Posted on 01/26/2012 8:42:24 AM PST by transducer
Maybe they should cut a deal: Gov. Chris Christie can put gay marriage to a popular vote, as long as Democrats can do the same with the millionaires tax, the Port Authority toll hikes and the governor's personal use of state helicopters.
The governor's plan is not serious. It is a political dodge. He is trying to provide a safe haven to shelter his obedient Republican legislators. The idea is they could safely vote against gay marriage, saying they only want the people to decide.
Imagine how different American history would be if this rule by referendums had carried the day from the start.
Take race relations. If Southern states could have held a referendum on free speech rights for Martin Luther King Jr., can anyone doubt how it would have turned out? How long would it have taken for voters in Mississippi to integrate its public schools?
Gallup has traced attitudes toward interracial marriage for decades. Note that when the Supreme Court struck down Virginia's ban in 1967, fewer than 1 in 5 Americans supported the court's position. If Christie's philosophy had carried the day, the ban would have remained in place until the late 1990s.
The point is that minority rights should not be subjected to majority vote. That misses the gist of constitutional rights....
The governor is seeking a referendum for purely political reasons. He would leave the basic rights of gay people vulnerable to the unpredictable winds of a political campaign. Those legislators who go along with him will be responsible for the results.
(Excerpt) Read more at blog.nj.com ...
He is a RINO piece of crap....
Christie....Mitt’s buddy lol.....!
It figures that one of Mitt’s supporters would be afraid to take a stand.
MJ? Moo Jersey?
I think I KNOW where he stands, he’s just a coward...! Like Mitt...!
Chris Christie - Caddy to the Country Club Democrats
“Just take a mulligan on that one!”
“Why, thanks, Chris,”
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