Newly declared presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is drawing fire from the left for his position on same-sex marriage.
Rubio appeared on CNNs The Lead With Jake Tapper on Tuesday afternoon in which he discussed his position on the issue as well as other matters.
Tapper noted that Rubio launched his campaign on Monday by framing himself as a candidate ready for the 21st century as opposed to former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the favorite for the Democratic nomination.
You are casting yourself as a candidate of a new generation, Tapper said. But there is an issue where you are very out of step with younger voters, even younger Republican voters, according to a Pew poll; 61 percent of Republican voters under the age of 30, I believe, support same-sex marriage. On that issue, same-sex marriage, Senator, you're the candidate of yesterday.
Well, a couple points, Rubio replied. No. 1, that is an issue that will largely be determined at the state level, since marriage laws have always been defined by the states. I'm -- not, for example, ever supported a federal constitutional amendment to define marriage because I believe states define marriage in their laws. And if in fact people feel that way, as that poll says, then they can petition a state legislature to change the law.
But the second point I would make is, I don't -- I think there's still a significant number of Americans that believe that the definition of marriage should be that of one man and one woman, as it has been for thousands of years, Rubio added.
But they are a minority, Tapper insisted.
Well, they're a large minority. In essence, there are still parts of this country that believe that way, Rubio said. But irrespective of it, we're in a republic. If you want to change the marriage laws of your state, go to your state legislature and get your legislators to change it. I don't believe the court system is the appropriate way to do it. And I don't believe Washington and the Supreme Court is the appropriate way to do that.
Beyond it, I would say that when I talk about the future, what I'm really pointing to is not those issues necessarily, but the fact that we are living through a massive transition out into a post-industrial era, where millions of people are being left behind because America is no longer globally competitive as it once was and because they do not have the skills required to succeed in the 21st century," Rubio continued
Making the media rounds on Tuesday, Rubio tackled the subject again on MSNBC, telling Kasie Hunt that he never supported a federal amendment on marriage and that the issue should be left to the states. But MSNBC reported that, in 2010, voter guides from the Christian Coalition had Rubio as a supporter of a federal amendment.
Liberal group American Bridge tried to make some political hay out of the issue on Wednesday.
Marco Rubio keeps digging himself into a hole on LGBT rights, American Bridge emailed the media on Wednesday. He says he believes states should have the final say on legalizing same-sex marriage but his record tells a different story.
When it comes to gay rights, he's guaranteed to be just as discriminatory as the rest of his party, American Bridge added.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
