Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, a potential candidate for president in 2016, recently told a conservative conference, “We stand for marriage,” and insisted that his party not shy away from “family values.”
I’d assume assume, then, that Cruz would be delighted by the news that the Supreme Court has let stand rulings allowing more people than ever to get married and raise families with full rights here in Virginia, as well as in Utah, Oklahoma, Indiana and Wisconsin.
The Texas Republican called the decision “tragic and indefensible” and said he would introduce a constitutional amendment that would ensure states can ban gay marriage.
Cruz told the Values Voter Summit in Washington, “We stand for life [i.e., anti-abortion rights]. We stand for marriage [i.e., anti-same-sex marriage]. We stand for Israel.”
I’m pleased they stand for Israel, although I sometimes think the Israel of their imagination is not identical to the Israel that actually exists. And I’m not sure why some conservatives conflate support for Israel with opposition to abortion and gay marriage. Former Israeli prime minister and president Shimon Peres is among the many Israelis who think it should be legalized. If that happens, I hope Cruz and the others Values Voters will stand just as strongly for Israel.
Here is Virginia’s Democratic Attorney General Mark Herring making the announcement this morning that Virginia will begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples: