Texas Rep. Ron Paul says he believes
the government should “butt out” of the marriage business.
During a wide-ranging interview
conducted last week with the Des
Moines Register's editorial board, the GOP presidential
candidate was asked: “What is the government's role in same-sex
marriage?”
“That's my ideal — just butt out,”
Paul answered. “I think a lot of the importance of marriage and I
think a lot of the dictionary too. I know what the dictionary says
marriage should be and is. But I didn't vote for the marriage
amendment. To me, it's defining a word. If you want to define it
one way and me another, that sounds like a first amendment issue.
Why should I try to convince you of my definition? Or why do I want
someone else to impose their ideas on me and make me accept their
definition? So I want the government out. If you're going to have
government under the constitution, the states have a lot more
authority than the federal government has to define it. I'd rather
see it be outside of government and then we would not be arguing
about this.”
Paul spoke with the paper before
appearing at the Thanksgiving Family Forum in Des Moines, Iowa on
Saturday, where he disagreed with GOP rivals Newt Gingrich, Rick
Santorum, Herman Cain, Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann on amending
the U.S. Constitution to define marriage as a heterosexual union.
His position did not sit well with Bob
Vander Plaats, the head of The Family Leader, which organized the
event.
“Think he let his libertarian view
trump his moral compass,” Vander Plaats told the Des Moines
Register.