Tony Perkins: Marriage Won Wisconsin

"After tasting the success of Walker's policies, Wisconsin handed its leader an even bigger victory this time (140,000 more votes) than it did in 2010. What changed? No doubt Mayor Barrett's shift on marriage had something to do with it. During the May debate, the Mayor was asked about his stance on same-sex 'marriage'--which Barrett had opposed during his congressional career. Have his own views 'evolved,' the moderator asked, and would he sign a civil unions bill if one were passed in the legislature? 'I believe in marriage equality,' Barrett responded. 'It is an issue where opinions have evolved. And for younger people in particular, they understand the need to respect relationships. I do respect them.'

"Unfortunately for him, voters do respect marriage--so much so that they enshrined it in the state constitution just six years ago. If the Mayor thinks public opinion has changed that quickly, he (and the rest of his party) needs to pay more attention to what's happening in the states: a 22-point victory on marriage in North Carolina, record petition numbers for referendums in Maryland and Washington State, and even marriage-driven defections from the Democratic Party. This was the third gubernatorial recall in history--and Scott Walker is the only one to survive. Could it be that social values were the tipping point in a race that was supposed to be about government spending and the economy? We don't have the hard data yet, but once again, it seems so." - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, via press release.