Is This Really What It Looks Like?

[Bob Schroeck]

From the LA Times:  GOP Quietly Shifts Its Stance On Gay Marriage.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Logan Darklighter]

While normally I would consider suspect the ability of any editorialist from the L.A. Times to have any sort of accurate read on conservatives or conservatism, in this case I think the writer is on to something.
Anecdotally, in my own circle of conservative/libertarian friends, we've never opposed the idea of gay marriage. We've been opposed to bad law and the use of judges rulings to make law by fiat. But gays and lesbians should by all means have all the legal rights of heterosexual couples. Myself and a couple of more libertarian sorts have the opinion that to extend the logic of "getting the government out of our lives and bedrooms" that the government shouldn't even be in the business of issuing marriage licenses at all. Let the government issue civil unions for all couples, and let "marriage" be handled by whatever religious institution wishes to support it.
On the other hand, this may be a response at higher circles to the fact that several countries are making laws to legalize gay marriages (Portugal, for example, recently did so). And it would be wise not to open the door for diplomatic incidents if, say, a legal gay couple from another country were not considered married here and one partner had a medical problem and suddenly the other were not allowed visitation rights because they're technically (in the US) considered not married. This is just speculation on my part though. (But I think it's a decent guess.)

[robkelk]

If it is true, then let me be one of the first to welcome the USA to 2005. (That's when we legalized it, and it doesn't seem to have hurt us as a country at all...)
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Logan Darklighter]

Just asking for clarification, Rob, what country are you in? I'm not sure I remember correctly. (My best guess off the top of my head is Canada, followed by Australia.)

[robkelk]

Canada, yes. (Ottawa, to be specific...)
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Morganite]

"No state is facing an anti-gay initiative on the ballot"

I don't know if I'd call this strictly true. Since one of the stated driving forces behind a group pushing for a constitutional convention in Iowa this year is to add anti-same-sex-marriage law to the constitution. Of course, this is getting opposition even from people who also oppose same-sex marriage, so I have my doubts about how far this'll go. Still, it's not like no one's trying, they're just going at it from a different direction. And I really wish they'd find something more useful to do.

-Morgan.