What follows are exerpted paragraphs of an article on the "Politics USA" web site. For more detail go to: www.politicususa.com/2014/02/15/ted-cruz-violates … -bill.html
By: Rmuse
Saturday, February, 15th, 2014, 6:50 pm
Now that another district court has struck down a same-sex marriage ban in Virginia as patently unconstitutional, Republican Ted Cruz introduced legislation in the Senate to reinstate the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) with an anti-gay-marriage bill. Besides wasting taxpayer time, money, and violating the First Amendment’s prohibition that Congress shall “make no law respecting the establishment of religion,” it is an extreme case of conservative hypocrisy. Republicans preach keeping government out of people’s personal lives is their primary purpose for serving in Congress, except when they claim religious liberty empowers them to control Americans’ personal relationships, their bodies, and their private affairs.
Cruz’s bill is in direct defiance of last year’s Supreme Court ruling in Windsor v. the United States and amends U.S. law by reinstating the Defense of Marriage Act “with regard to the definition of ‘marriage’ and ‘spouse’ for Federal purposes.” A similar bill was introduced in the House by Randy Weber (Republican from Texas) to put the brakes on same-sex marriage. Cruz said, “I support traditional marriage. Under President Obama, the federal government has tried to re-define marriage, and to undermine the constitutional authority of each state to define marriage. The Obama Administration should not be trying to force gay marriage on all 50 states. We should respect the states, and the definition of marriage should be left to democratically elected legislatures, not dictated from Washington.” The Obama Administration has NOT “forced” gay marriage on any states; the Supreme and district courts ruled the bans on same-sex marriage are in violation of the U.S. Constitution, but teabaggers and Republicans blame the Constitution’s 14th and 1st Amendment on President Obama and not the Founding Fathers.
Cruz’s effort is part of an ongoing strategy among religious zealots and anti-gay groups to portray themselves as besieged victims of religious persecution by President Obama. Cruz naturally went to fear-mongering and warned that if same-sex marriage is allowed in states preachers will be charged with “hate speech.” No, preachers can rain down hellfire and brimstone against same-sex marriage to their vile hearts’ content and they will not be hauled off to prison. But Cruz, like Bobby Jindal, knows nothing whips the religious right into frenzy like the thought of Barack Obama forcing religious prohibitions on evangelical Christians. However, evangelicals have no compunction using religion to prohibit same-sex marriage, contraception use, or a woman’s right to control her own body.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz Violates The First Amendment With Anti-Gay Marriage Senate Bill
They aren't used to playing to a broad audience. All they have to do to get elected here is win a majority of votes in the GOP primary, which on a good year has a turnout of about 1.4 million. Thus, they can get elected by winning the votes of about 700,000 hard-core right wingers and religious fundamentalists. They don't have to worry about November, as they haven't had to win a competitive general election campaign in like 20 years. So we turn out idiot right wingers like Rick Perry and Ted Cruz who can get elected by playing the part of hard-core extremist without much having to worry about offending reasonable people. Then they're surprised when they take this routine national and fall on their face! HA!
George W. was an exception of course, as he came from a family that played national politics and had been groomed for the presidency for several decades.