Arnold sounds more progressive on gay marriage than Kerry!

[ringmastery]

Kerry has said he's against gay marriage.

Arnold is basically saying here he doesn't care. Let the voters or courts decide.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/03/02/GOVERNOR.TMP&type=printable

Sacramento -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, wading even deeper into the debate over gay and lesbian unions, said he would be "fine'' with same-sex marriage if California voters approved it and proclaimed he had no use for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

Schwarzenegger made the comments Monday on the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno," two days before President Bush is scheduled to arrive in California, putting the Republican governor in direct opposition to the Republican president on a divisive issue in an election year.

Throughout his public life, Schwarzenegger's views on gays and lesbians usually have been more libertarian than conservative. He once told an interviewer, "When it comes to sex, I don't care what your (thing) is" and compared discrimination against gays to discrimination against bodybuilders.

But his comments Monday also mirrored another Schwarzenegger mantra: Let the people decide. The governor said he opposes San Francisco issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples because "we have a law on the books here ... I think they should abide by the law."

Leno then asked Schwarzenegger if he would mind if the courts ruled gay marriage legal, and the governor said: "No, I don't have a problem."

"Let the court decide," Schwarzenegger added. "Let the people decide. The people have voted just in the last election on Proposition 22. They voted very clearly that marriage is only between a man and woman. That's the law, so we have to abide by the law."

[Art_from_Ark]

1. delete

[jsw_81]

2. Arnold is governor of a liberal state

Kerry is running for president of ALL the states. And unfortunately, a candidate in favor of gay marriage would get crushed in a presidential election (at least this year).

[ringmastery]

3. he doesn't have to "favor" gay marriage

But I would expect he could AT LEAST go as far as a repuke governor, even a moderate repuke in a liberal state.

It's for the courts, voters, and legislatures of the states to decide. He can say he's against a constitutional amendment and whatever the states decide is fine with him because marriage is a state issue, not a federal one.

Isn't this basically Cheney's position, as well?

[gottaB]

4. Schwarzenegger sounds like a jerk to me

I just don't understand how some people can take everything John Kerry says and interepret in the worst possibly way, in total disregard of his voting record and how that attests to his credibility and his commitment to civil rights, while on the other hand they hold up people with *recent* recorded statements demonstrating virulent homophobia and hostility to gay rights, hold them up as paragons of political courage because of some remark that might have progressive implications that they made while joshing around on a late night talk show.

Sheesh.

[xchrom]

5. while i might not like kerry's view on marriage equality

i would never, not under any circumstances, trust a conservative with my civil rights.
i'll take my chances with liberals and quite gleefully, forcefully remind them when i think they are being homophobic.
conservatism is the enemy.

[ringmastery]

6. Arnold

is far from a conservative.

He's more liberal than many elected democrats in "red" states.

[tinanator]

11. bullshit

he wants to be Adolph Hitler. His election was nothing but a giant fraud. He tried to railroad Kevin Cooper. Theres nothing liberal about him except his bullshit factor. But then again, he may be more liberal than you?

[dusty64]

7. Our Country wasn't

set up to allow the majority to decide the fate and rights of a minority, so letting the People decide is NOT a very good idea. The Founders understood the tyranny of the majority. I'm glad ahnold is not against this even though I still believe he is a TOTAL regime hack.

[ringmastery]

8. oh

so letting the People decide is NOT a very good idea.

That sounds like the logic the supreme court used to get Bush into office. ;-)

[jpgray]

9. Ending slavery was opposed by a majority, friend

The majority can be as wrong as wrong can be sometimes.

[tinanator]

13. not if they arent given the facts

and facts have been banned for years now. Your logic is specious.

[sangh0]

10. He doesn't care? How progressive!

.

[flpoljunkie]

12. Sounds like Arnold is trying to have it both ways to me...

"Let the court decide." Schwarzenegger added. "Let the people decide."

Which is it? The people voted for Proposition 22 limiting marriage to heterosexuals. But the Supreme Court in California has the obligation to make a ruling that denying the rights of marriage to same sex couples does not infringe on their equal protection rights in the California Constitution.

For conservatives, judges only become "activist" when they rule against their positions. What utter hypocrisy!