Haley and Wilson Won't Give Up ... Even When They've Already Lost

First, some back-story: in August 2013, Katie Bradacs and her wife, Tracie Goodwin-Bradacs, filed a lawsuit against Nikki Haley and the state demanding that South Carolina recognize their same-sex marriage — performed legally in Washington DC. Now, since there was already a case in Virginia before the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, both sides in South Carolina agreed to wait and see what happened in that case before moving forward.

And what happened was that the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the same-sex marriage ban in Virginia was unconstitutional. And when a bunch of folks demanded that the Supreme Court hear their request to appeal that ruling, SCOTUS basically said that the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals was right in saying that marriage bans in Virginia, and by association, Maryland — which has already passed marriage equality, North Carolina, West Virginia and South Carolina, are unconstitutional.

So, Nikki Haley, and Attorney General Alan Wilson, stopped their fight, right? Katie and Tracie, as well as any number of same-sex couples married in other states would now see their marriages recognized in South Carolina, right? Well, not if Governor Haley and Alan Wilson have anything to say about it.

See, some people need to be told more than once that the fight is over, that they’ve lost, that they need to put down their protest signs, and their rhetoric, and their out-date — and kind of untrue — arguments, call it a day and go home. And some folks, when being told that by any number of people, from the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals to the United States Supreme Court, still don’t get it.

But both Haley and Wilson said — as soon as the announcement was made — that they would keep fighting the Bradacs lawsuit, with Alan Wilson saying:

“Our case has not yet been decided. Until the courts rule on the matter, South Carolina will seek to uphold our state constitution.”

For an Attorney General, he seems ignorant of the fact that the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled, and the Supreme Court stands by that ruling, that marriage bans against same-sex couples are unconstitutional … even the one in South Carolina.

And naturally, Nikki Haley, a darling of the illiterate Teabag set, sent one of her Flying Monkeys out with a statement:

“Governor Haley agrees with Attorney General Wilson – our voter-approved state law should be followed until a court rules on it directly.”

Nikki Haley apparently needs to be hit over the head with the facts before she sees them, but then, as a Republican, she has little use, little need, for facts.

So, for now, Haley and Wilson are digging in their heels, and sealing their fate, all because they don’t want to be seen as the ones who allowed this to happen; instead, they’ll be seen as the ones who don’t know when they’ve lost and continue to cry foul.

Marriage equality is coming to South Carolina; get used to it.

Wilson, for his part, does have a way out of this mess; he could say that to continue this fight would be a waste of taxpayer money and he cannot allow that. As a lawyer, you’d hope he would realize that the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling, and the subsequent announcement by the Supreme Court, applies to South Carolina; he knows equality is coming, yet he won’t give up. He’ll keep squawking about traditional marriage, and activist judges, and he’ll keep saying the case hasn’t been decided because it hasn’t gone to court yet.

As for Nikki, and why she won’t give up when it’s quite clear she’s lost, it’s because she wants to appease her base of Teabagging loons and Rightwingnut Goosesteppers; but again, how can she say she’s a fiscal conservative, and then allow the lawsuit to continue when it’s clear to everyone with a brain that fires on more than one cylinder, that the fight is over.

Of course, as with politics, it’s all about elections, and the party, and your side, and, sometimes, not at all about what’s right, and fair, and agreeing to abide by what has already been decided.

Haley’s opponents in the upcoming race for governor are also weighing in on the decision, and the Democrat, a local Camden boy, and State Senator, Vincent Sheheen, seems to want to play both sides of the fence, releasing his own statement after the SCOTUS announcement:

“Further litigation on this issue will be a waste of time and precious taxpayer dollars.”

But then he seemed to also suggest that Haley and Wilson should continue the battle in the 4th Circuit Court. See, as a politician, and one who wants to get into the governor’s mansion — and, for the record, I’d prefer him there over Haley … go figure — I wish he’d stop speaking out of both sides of his mouth. You cannot have it both ways; you cannot say it’s a waste of time to continue to fight and then also endorse the fight.

The other  candidate for Governor, a Republican running as an Independent, Tom Erwin, though, has said:

“The Supreme Court has made its decision and further action by the state is a poor use of resources.”

Boom. Done. Simple.

And it is simple, and done; let me make this part clear: the judge in the case of Bradacs v Haley, South Carolina, et al, is Michelle Childs and she is bound by Virginia’s Bostic decision and she must rule against Haley and Wilson. And when she does, Haley and Wilson will most likely take their case, all foot-stomping and head-snapping, to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, which has already ruled that marriage bans are unconstitutional.

It’s over, and yet only Nikki Haley, Alan Wilson, and rightwingnut, Teabagging, conservatives don’t get it.

It’s over.

via The State