rights before justices overturned Roe v. Wade last month.
A resurgence of constitutionality has created a firestorm in D.C. as it appears the nation’s highest court honors a separation of powers and states’ rights. This has caused panic amongst liberals who believe gay marriage, and other aspects of their progressive agenda, are in jeopardy.
On Tuesday, the Democrat-majority House overwhelmingly passed a bill that would codify same-sex marriage into federal law. The final tally was 267-157, with 47 GOP lawmakers voting alongside Democrats.
Republican support for the Respect for Marriage Act was truly a mixed bag.
The 47 Republicans who voted to codify same sex marriage rights. Interesting list. pic.twitter.com/EvFY48IkPA
— Sam Brodey (@sambrodey) July 19, 2022
Lawmakers you might expect to vote with Democrats, like Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, who also voted to impeach Former President Donald Trump, were certainly on the list. But the shocking part comes from seeing MAGA lawmakers and otherwise super conservative Republicans voting in favor of the legislation.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, for example, was amongst the 47 Republicans who voted for the Respect of Marriage Act. She is a leading voice for Trump’s America First agenda and currently chairs the House Republican Conference.
It was also surprising to see Rep. Scott Perry on the list of Republicans who voted alongside Democrats. Perry is arguably one of the more conservative members of Congress and currently chairs the House Freedom Caucus.
Other members of Republican leadership, like Reps. Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise, voted against the bill, calling it a “charade.”
If enacted, the Respect for Marriage Act would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, the 1996 law that defined marriage for federal purposes as a union between one man and one woman.
While DOMA was struck down by the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark 2015 ruling that established same-sex marriage as a constitutional right, it has never been repealed. The Respect for Marriage Act would also alter the federal definition of marriage to include same-sex unions and require states to allow same-sex marriages.
Essentially, the same-sex marriage legislation is another opportunity for Democrats to concentrate power on the federal level under the guise of social justice.
Americans, however, really aren’t invested in this issue and most report a libertarian ‘live and let live’ approach to same-sex marriage.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden and other prominent Democrats were not so fond of gay marriage just a short while ago. Their current rhetoric on the issue paints a different picture, highlighting just how phony politicians tend to be.
In 1996, President Joe Biden, then a senator, voted for DOMA, as did large majorities of Democrats in the House and Senate.
Such a far cry from the radical progressive agenda Biden is pushing today!
Author: Vasily Ivanov
