An experiment on Jim DeMint's rhetoric
On Meet the Press, Jim DeMint said:
What I'd say, David, is [Justice Kennedy] is denying dignity to the millions of Americans who, for moral or religious reasons, believe that gay marriage is wrong. As you just said, you've got 37 states where the people have decided that they want to protect the marriage between a man and a woman because they know that that's the environment where children can thrive and succeed. I mean, that's been proven.
So it's not about the desires of adults, it's really about the best environment for children. We're talking all about politics, but the reason governments at the state level and the federal level have recognized marriage between a man and a woman is because it's better for our country and it's better for children.
I'm sure I'm not the first person to think of this, but an initial test as to whether it's worth the effort to further engage an argument concerning marriage equality is to replace references to gay marriage with interracial marriage and imagine it was said 40-something years ago:
What I'd say, David, is [Justice Kennedy Warren] is denying dignity to the millions of Americans who, for moral or religious reasons, believe that gay interracial marriage is wrong. As you just said, you've got 37 17 states [as of 1967] where the people have decided that they want to protect the marriage between a man and a woman people of the same race because they know that that's the environment where children can thrive and succeed. I mean, that's been proven.
So it's not about the desires of adults, it's really about the best environment for children. We're talking all about politics, but the reason governments at the state level and the federal level have recognized marriage between a man and a woman people of the same race is because it's better for our country and it's better for children.
What I'd say, David, is [Justice Kennedy] is denying dignity to the millions of Americans who, for moral or religious reasons, believe that gay marriage is wrong. As you just said, you've got 37 states where the people have decided that they want to protect the marriage between a man and a woman because they know that that's the environment where children can thrive and succeed. I mean, that's been proven.
So it's not about the desires of adults, it's really about the best environment for children. We're talking all about politics, but the reason governments at the state level and the federal level have recognized marriage between a man and a woman is because it's better for our country and it's better for children.
I'm sure I'm not the first person to think of this, but an initial test as to whether it's worth the effort to further engage an argument concerning marriage equality is to replace references to gay marriage with interracial marriage and imagine it was said 40-something years ago:
What I'd say, David, is [Justice Kennedy Warren] is denying dignity to the millions of Americans who, for moral or religious reasons, believe that gay interracial marriage is wrong. As you just said, you've got 37 17 states [as of 1967] where the people have decided that they want to protect the marriage between a man and a woman people of the same race because they know that that's the environment where children can thrive and succeed. I mean, that's been proven.
So it's not about the desires of adults, it's really about the best environment for children. We're talking all about politics, but the reason governments at the state level and the federal level have recognized marriage between a man and a woman people of the same race is because it's better for our country and it's better for children.