One of the things that a politicians can do to immediately underscore to me their total cynicism vis-a-vis their own supporters is to propose a constitutional amendment on a highly controversial subject.
To wit (via Bloomberg): Ted Cruz Introduces Bills to Stop Gay Marriage
Days before the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on same-sex marriage, Senator Ted Cruz has filed two bills to protect states that bar gay couples from marrying.
Cruz’s legislation would establish a constitutional amendment shielding states that define marriage as between one woman and one man from legal action, according to bill language obtained by Bloomberg News.
A second bill would bar federal courts from further weighing in on the marriage issue until such an amendment is adopted.
Yes, I know that Cruz knows these are both doomed to fail (really, he has to know this–just as he has to know the odds are quite good that SCOTUS will decide this matter in a manner that he will not like). I further understand the political value to Cruz to signal to his supporters. As such, the move makes a certain amount of sense.
Really, as much as I want to blame Cruz for making this move, I suppose the real culprits are a) the press for making a big deal about these kinds of proposals, and b) the general public for not understanding how difficult it is to amend the constitution.
In terms of pure fantasy, it would be interesting to hear what a campaign would sound like if voters actually understood the way our policy process actually works.
