Beaufort Sen. Tom Davis has long been the one Republican lawmaker that should be on the must-watch list for any Palmetto State liberal. He’s one of the nearly true-blue libertarians in the Ron Paul mold at the Statehouse who dispenses with the GOP dogma BS and offers sensible, non-fundie solutions. Recently, the New Jersey native introduced a bill to allow medical marijuana in South Carolina, and he remains a supporter of open government records and an enemy of corporate handouts. That said, there are have been a few flubs, most notably his flirtation with nullifying the Affordable Care Act. Ruh roh.
Now Davis is taking another bold step. In a Facebook post yesterday, the Beaufort senator took a stance on the issue of same-sex marriage that many Dems in the state are unwilling to take: it doesn’t faze him. In fact, Davis doesn’t believe the government should even be involved in the marriage biz. He writes:
LA state judge rules #SameSexMarriage ban violates due process, equal protection, full faith & credit. Here’s an updated tally for those keeping score at home: U.S. district courts in 13 states and state courts in five states have ruled same-sex marriage bans violate the U.S. Constitution, while one U.S. district court and one state court have found that same-sex marriage bans do not violate the constitution. Unlike some of my Republican brothers and sisters, however, I’m neither keening nor gnashing my teeth. Marriage as a crucial and indispensable social institution (and for me, as a Catholic, a sacrament) can and will survive and thrive without the coercive power of the state. In my opinion, government ought to get out of the marriage business entirely — save, however, for the adjudication of the parties’ respective rights and obligations upon its dissolution, just as the judicial system adjudicates other breaches of contract.
Interesting, no?
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