On "Verdict" last night, former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura made the perfect case as to why same-sex marriage is a civil rights issue and that the federal government has no right to tell you "who you can fall in love with." I was just waiting for Buchanan's head to explode.
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Download VENTURA: "Well, first of all, I made a statement when I was governor and stand by it today. Love is bigger than government. Who the hell are we as a government to tell people who you can fall in love with? I think it‘s absurd that fact it‘s even being debated. "
I couldn't have put it better myself, Governor.
Full transcript below the fold:
ABRAMS: Pat Buchanan does this become an issue in 2008?
BUCHANAN: Yes, I think it will because of the California Supreme Court decision which was a foolish decision, frankly, from the standpoint of the Democrats. The Massachusetts Supreme Court decision in 2003-2004 put the thing on the ballot in 13 states and homosexual marriage lost by 58 percent to 85 percent in Mississippi in all 13 and it killed Kerry. It won‘t be as big but it‘s an issue Barack Obama will say, “Marriage should be between a man and woman.” He will run away from it.
ABRAMS: Jesse, you‘re shaking your head.
VENTURA: Well, first of all, I made a statement when I was governor and stand by it today. Love is bigger than government. Who the hell are we as a government to tell people who you can fall in love with? I think it‘s absurd that fact it‘s even being debated.
We can solve the problem simply. Government only acknowledges civil unions then you don‘t have to put your sex down. Let the churches acknowledge marriage. They are the private sectors. If they don‘t want to acknowledge it, they have every right to do so. How on earth can we even entertain the fact that government should have the ability to tell you as an individual who you can fall in love with? Ridiculous.
ABRAMS: Jonathan, real quick. Is this going to be an issue?
ALTER: Let me disagree with Jesse.
ABRAMS: I want to - Let me say, get Jonathan, because I want to move on. I mean in 2008, this is going to become an issue.
ALTER: I think it‘s not going to be like 2004 because it‘s not going to be on the ballot in nearly as many states and in California where obviously it‘s going to get very hot.
ABRAMS: Because there‘s an economy to worry about and -
ALTER: There are a lot of more important things. But I did think it was interesting that, you know, John McCain looked here like he had taken a trip to Ellen the orthodontist - very, very uncomfortable. Even though his position is the same as Obama and Clinton‘s, but they are just more fluent in discussing it in ways that sort of bridge the gaps on this.
ABRAMS: Pat, final thought?
BUCHANAN: Well, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) marriage is a cinderblock of society. Historically, it‘s between a man and a woman. It ought to be set aside for a man and a woman. If government wants to set up civil unions and benefits for people like that, it ought to be done by elected legislators and not by un-anointed judges who are behaving more like tyrants imposing their values on us.
VENTURA: Let me throw something out. You can‘t take a civil rights issue and put it up to a vote. If you did that, we might still have slavery if it was allowed to be voted on.
BUCHANAN: Jesse what about -
(CROSS TALK)
VENTURA: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) civil rights and let people vote on it.
BUCHANAN: Well, Jesse, what are you talking about? The Civil Rights Act 1964 was voted on. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 voted on by congress.
The Open Housing Act of 1968 was done by LBJ, first went to demonstrations
by Martin Luther King. These were done by representatives -
VENTURA: Exactly.
BUCHANAN: Not by these un-elected judges.
VENTURA: Well, and not by populace itself, Pat. If the elected officials stand up for what‘s right and do what‘s right for civil rights like they did back then, I fully agree with you. But you can‘t put a civil rights issue on the general ballot in a state and let people vote on it because if do you that, in the southern states before you can bet, they would have voted to continue slavery.
