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WI-Sen: RoJo The Liar Snaps At Press To "Get Off His Back" Over Marriage Equality Bill Flip Flop [1]

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Date: 2022-09-07

Sen. Ron Johnson (R. WI)

Can’t say that I’m surprised:

x There you have it. Ron Johnson says the 2015 same-sex marriage ruling was wrongly decided and that he won't support the same-sex marriage bill.



He's a disgrace and doesn't believe in protecting our rights and freedoms. He's unfit for public office. https://t.co/cqy6lkF6jD — Mandela Barnes (@TheOtherMandela) September 7, 2022 Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) in new comments said he will not support the Senate’s marriage equality bill in its current form — a reversal from July, when he said he had “no reason to oppose” the measure. “I always support civil unions. Never felt this bill is necessary,” Johnson told reporters on Wednesday in Washington. “This is just Democrats opening up a wound that doesn’t need to be opened up. And now that I’ve talked to people there are some very serious concerns on religious liberty.” The remarks at the Capitol followed up on comments Johnson made at a meeting last week that first surfaced publicly on Wednesday. “I would not support it in its current state,” Johnson said at a Common Sense Citizens of Washington County meeting last week, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which obtained a recording of the remarks. The Wisconsin Republican aired concerns about religious liberties before calling the issue of same-sex marriage “a wound that was healed.” “But at the same time, I don’t want to see millions of lives disrupted either. To me, that was a wound that was healed. Let it go, okay. Move on, okay,” he said, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Unfortunately, there’s more bull shit coming out of this idiot’s mouth:

Johnson has maintained that he does not think a bill codifying same-sex marriage is necessary. The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which protected the right to abortion, he's said, will not impact same-sex marriage. Still, Democrats see the measure as pertinent after Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the court should "reconsider" its previous due process precedents, including the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision that gave same-sex couples the right to marry. In his comments in Hartford, Johnson said Thomas was "probably right" that the Obergefell decision was wrong. “Now, completely different than Roe v. Wade," Johnson said of Obergefell. "Roe v. Wade needed to be overturned to protect people in the future. Stare decisis is really powerful when, if the Supreme Court were to overrule a previous decision, even if it’s wrongly decided — that’s kind of how this all came up." "Because Justice Thomas is probably right that it was wrongly decided," Johnson added. "But that’s a different issue as to whether or not the Supreme Court would overturn it. They never will. I do not see any scenario.” (Stare decisis refers to legal precedent.) Johnson also bemoaned reporters' questions about whether he would support the bill. “So you just get hounded on this crap, right?" Johnson said. "So just to get them off my backs, I wrote a press release, and I said I always supported civil unions. Never felt that we needed to do anything other than that."

Now Johnson is trying to blame his colleague, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D. WI), for causing him to flip flop:

The Republican went on to criticize Baldwin for “opening that wound and opening that debate” — as if the Democratic senator were to blame for Thomas’ legal opinion. What’s more, let’s not forget that Thomas wasn’t the only one picking this fight. Two Republican state parties recently approved new policy platforms denouncing same-sex marriage, and soon after, Sen. Ted Cruz used his podcast to insist the Supreme Court’s Obergefell ruling was “clearly wrong.” A variety of GOP senators have followed suit, announcing their opposition to marriage equality, the Supreme Court’s ruling and public opinion notwithstanding. So what happens now? In July, the House passed the Respect for Marriage Act, and at the time, 47 Republicans sided with a unanimous Democratic majority to advance the legislation. Attention then shifted to the Senate, where three GOP members — Ohio’s Rob Portman, Maine’s Susan Collins, and North Carolina’s Thom Tillis — said they’re also on board with the measure. Johnson appeared to be a fourth “yes” vote, though that’s clearly no longer the case. Indeed, with the Wisconsinite changing direction, optimism about the bill's prospects is waning. The question is not whether a majority of the Senate supports the bill; the question is whether proponents can find seven Republicans willing to break ranks, end a GOP filibuster, and allow an up-or-down vote.

Democrats are going to be getting Johnson on the record very soon:

Chuck Schumer said the Senate would vote on legislation to protect same-sex marriage in the coming weeks, forcing Republicans to take a stance ahead of the midterm elections. “A vote on marriage equality will happen on the Senate floor in the coming weeks,” the Senate majority leader told reporters Wednesday. Schumer’s announcement comes as Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) are working to shore up the 10 GOP votes necessary to pass their bill to codify same-sex marriage. Baldwin and Collins met earlier Wednesday with Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Thom Tillis (R-N.C) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) to discuss the path forward. In addition to Collins, Portman and Tillis, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) has spoken positively of the effort but hasn’t committed to voting for it. Meanwhile, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), the most vulnerable GOP incumbent, said recently he won’t support the bill in its current form, despite saying earlier this summer he saw “no reason to oppose” it.

Click here to contact your Senator and tell them to vote yes on the Respect for Marriage Act.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/9/7/2121444/-WI-Sen-RoJo-The-Liar-Snaps-At-Press-To-Get-Off-His-Back-Over-Marriage-Equality-Bill-Flip-Flop

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