On the issue of gay marriage, Walker stumbled through a few pointless sentences (if this video were used in a psychology classroom, this interview would be an excellent example of how not to do well on a mental status exam) before pointing out that he’d like the supreme court to give the states the right to decide whether they wanted to allow for gay marriage or not. He also called for a constitutional amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman if the supreme court decides not to leave that decision up to each individual state.
You can watch him talk in circles above, but Right Wing Watch has posted a pared down transcript of his thoughts in case listening to him speak drives you insane.
“the only other viable option out there is to support a constitutional amendment, again, believing, I believe in not just in marriage being defined as one man and one woman, but I also believe in states’ rights. I think that’s an issue that appropriately belongs in the states.”
He doesn’t explain, however, why he believes the decision should be left up to the states or how gay marriage would affect anyone negatively, which is what many of us would probably like to hear.
Walker also had a hard time with a question about abortion. When asked about a personhood amendment, he said this:
“Well, the personhood would require an amendment and the president, no matter who it is, doesn’t handle any constitutional amendments, so that would be something that people who are passionate about that in the Senate need to have leaders there.”
Of course, Walker is one of those leaders. He discussed how he’s pro-life and also, I imagine to appear more sympathetic, about how he saw his son putting his fingers in his mouth on an ultrasound and recognized that his child wasn’t just a blob, but a person. Walker says that he’s against late-term abortions (for what appears to be any reason) and would be on the forefront of making sure that women don’t have the right to decide what they do with our own bodies. That, he says, is something he’s passionate about. History and, you know, reality tell us that Walker is a supporter of personhood who famously pivoted to make himself seem more centrist for a campaign ad. Classic Walker!
The takeaway message from this video isn’t so much that Walker stands for everything that many of us are against—we already knew that—but the fact that he may be a serious contender for the presidency in 2016, which is a terrifying reminder to vote as if your life depended on it.