Abandoning gay marriage opposition could free GOP to make real political gains

The Supreme Court’s recent gay marriage decision has many religious conservatives lobbying their GOP representatives for a legislative override. But conventional wisdom in Washington says that isn’t likely to happen and, even if it upsets the religious right for a time, some policy watchers view the ruling as a positive for the GOP.

Asked by Kentucky station WDRB whether Republicans have a plan to overturn the gay marriage ruling, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) suggested that GOP action would be a waste of time. Instead, McConnell said, Republicans will be discussing whether the court’s decision merits debate about increasing religious protections.

“I don’t think so. I think the courts have pretty well spoken. We’ll be taking a look at whether or not religious liberty needs to be enhanced by statue,” he said.

The lawmaker expressed concern that the ruling could lead to increased pressure on religious groups to accept lifestyles not in line with their teachings.

“What I worry about at this point is the potential problems with regard to religious liberty,” he said, adding that any outright challenges to the gay marriage rulings would likely happen in the courts and not Congress.

Republican legislation to protect religious objectors of gay marriage has already emerged from Utah Sen. Mike Lee. The lawmaker’s proposed First Amendment Protection Act would bar discrimination against anyone who continues to believe that marriage is a union between one man and one woman.

Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) previously suggested constitutional amendment to define marriage as an institution only for heterosexual couples is also sure to be reconsidered by die-hard gay marriage opponents.

But McConnell and other top Republicans haven’t shown much interest in the arduous task of amending the Constitution over the issue.

Political observers like American University Professor John Gould suggest that the GOP should move on rather than attempting to fight the SCOTUS ruling.

“It’s one thing to say that voters favor same-sex marriage and another thing to say that it influences their vote, but same-sex marriage has taken on broader cultural significance, serving as a symbol for how modern, inclusive and tolerant a candidate — and a political party — is,” he recently wrote for The Hill. “This is especially true among younger Americans, many of whom equate gay rights with civil rights and who, virtually across the ideological spectrum, support same-sex marriage. Lash out strongly against gay marriage and a candidate might as well post the words ‘old,’ ‘out of touch’ or even ‘prejudiced’ on his or her Facebook page.”

The professor suggested that the GOP lawmakers should accept the court’s ruling, abandon the issue and focus on “topics where their message might be more competitive.”

And that makes a lot of sense — especially at a time when economic worries are on the rise following eight years of Democratic control in the White House.

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