Why does Rand Paul oppose gay marriage?

[Stannis]

I like Rand better than all of the other Republicans, but his opposition to gay marriage makes me hesitant to pull the trigger for him. Aren't libertarians supposed to be about getting govt out of people's lives? I would describe myself as a left-libertarian. Is this some political play to get the teavengelicals behind him or Paul's actual beliefs? I remember Ron said back in 2012 that he basically doesn't care if gay marriage is legalized, as long as its done by the states, a position that I quite liked.

 

[William Tell]

Rand called for getting government out of marriage. Do you disagree with him?

http://time.com/3939374/rand-paul-gay-marriage-supreme-court/

 

[Brett85]

Having the government recognize gay marriage and get itself involved even further into marriage than it already is would just get the government even more involved in people's personal lives. And no, Ron Paul never supported gay marriage either. Ron and Rand both take the position that is sort of a 3rd way, a third point on the triangle. They both believe that marriage is something that should be handled privately. They believe that marriage licenses should be abolished and that marriage shouldn't be defined by the government at all. Then the government would basically just recognize something similar to contracts or civil unions for both straight and gay couples.

 

[Stannis]

Government plays a larger role in marriage then many people realize, such as in tax credits and child custody laws. I agree the ideal solution is to get govt out of marriage, but I think we need to be realistic here and admit that won't happen in the foreseeable future. So the best solution is to treat out marriages equally.

 

[William Tell]

As best I can tell Rand and Ron have taken the exact same position. So why do you like Ron but not Rand on this issue when they are the same? Ron always was personally in favor of traditional marriage.

 

[Stannis]

I think its because Rand talks up the "moral" side of the argument more so than Ron, which makes me suspect this a political move rather than his actual beliefs.

 

[hells_unicorn]

Why is having the government recognize a non-procreative, filthy practice as being equal to what makes society possible so important to people? Seriously, you're going to vote for some war-mongering democrat who wants to rob you blind because of this?

 

[William Tell]

I think its because Rand talks up the "moral" side of the argument more so than Ron, which makes me suspect this a political move rather than his actual beliefs.

Really? I thought it was the opposite. I have old flyers from Ron's 2012 campaign boasting about defending traditional marriage. I actually think of Ron being more personally social conservative than Rand if anything. Which is interesting, since I am more on the traditional side.

So why do you and I view Ron so differently, but both prefer his rhetoric/campaign style?

Ultimately their positions are exactly the same from a political perspective, they both want government out of the licensing business, especially the feds. And think if anything it should be dealt with on the local/state level either way.

 

[Stannis]

@hells_unicorn See this is where you start to lose me. I am attracted to libertarianism because it has the attitude of "Who am I to judge?" Isnt the morality police mentality more suited to the SJWs on the left and evangelicals on the right?


@William. Didnt Ron express some sort of "let the states decide" during the debates?



"Others have no right to impose their marriage standards on me"

 

[Brett85]

@hells_unicorn See this is where you start to lose me. I am attracted to libertarianism because it has the attitude of "Who am I to judge?" Isnt the morality police mentality more suited to the SJWs on the left and evangelicals on the right?

Why would libertarianism have that attitude? There are a lot of Christian conservatives who are libertarians politically and have personally social conservative views. But they just don't believe in forcing their views on others. That's why Ron and Rand both take the position of getting the government out of marriage, which is the only position that doesn't involve government force.

 

[hells_unicorn]

@hells_unicorn See this is where you start to lose me. I am attracted to libertarianism because it has the attitude of "Who am I to judge?" Isnt the morality police mentality more suited to the SJWs on the left and evangelicals on the right?

You didn't answer my question, and I'm not talking about morality, I'm talking about the basic mechanics of nature. What profit does society or any individual within it (apart from the people who engage in the practice) gain from treating a non-productive act (that also usually involves the spread of disease) with a productive one?

Societies survive and thrive because they produce future generations. Acts of sodomy, as a matter of fact, can't accomplish this. So again, why is this so important?

 

[CPUd]

@hells_unicorn See this is where you start to lose me. I am attracted to libertarianism because it has the attitude of "Who am I to judge?" Isnt the morality police mentality more suited to the SJWs on the left and evangelicals on the right?

The difference is that Rand would also oppose a federal ban on gay marriage, because it violates the 10th Amendment.

 

[Stannis]

I'm talking about the basic mechanics of nature. What profit does society or any individual within it (apart from the people who engage in the practice) gain from treating a non-productive act (that also usually involves the spread of disease) with a productive one?

You could use this argument for basically anything that is "non productive." and it becomes increasingly clear that it is absurd. I guess we should ban tobacco, marijuana, eating fast food, shaking hands (spreads diseases), etc because they are "non productive?" Isn't this the communist position?

 

[William Tell]

@William. Didnt Ron express some sort of "let the states decide" during the debates?

Yes, just exactly like Rand when he says he doesn't want his marriage or guns registered in Washington. They are the same policy wise.

 

[Christian Liberty]

Ron's argument in that video is really weak.

 

[William Tell]

You could use this argument for basically anything that is "non productive." and it becomes increasingly clear that it is absurd. I guess we should ban tobacco, marijuana, eating fast food, shaking hands (spreads diseases), etc because they are "non productive?" Isn't this the communist position?

No, you can dislike something without wanting it banned. I can't imagine smoking something, but I don't want tobacco banned. The communist position is to make us pay for and support things we disagree with. In a free country we can like and dislike whatever.

 

[CPUd]

 

[hells_unicorn]

You could use this argument for basically anything that is "non productive." and it becomes increasingly clear that it is absurd. I guess we should ban tobacco, marijuana, eating fast food, shaking hands (spreads diseases), etc because they are "non productive?" Isn't this the communist position?

Who said anything about banning anything? You are asking the government to subsidize something with its approval, and I have asked you why. Are you capable of answering a simple question or are you going to continue evading it?

 

[Stannis]

No, you can dislike something without wanting it banned. I can't imagine smoking something, but I don't want tobacco banned. The communist position is to make us pay for and support things we disagree with. In a free country we can like and dislike whatever.

Hells_unicorn's tone in the post implies that he wants gay marriage to be banned.

 

[William Tell]

Hells_unicorn's tone in the post implies that he wants gay marriage to be banned.

No it doesn't.