by Josh Guckert

Former Governor Mike Huckabee (R-AR) stated this past Sunday that forcing Americans to accept same-sex marriage is like telling Jews they had to serve “bacon-wrapped shrimp in their deli.” Along with former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), Huckabee is considered to be the one of the leading contenders among Evangelical voters in the 2016 Republican Presidential Primary.

Huckabee’s thinking symbolizes the exact reason why the Republican Party has failed to win the popular vote in a presidential election in 5 of the last 6 contests. It doesn’t take a mathematician to comprehend that when one party is on the opposite side of an issue of 60% (and growing) of the populace, that party is going to have a difficult time being successful.

Mitt Romney won only 37% of voters age 18-29 in 2012, by far his worst showing among all age demographics. There aren’t many issues that resonate with voters in that age group as much as gay rights. Being of college age in this era, the odds of having a gay friend or co-worker skyrocket. Because economics are not yet a real part of one’s life at this point, social issues, those which are tangible are at the forefront of young peoples’ minds.

In Huckabee lies the last remnants of the social conservative leg of the Reagan coalition. Pounding the drums on issues like these served the GOP well from 1980-2004, but it now appears clear that decrying the “homosexual agenda” is no longer a winning strategy. While it is unclear exactly how the Republican Party will shift or alter its stance coherently, it is obvious that it must if it wishes to consistently compete in and win national elections.

Huckabee’s statement is telling. He likens the legal recognition of same-sex marriages to an act of force. This is not new for the Religious Right. For example, in 2012, an ad run in favor of the Romney/Ryan ticket stated that President Obama was trying to “force gay marriage on this country.” Statements like these make it unclear if they actually know what the definition of “force” is.





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To liken the permitting of same-sex couples to marry to the actual instances of true coercion by government force (which there are far too many examples of to list) is to discredit the ideas of liberty and justice. One can only imagine the outcry that would come from conservatives if liberals accused them of “forcing free markets on this country.” It would be the same principle and would be just as outrageous to make such a claim.

In the case of social conservative issues, statements like those by Huckabee can even delegitimize actual complaints in similar areas, like the use of government force to mandate that anti-gay bakers and photographers render services to same-sex couples. While libertarians are in concurrence with social conservatives on these kinds of issues, many in the liberty movement are rightfully wary of joining arms with those like Huckabee and Santorum, who have too often made out-of-touch statements about gay Americans.

In conclusion, Republicans need to wake up to the fact that American culture has changed dramatically since Ronald Reagan mobilized millions of Christians in opposition to “social liberalism” on his way to landslide victories in 1980 and 1984. However, the party should not make such changes simply because it is the politically expedient thing to do; but rather because these are the most pro-liberty and “small government” actions that the party can take. And these very principles—espoused by the likes of Calvin Coolidge, Robert Taft and Barry Goldwater—are those which the party was founded upon, and the values which once brought the party to greatness.

about the author: Josh Guckert is a 23-year-old law student at the University of Pittsburgh. He graduated cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh in 2013 and was born and raised in the Pittsburgh area. He is a 2013 graduate of Cato University, hosted by the Cato Institute, and was first drawn to the ideas of liberty by reading 1984, Brave New World and The Conscience of a Conservative.