In a roundtable discussion on ABC’s This Week, conservative pundit George Will said what we’ve all been thinking: That marriage equality is a historical inevitability in America, hindered only by the older generation.
Discussing the Supreme Court’s recent decision to take up two challenges to gay marriage, Will said the recent election results are telling:
“This decision by the Supreme Court came 31 days after an Election Day in which three states for the first time endorsed same-sex marriage at the ballot box —never happened before—Maine, Maryland, and the state of Washington.
Now, the question is, how will that influence the court? It could make them say it’s not necessary for us to go here. They don’t want to do what they did with abortion. The country was having a constructive accommodation on abortion, liberalizing abortion laws. The court yanked the subject out of democratic discourse and embittered the argument. They may say we don’t want to do that, we can just let the democracy take care of this.”
On the other hand, they could say it’s now safe to look at this because there is something like an emerging consensus. Quite literally, the opposition to gay marriage is dying. It’s old people.”
That’s it, we’re not helping old ladies cross the street anymore.
MikeE
his one error (other than being a “conservative”): equal rights are NEVER a matter for “democratic discourse”.
Tracy
If this 150-year-old man can see it…..
the other Greg
@MikeE: Well congratulations on your appointment to the Supreme Court, MikeE! I must have missed that in the news. Watch out for that Scalia guy.
LandStander
@MikeE: I think you mean, equal rights are ALWAYS a matter for “democratic discourse”, at least at first, even though they should not be.
Avenger
What’s considered “old”? I was born in the 80’s and am thoroughly opposed to the legalization of gay marriage. In 2004, mine was one of the 11 states that banned it via vote, and should it come back around for vote, I will vote against it again.
2eo
@Avenger: I think you should kill yourself, you know, just because the world would be better without you in it.
longpastdue
I don’t know if I agree with this. It seems to me that the primary demographic against gay marriage would be people in their late forties to mid sixties. I have found that people any older than that just cannot be bothered to care. Real gay hatred as a political statement really has only existed for a short time. Before they seventies and eighties gay people were a novelty, flamboyant and harmless stereotypes whose parties everyone wanted to attend. It was only when we started forming communities and truly standing up for equality that the public backlash began. I think now is actually the time with the most public support and opposition to gay rights. So I think the key demographic is the middle-aged person. Sure they will as well die eventually but that’s a long time away.
the other Greg
@Avenger: Wow, Avenger’s back! I was wondering if you’d moved to the Cayman Islands after the election.
brent
@MikeE: George Will is right as always. His point was if the supreme court had not passed Roev.Wade abortion probably would be legal and without the controversy. I mean do you want the court to legalize marriage from the bench, and have to spend the next 40 years arguing about it. You say equal rights should not be voted on. What is an equal right? Is the right to own a gun an equal right? Abortion is an equal right?
Freddie27
I really wish the Supreme Court had not taken the Prop 8 case and had just taken the DOMA case and struck DOMA down. Thereby California would have marriage equality and married gay couples could file Federal income taxes jointly. Then over the next five years, the blue states such as Oregon, Hawaii, New Jersey etc would legalize it. Then for the next ten years, states like Nevada, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and other swing states would have legalized it. A more liberal Supreme Court could then have issued a ruling in 2025 when most of the country had it to force the holdouts like Oklahoma, Kansas and Utah to accept equality.
Tommy25
@Freddie 27: The SC can still reach that same result though. They can still say Propisition 8 is unconstitutional in regard to California only without reaching the issue of whether the constitution requires gay marriage everywhere. I predict they will strike down DOMA and say gay marriage is required in CA but not in other states. That would be a compromise I can see them reaching. They don’t have to go all the way on gay marriage legally and they probably won’t want to.