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.
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Rand's Golden Rule is " Do unto others to make them believe like Rand"
Whoever voted this guy in must wake up and get this idiot out.
FUNNY! Not one of you gay marrigae supporters would be here today if your parents were gay!! What an appreciation for tradition...If gay marriage is what you support then join them ...I know your parents will still love you DESPITE THEIR SECRET DISSAPOINTMENT
I think Rand Paul's hair plugs are too tight.
Sheila Kind hit the nail on the head!
Some say the POTUS is pushing the gay marriage agenda because he can't run on his record. So what's Williard's record. Let's see–he made his money taking over companies, firing employees, and then selling the company to foreign buyers. He's also the one who said let the American "Big Three" car industry go broke. Some financial wizard. The really comical thing is that now he wants to take credit for the turnaround. He also said that going after Bin Ladin was a waste of time (paraphrasing). Gay marriage is a civil rights issue. Romney wants to make it a religious issue because he doesn't have anything of note to run on.
"Whoever voted this guy in must wake up and get this idiot out." It's Kentucky.
interesting. last i checked, the Golden Rule stemmed from every culture and every religion , autonomously from each other.
i frankly dont understand why people are bothering the gay community. this is exactly like the civil rights movement in the 1960s , when the same bible the same verses and the same argument was used in order to try to put down african americans. This is america. land of the F-in FREE. things like this shouldnt be a problem. at the rate this is going, you might as well wipe all gays out of the US.
we are so behind economically, politically , AND socially.
So sad when people of power have a brain the size of a walnut. Rand needs to go back to that rock he crawled out from under.
The GOP is obviously supportive of name calling and bullying. They don't mind discriminating against Americans who don't share their life styles, want to pass laws that support that discrimination and, not surprising, they also oppose legislation taht is against bullying. Have you heard their reasoning for not supporting anti-bullying legislation? They don't want a child who engages in bullying to be stigmitized with a police record. That is, they don't want THEIR children stigmitized with a police record – self protection of the elitists.
And what's wrong with a person's views being gay? We could all worship Ayn Rand who didn't believe in emotional attachments.
And the gay bashing continues in the press
Good work, Sen Paul – back the GOP even further into their corner, make it even tougher for your candidate to campaign, let alone win.
People like you are what's wrong with the Republican Party. And the sooner you finish killing off your host, the better.
Paul, you can come out anytime now.....
Really? Gayer? Could anything be more "straighter" than a bigoted pea-brained politico using botched English to make his point to an audience of bigoted pea-brained followers who already think this way? It seems that Santorum is preaching to another choir while the rest of American moves on with life in a positive and uplifting way.
Cant they just be happy knowing God isn't going to let the Gays in Heaven no matter what the goverment allows.
I didn't think the President could be any Gayer or more Spineless. Thank God this country is getting what it deserves. There will be a lot more decline to come before the gay one's second term is up.
C'mon people......do you really expect anything less from Rand Paul?
Why dont the bible thumpers burn their books and let America be what it was created for. EQUALITY for everyone, not just those who believe like you.
Thanks for your views R. Paul. I just donated to Obama's campaign.
Believing in equal rights is not gay...it shows courage.
I thought the pauls were libertarians........and i thought libertarians believed in personal freedom........
francis: a loving god would not discriminate, would not judge. if there even is a god.
If you actually know about Rand's policy on gay marrige you know he feels its a states issue. Many in the US are apposed to gay marrige. Doses this make them gay bashers or biggots? Absolutely not! The neolibs want to demonize anyone who does not go along with Obama's ultra left opinions and policies. Obama himself was aposed to gay marrige (strongly aposed), until he saw all the empty seats in Ohio at his first big rally. Even though Rand's comments here may not sit well with our "evolving" masses it should be noted that he sticks to his principles. I personally have nothing against gay people. I have gay friends and family. We tell gay jokes to each other all the time (way worse than this one). If someone would call me a biggot over it my gay friends would defend me. Most of them loved Atlas Shrugged as well.
I have to admit, I'm confused.
I thought Rand Paul was a Libertarian like his father. Why would a Libertarian give a flying flip if two gay people wanted to get married? Doesn't that fall under the category of, "It's none of the government's business"?