A Republican Betrayal – Calls Urgently Needed

By: Lisa Van Houten

In 1996 the Defense of Marriage Act was passed by Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support and signed into law by none other than Bill Clinton, defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

How far we have fallen in 26 years.  Earlier this week the House of Representatives passed the ironically named “Respect for Marriage Act” (RFMA) which instead disrespects and undermines the institution of marriage ordained by God and recognized by every civilization since the beginning of time.  RFMA will enshrine homosexual marriage as the law of the land.

You may say “we already have legalized gay marriage in the U.S. so what’s the big deal; it’s settled law”.  If pro-lifers had the same attitude toward abortion, “the Supreme Court ruled, it’s settled law,” Roe v. Wade would still be in place.  But Roe was an egregiously unconstitutional decision, as was the Obergefell decision which forced gay marriage upon every state against the vote of the people.

Democrats fear that one day the Supreme Court will have the courage to right that wrong as they recently did with Roe and so Nancy Pelosi pushed a surprise vote on RFMA as an end run around the Supreme Court.  But not only would RFMA codify gay marriage into federal law, it would also federally recognize any ‘marriage’ lawfully performed by any state. Therefore, if at some point in the future a state recognized polygamy as a lawful marriage, the federal government would as well.

RFMA passed the House with every Democrat voting in favor of it and, to their great shame, supported by 47 Republicans who joined the Democrats to protect gay marriage.  Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy[R] and Minority Whip Steve Scalise[R] gave their party’s members permission to vote for RFMA, undermining not only their party’s platform, but also their constituents who expect their representatives to uphold conservative values.

The Republican Party platform, approved in 2016 and reaffirmed just two years ago in 2020 states: “Traditional marriage and family, based on marriage between one man and one woman, is the foundation for a free society and has for millennia been entrusted with rearing children and instilling cultural values. …. We also condemn the Supreme Court’s lawless ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges [which allowed] five unelected lawyers [to rob] 320 million Americans of their legitimate constitutional authority to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.”

Yet 47 Republicans pandered to the woke, LGBT mob instead of the voters who put them in office.  The 47 Republicans who voted to redefine marriage nationwide are listed at the end of this email.

Each of these have not only defied their party platform and betrayed their constituents, more importantly they have defied God’s law.  One day they will face His judgment; may they face ours at the ballot box.

They should be getting an earful from those they represent.  All are up for election in November; some of them will yet face primaries.

Of notable interest for us at American Decency is Peter Meijer from our neighboring Congressional district in conservative Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Meijer has proven from day one that he is no conservative.  Within days of taking office in January 2021 he voted to impeach President Trump.  Meijer is facing a primary election on August 2.  His challenger is conservative John Gibbs.

Now RFMA moves to the Senate, where Democrats will need 10 Republicans to vote for the bill. Four have already indicated they will – Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Thom Tillis, and Rob Portman. Politico identifies another six who are noncommittal but don’t rule out supporting the bill.

Many of these Republicans just seven short years ago strongly condemned the Supreme Court’s Obergefell ruling.  What’s changed?  Is marriage no longer worth defending?  Was their outrage just lip service, pandering to their base?

As LifeSiteNews opines:  One of the national GOP’s dirty little not-so-secrets is that it’s only as conservative as it needs to be to stay in office. Their natural inclination is to go with the flow on marriage and sexuality, partly because it’s irrelevant to the economic issues they really care about or to their own professional betterment, and partly because it’s easier to live, work, and play in the Swamp when one reflects the Swamp’s values.

Scores of Republicans were privately thrilled that the Supreme Court disenfranchised America on the definition of marriage in 2015, hopeful that no longer being able to vote on the issue would exempt them from having to take a stand and put the issue behind them. For the most part it has, but the issue was never going to stay buried forever.

There is a direct causal line from surrendering marriage to the following years’ assaults on religious liberty and today’s all-out war on gender distinctions. …

Indeed, look at the Pandora’s Box that has exploded since the Obergefell decision normalizing transgenderism, threatening religious liberty, and further destroying God’s design for family.  We see the disintegration of our society as a result.

Call your Republican U.S. Senators and let them know you expect them to uphold their party’s platform: “Traditional marriage and family, based on marriage between one man and one woman, is the foundation for a free society …”  Let them know that if they betray the people they represent and this basic conservative principle, we will hold them accountable at the ballot box.

The United States Capitol switchboard is (202) 224-3121. A switchboard operator will connect you directly with the Senate office you request.

 The 47 Republicans Congress members who voted to redefine marriage nationwide:

Kelly Armstrong (N.D.)
Don Bacon (Neb.)
Cliff Bentz (Ore.)
Ken Calvert (Calif.)
Kat Cammack (Fla.)
Mike Carey (Ohio)
Liz Cheney (Wyo.)
John Curtis (Utah)
Rodney Davis (Ill.)
Mario Diaz-Balart (Fla.)
Tom Emmer (Minn.)
Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.)
Andrew Garbarino (N.Y.)
Mike Garcia (Calif.)
Carlos Gimenez (Fla.)
Tony Gonzales (Texas)
Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio)
Ashley Hinson (Iowa)
Darrell Issa (Calif.)
Chris Jacobs (N.Y.)
David Joyce (Ohio)
John Katko (N.Y.)
Adam Kinzinger (Ill.)
Nancy Mace (S.C.)
Nicole Malliotakis (N.Y.)
Brian Mast (Fla.)
Peter Meijer (Mich.)
Dan Meuser (Pa.)
Mariannette Miller-Meeks (Iowa)
Blake Moore (Utah)
Dan Newhouse (Wash.)
Jay Obernolte (Calif.)
Burgess Owens (Utah)
Scott Perry (Pa.)
Tom Rice (S.C.)
Maria Elvira Salazar (Fla.)
Mike Simpson (Idaho)
Elise Stefanik (N.Y.)
Bryan Steil (Wis.)
Chris Stewart (Utah)
Mike Turner (Ohio)
Fred Upton (Mich.)
David Valadao (Calif.)
Jefferson Van Drew (N.J.)
Ann Wagner (Mo.)
Michael Waltz (Fla.)
Lee Zeldin (N.Y.)

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