McCain to Ellen DeGeneres: You Do Not Have the "Right" to Get Married
John McCain continues his "kinder, gentler" rebranding tour and today appears on the set with Ellen DeGenres, who recently announced that she will take advantage of the California Supreme Court’s same sex marriage ruling and wed her longtime girlfriend, actress Portia di Rossi. The openly lesbian talk show host pressed the presumptive Republican presidential nominee on his shifting stance on gay marriage.
Via Think Progress is video. McCain says he is opposed to gay marriage, but, believes same sex couples "should be able to allowed to enter into legal agreements." Whatever that means.
McCAIN: Well, my thoughts are that I think people should be able to enter into legal agreements, and I think that is something that we should encourage, particularly in the case of insurance and other areas, decisions that have to be made. I just believe in the unique status of marriage between man and woman. And I know that we have a respectful disagreement on that issue.
DEGENERES: Yeah, I mean, I think that it is looked at, and some people are saying that blacks and women did not have the right to vote. Women just got the right to vote in 1920, blacks didn’t have the right to vote until 1870, and it just feels like there’s this old way of thinking that we’re not all the same. We are all the same people. All of us. You’re no different than I am. Our love is the same.
(APPLAUSE)
Ellen Degeneres asked Sen. McCain if he would walk her "down the aisle." McCain smiled and said "touche" and wished her the best with her nuptials.
McCain has a shifting stance on gay rights and marriage. Although he initially opposed the Federal Marriage Amendment, the senator actively campaigned for a state marriage amendment in Arizona, which, ironically, was the only marriage amendment ever rejected by the voters. Think Progress adds, "In 2006, he also told the late Rev. Jerry Falwell that would support a federal constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, even though he opposed such a measure in 2004.
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McCain will do and say anything to get elected. If the tide toward acceptance of our right to marry turned in our favor, he's marry Ellen and Portia himself in a heartbeat.
Posted by: Taylor Siluwe | 22 May 2008 at 19:57
Taylor, we have disagreed on many things, but you are absolutely right about that one! lol
Posted by: ATL Kid | 22 May 2008 at 21:53
Ellen is BRILLIANT.
Posted by: Perry | 23 May 2008 at 19:03
Ellen is BRILLIANT.
Posted by: Perry | 23 May 2008 at 19:03