Friday, May 16, 2008

HORSERACE

Pete Stark on Gay Marriage Decision: 'I wonder what they're going to do with the Mormons. I'd like to put polygamy up if they want to fight this battle.'

Newly-announced Obama endorser and superdelegate, Rep. Pete Stark, talking about the California gay marriage decision on XM's POTUS08 earlier today:

Rebecca Roberts, XM: Congressman Pete Stark of California, a new super-delegate for Barack Obama. I wanted to get your reaction, by the way, since you're a Californian, on the Supreme Court decision to overturn the ban on gay marriage.

Stark: I think that was, you know... California usually leads on these issues of human rights and civil rights. I was quite proud of our state supreme court. We're going to have a big fight, because you know, the born-again Christians and their right wing loonies are going to put this thing on the ballot, which you can do easily in California through petitions. So it's going to be a tough fight. It'll be nasty. I find the homophobes become very unpleasant people and we're going to have to work hard to protect human rights in California. I hope we can do it. It would be a sad day for California to start to trash people's constitutional rights.

Somebody said earlier this morning that I — my colleagues, I don't — put their hands on the Bible to support the Constitution, but I've never seen them putting their hands on the Constitution to support the Bible...

[Roberts says that's a pretty good line, and Stark returns to the topic.]

And I just think (muffled) we're dealing with people who want to have a responsible realtionship between two-

I wonder what they're going to do with the Mormons. I'd like to put polygamy up if they want to fight this battle. Let's go into Utah and have it out. I mean, I don't have any quarrel with polygamy, as long as they leave little kids alone, which is child abuse.

But if you want to have three husbands, be my guest. I think that to me, that's your decision.

I think it's kind of humorous you're going to find the Mormons leading the fight against gay marriage, which is an interesting commentary on what you believe.

(I would note that Rebecca Roberts of XM is way too classy to bring up Mormons or polygamy in this context; Stark brings up the false stereotype about Mormons on his own.)

Audio here.

So... I wonder how Senator Obama feels about Stark's characterization of the Mormon faith.

UPDATE: Campaign Spot reader Kevin notes, "He may want to check his Funk and Wagnalls, polygamy is having more than one wife, polyandry is having more than one husband."

05/16 01:53 PMShare