Brian Brown, president of the National
Organization for Marriage (NOM), on Friday hailed Mike Huckabee's
call for Republicans to speak out against gay marriage as recent
court decisions greatly expand the number of states legalizing such
unions.
On Monday, the Supreme Court refused to
hear appeals from five states that wish to keep their bans in place.
The action affected 11 states over three circuit courts. The
following day, bans in Nevada and Idaho tumbled, affecting an
additional three states.
(Related: Church
helps topple North Carolina's gay marriage ban.)
Huckabee, a former presidential
candidate and current Fox News host, said during an appearance on the
American Family Association's (AFA) Today's Issues program he
was “utterly exasperated” with the response from the GOP and
threatened to ditch the party over the issue.
(Related: Reince
Priebus: Gay marriage not “top tier issue for midterms.”)
“I am utterly exasperated with
Republicans and the so-called leadership of the Republicans who have
abdicated on this issue,” he
said.
“I'm gone,” he warned. “I'll
become an independent. I'll start finding people that have guts to
stand. I'm tired of this.”
Brown backed Huckabee in a blog post.
“Governor Huckabee is exactly right
and is speaking for millions of Americans who are sick of Republican
elitists remaining silent and refusing to fight for the survival of
marriage, the principal building block of society and the foundation
of civilization,” he said. “Republicans who remain silent on
marriage do so at their own peril and risk losing elections across
the country. If conservatives see Republican candidates fail to lead
on marriage – or worse, come out in favor of redefining marriage –
then conservatives will abandon those candidates.”
“If more Republican leaders do not
speak up and join the fight, then millions of conservatives will
abandon them and join with officials who will fight,” he added.
“Marriage is on the line in our country, and it's time for people
to get off the bench and into the battle.”