Sen. Paul: I didn't think Obama's 'views on marriage could get any gayer'
(CNN) – Sen. Rand Paul on Friday brushed off Barack Obama's recent reversal on same-sex marriage by saying he didn't think the president's views "could get any gayer."
The remarks from the Republican senator from Kentucky scored laughs among those attending an event held by Iowa's Faith and Freedom Coalition, a video uploaded on Saturday to the conservative website "The Iowa Republican" shows.
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"The president, you know, recently weighed in on marriage. And, you know, he said his views were evolving on marriage," the first-term senator said Friday evening. "Call me cynical, but I wasn't sure that his views on marriage could get any gayer."
Paul, who is the son of GOP presidential longshot and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, made the comments two days after Obama announced that he supported same-sex marriage, which he had previously opposed, while adding he thought the issue should be left up to the states to decide.
Rand Paul had been advertised as the coalition's "special guest" for its 12th annual spring event. The organization's website also promoted the presence of Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Ralph Reed, who is the chairman of the national Faith and Freedom Coalition.
In the remarks captured on video, Paul spoke against abortion as well as same-sex marriage.
"I think we're in a spiritual crisis as a country," Paul said, "and I think you're going to need leaders beyond your political leaders."
The senator criticized Obama's explanation that the Golden Rule - to treat others how one wants to be treated - and his faith led to his evolved understanding of marriage. The Golden Rule has its roots in biblical verses.
"It did bother me though that he used the justification for it in a biblical reference," Paul said. "He said the biblical Golden Rule caused him to be for gay marriage. And I'm like, what version of the Bible is he reading?
"It's not the King James version, it's not the New American Standard, it's not the New Revised version," he added.
But Paul said his beliefs and those of other social conservatives and Christians do not "mean we have to be harsh and mean and hate people."
"We understand sin and if we believe it's a sin, we still are (sinners) and people sin," he said. "We're not out there preaching some sort of hateful dogma against people. But that doesn't mean that we have to go ahead and give up our traditions."
"Six thousand years of tradition" combined with "anthropological" evidence shows "there's stability in the family unit," he said.
Calls placed Saturday to the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition, as well as to Paul's offices and spokeswoman, were not immediately returned.
Rand: Look deep inside. Your protestations indicate an unquestionable suppressed gayness in yourself. This is psychological fact. My advice: just face it, man, and quit hanging out in those roadside men's room stalls on the sly!
Maybe Paul just put too many hair plugs into his head
Hatred... even sugar coated... even by any otehr name... still htred.
Pure political pandering
Appealing to the lowest common denominator, endorsing prejudice, inviting mob rule = beatings, murder, Iran lite
And I didn't think that Rand Paul could be any more of a d00$hbag but he keeps on amazing me.
I laughed really when he said"I wasn't sure that his views on marriage could get any gayer."
Except the family as we know it today hasn't existed very long. Only a few centuries ago, a "family" was not a stable unit, as it included servants who would come and go, and anyone under the roof.
So much for "freedom-loving" Rand Paul and his Libertarian cohorts. They want to be "free" to impose their religious views on people – PERIOD.
Bunch of hypocrites ...
I realize Rand Paul was speaking to a faith based group, but really!? America needs leaders equipped to deal w/a "spiritual crisis," "we understand sin & if we believe it's a sin....." !? What the heck? If politicians can't keep the concept of separation of church & state in mind, they are in the wrong biz! Try televangelist, I hear they "clean up," & they're exempt from taxes! This country isn't run by biblical notions, but by laws legally considered & implemented by our founding fathers, who BTW, wrote the laws w/this type of scenarios in mind, so that there is no doubt! America has never been & is not now, a theocracy!!
And here I thought I couldn't despise Rand Paul anymore than I already did... Guess he showed me.
What a hypocrite and liar this guy is. He claims to be a libertarian but he wants the State to barge into people's bedrooms and dictate the terms on which people can be joined in matrimony. He needs a crash course in Christian Anarchism from real people of faith and freedom like Dorothy Day and Peter Kropotkin instead of listening to his father's delusional nonsense.
Another day, another bigoted comment from another 'star' of the Tea Party.
And he says he isn't 'preaching some sort of hateful dogma against people'? Really!? He used the word 'gayer' as an insult and as a punchline to a joke. In other words, he thinks when someone is born gay that it is okay to use that to demean other people who aren't actually gay. Clearly, the word 'gayer' to him is akin to words like stupid, idiotic, or moron. Which in turn means you are preaching hateful dogma against gay people.
When you are a Senator, you are supposed to set an example for people. When the example you set is prejudice and bigotry, people take notice and some young kids may even follow that example, sadly. Happily polls are showing more young people are seeing the bigots for what they are and we are on the way to better things. It will be wonderful when history does show who was on the wrong side of this and frowns upon the simple minded like Senator Paul.
thr right wing so called Christians give me the willies
His dad is a presidential long shot, and so is he. Sad, sad irony that the long shot for both is for totally different reasons.
I don't know. Being a raging bigot is kind of gay too.
No one's making you give up anything, Rand. You can still be part of a church that denies marriage to whomever it pleases. We're not forcing you to marry gay people. We're just asking that you don't make it illegal... not that it suddenly must be accepted by all churches. Kinda like how you could be against drinking or alcoholism personally but still not believe in prohibition.
Freedom. I believe in small government, and that's especially important when it comes to social issues. If there isn't a victim, it shouldn't be illegal, and consensual adults have the right to do whatever they please within their own homes.
What a shock, a Republican using the term "gayer" to get a laugh from right wingers who claim to be Christians.
"Six thousand years of tradition" combined with "anthropological" evidence" A true fool. 6000 yeras of of tradition ALSO included proof of how deadly religion can be, how women were second class as were blacks, the existence of servants and kings , etc So much for tradition
Sounds like he wants things to be separate but equal. Are we really having this discussion again?
wow! how childish!
Giant Oil Puppet (GOP) really cares about GAY or ABORTION?? Do they really think Americans were borned yesterday??
Their only cares are BAD GREED "MONEY" that they are willing to destroy America by destroying the Middle Class Americans. EDUCATION and INTERNET are catching up with their lies.
Mr. Rand: I guess Obama is reading the same bible that says divorce is a sin yet millions of Christian conservatives disregard that. Also, if people want to live in "sin" together and receive the same benefits because they love each other who's business is any of ours.
Better Headline: Rand Paul Cast The First Stone
Rand Paul is living in his fathers shadow, desperate for attention. He might "look" like a man, but his thoughts on "traditions" belong to primates.
It is always interesting to see the GOP do the legal contortions necessary to maintain that gays are human enough for some civil rights but not human enough for equal civil rights.
Bigot. Rand Paul is on the wrong side of history.