Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and
entertainer Jay Leno have ostensibly agreed to disagree on gay
marriage.
Bachmann appeared Friday night on NBC's
The Tonight Show, where host Leno brought up the issue.
“Why be against it?” Leno asked.
“I've been married 31 years. First wife. Very happy. Two gay
guys get married. How does that affect my marriage?”
“Well,” Bachmann began, “because
the family is foundational, and marriage between a man and woman has
been what the law has been for years and years.”
“I know, I've tried it myself. It
works great for me. I'm just saying ...”
“You see,” Bachmann interrupted.
“There you go.”
“I got to admit that's the part I
don't get. I know gay families that are married, they have children,
and they are wonderful people. It doesn't seem like … why they
shouldn't be allowed to be happy.”
“But I'm not going to change your
mind on that one,” Leno added.
A main driver of Bachmann's political
success in Minnesota has been her opposition to gay marriage. Now on
the national stage as a GOP candidate for the White House, she has
greatly toned down her anti-gay rhetoric.
(Related: Michele
Bachmann dismisses gay marriage as “frivolous” issue.)