Monday, January 11, 2010

Ted Olson On Why We Need Marriage Equality


Ted Olson is a conservative; he is a former U.S. Solicitor General under President George W. Bush, and was, in fact, the man in charge of W's legal team during the infamous Bush v. Gore litigation.

He is also a die-hard federalist who believes that the anti-gay marriage crowd needs to get with the program. Same-sex marriage doesn't threaten anything, Ted Olson thinks; it embodies the best of American values.

Ted Olson in Newsweek:

"Together with my good friend and occasional courtroom adversary David Boies, I am attempting to persuade a federal court to invalidate California’s Proposition 8—the voter-approved measure that overturned California’s constitutional right to marry a person of the same sex.
My involvement in this case has generated a certain degree of consternation among conservatives. How could a politically active, lifelong Republican, a veteran of the Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush administrations, challenge the “traditional” definition of marriage and press for an “activist” interpretation of the Constitution to create another “new” constitutional right?
My answer to this seeming conundrum rests on a lifetime of exposure to persons of different backgrounds, histories, viewpoints, and intrinsic characteristics, and on my rejection of what I see as superficially appealing but ultimately false perceptions about our Constitution and its protection of equality and fundamental rights.
Many of my fellow conservatives have an almost knee-jerk hostility toward gay marriage. This does not make sense, because same-sex unions promote the values conservatives prize. Marriage is one of the basic building blocks of our neighborhoods and our nation. At its best, it is a stable bond between two individuals who work to create a loving household and a social and economic partnership. We encourage couples to marry because the commitments they make to one another provide benefits not only to themselves but also to their families and communities. Marriage requires thinking beyond one’s own needs. It transforms two individuals into a union based on shared aspirations, and in doing so establishes a formal investment in the well-being of society. The fact that individuals who happen to be gay want to share in this vital social institution is evidence that conservative ideals enjoy widespread acceptance. Conservatives should celebrate this, rather than lament it.
Legalizing same-sex marriage would also be a recognition of basic American principles, and would represent the culmination of our nation’s commitment to equal rights. It is, some have said, the last major civil-rights milestone yet to be surpassed in our two-century struggle to attain the goals we set for this nation at its formation."

Read Ted Olson's The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage here

5 comments:

  1. Politics makes interesting bedfellows don't it? I'm hoping it shows up on YouTube - I remember getting to actually listen to the Bush v Gore, that was thrilling. Also might mention that David Bois (co-counsel in this case) is another dyslexic made good.

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  2. This is very encouraging to hear. Hopefully his words will be very influential to other conservatives who are on the fence about this issue.

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  3. it is a good article

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  4. Living proof that there is actually intelligence and compassion on the other side of the political spectrum.

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  5. His statement makes perfect sense. Its just hard to believe it came from someone with his political background.

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