Mike Huckabee challenged to resign over same-sex marriage
Republican Presidential wannabe Mike Huckabee has been challenged to back up his opposition to equal marriage – by resigning rather than recognise same-sex couples.
Huckabee is one of 17 politicians seeking his party’s nomination to run for President, and like the majority is strongly opposed to LGBT rights.
The former Governor of Arkansas has called for revisions to hate crime law to protect Christians who target gay people, suggested trans people in the military would turn it into a “social club” – and claimed an anti-gay activist’s alleged child molestation is “not unforgivable”.
Appearing on this Week, The Presidential wannabe was played a clip of John F Kennedy pledging to “resign the office” in any situation in which it would “require me to either violate my conscience or violate the national interest”.
George Stephanopoulos challenged him: “Would you make that same statement in your candidacy for president?”
However, Huckabee reneged, saying: “I can’t see any circumstance in which I would be required to violate my conscience and and the law. And if so, I think maybe there is a point at which you say either I’ll resign or put me in jail.”
Stephanopoulos cut in: “The federal government now recognizes same-sex marriage for tax purposes. Health, Social Security and death benefits go to same-sex couples.
So would you resign rather than carry out those policies?”
However, ignoring the direct question of resignation, Huckabee said: “Well, when you say the federal government recognizes it, what statute under which do they recognise it?
“They do it by decree, but there is no Congressionally elected, or voted upon statute.”
He continued: “We are bypassing the process when we have one branch of government acting as it has authority over the other two.
“Either we live under the rule of law, which is a three branch, checks and balances system of government, or we end up with [the Supreme Court dominating].
“We’re either a people of government, a people of law, and we are a nation of the people, or we are a nation under the power of the Supreme Court, which is what the dissenting opinion [on marriage] of Roberts and Scalia so powerfully said.”
Watch the full interview below:
