One of the things I look for in candidates is how willing they are to fight, and it appears that U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is willing to let the Supreme Court have the final say in the marriage debate.
Buzzfeed reports that Graham spoke with Boston Herald Radio on Monday and he said it would be time to move on if the Supreme Court decides in favor of same-sex marriage.
“Things are changing, so at the end of the day, being for traditional marriage without animosity is where I stand. If the Supreme Court rules sometime this year that same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional, then that will be a defining moment in that debate. It will be time for us to move forward as a society,” Graham said.
He also didn’t believe that a federal marriage amendment was realistic and then pivoted to discuss the prolife issue.
“I just don’t see how you get a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman ratified by 3/4 of the states given the way the lay of the land is today. So the courts gonna hear the case. People who are social conservative, hold your head up high. Be proud of speaking for the unborn, I’m a pro-life guy with exceptions of rape and incest. When a woman is raped, it is not the will of God, it is a crime, and the perpetrator should be punished accordingly. The woman will make that decision about what to do after being the victim of a crime,” Graham said.
The problem I have is that there is still action Congress can take like limiting federal jurisdiction over marriage, or an amendment which leaves it to the states to decide unlike a Federal Marriage Amendment that bans same-sex marriage altogether – I agree I don’t see that kind of amendment passing either. It’s true that there could be a time were all options are exhausted, but I’m not quite convinced we are there yet.
We certainly don’t need candidates who are going to roll over for the judicial branch however.
You can listen to Graham’s whole exchange on marriage here or below.