by Jon Living Larkin

With the presidents second term officially underway and while think tanks and the RNC do a postmortem on this last election it leaves me wondering not so much why Republicans lost, but why they are opposing legislation and ballot initiatives that so clearly jive with what conservatives say they want for the country. It’s becoming more and more clear that the hijacking of the Republican party and the conservative movement by the religious right is making harder and harder for them to stand for issues that under other circumstances they would not just support, but fiercely champion. Particularly, gays and weed.

There were 188 ballot questions on 39 statewide ballots in the 2012 election. These questions covered topics as diverse as a measure requiring porn stars in California to wear condoms, and an initiative in Wyoming preserving the right to hunt and fish. However, it was ballot initiatives focusing on marriage equality in Maine, Maryland, and Washington and legalization of marijuana in Washington and Colorado that got the most coverage. Of all the issues in question it seems that marriage equality and legalized weed would be at the very heart of the conservative message. The fight over legalization of marijuana is especially apropos in the midst of negotiations over the fiscal cliff.

In Colorado alone, it is expected that marijuana regulation will generate $46 million dollars in state and local revenue, to say nothing of the $12 million that will be saved in law enforcement expenditures. From just a fiscal standpoint, this should make both parties happy. Democrats would be delighted to use that money to bolster infrastructure and social programs. Republicans could use it as leverage to argue for lower taxes across the board since we have more money coming in. Even with the fiscal argument aside, the Republican party claims to be the party of personal responsibility. If that is indeed the case, is the government in any place to tell us if we can or cannot smoke weed?

As reported by The Lancet, tobacco, alcohol, cocaine, and heroin have all shown to have a higher risk of dependence and physical harm, yet according to the Controlled Substances Act, smoking a joint is as dangerous as shooting up. Marijuana is categorized as a schedule 1 controlled substance, right up there with heroin, ecstasy, and GHB. Cocaine, methadone, and even methamphetamine are classified as schedule 2. To be classified as schedule 1 the drug has to have a high potential for abuse, have no currently accepted medical use, and have a lack of safety for use under medical supervision.

March of Gays and Weed?

We know these things are not true about marijuana and keeping it illegal costs taxpayers millions through law enforcement and incarceration. You want to be the party of personal responsibility? Then let the American people decide whether or not they want to smoke, and save some money while you’re at it. Gay marriage was legalized in three states this past November. The ballot measures in Maine, Maryland, and Washington marked the first time that this issue has been affirmed in statewide referendums. It was a major victory for marriage equality advocates.

There is also a fiscal argument to be made this. Marriage is good for the economy. Couples filing a joint tax return when both people are employed, as is usually the case with same-sex couples, generate more tax revenue than if both parties filed individual returns. Furthermore, weddings are expensive. The average American wedding costs between $25,000 and $27,000. This is money that goes toward marriage licenses, hall rentals, apparel, florists, and catering. Wedding profits trickle down to the people who produce the food that caterers buy and the people who make the clothes and the servers and bartenders who work the reception, and it is money that people are willing to spend on what they hope will be the best day of their life.

Republicans have long been to the party of “keep your government out of my life.” Limited government is what conservatives want, and what they the country needs. Members of both parties have said that marriage is a state issue, and it should be left to the states to define marriage as they see fit. If that is indeed the case, why isn’t a full repeal of DOMA the first thing on the Republican party’s list of priorities. It is a major infraction on the rights of states to define marriage, yet the GOP claims it’s what the country needs to preserve the institution of marriage. You want to be party of keeping a limited government out of the lives of citizens? How then is it conscionable to limit the rights of gays and lesbians to marry who they want? How is it right to pass a federal law defining marriage when you have said repeatedly that this is a states issue? Could it be because you believe that God says it’s wrong to be gay and get high?

Conservative Christians have repeatedly made the argument that the bible defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman and that allowing same-sex couples to marry would destroy the institution of marriage; something they consider the backbone of our society. Setting aside the fact that the divorce rate shows that heterosexual couples are doing a exemplary job of destroying the institution of marriage all by themselves and that the biblical definition of marriage had more to do with property than anything, gay couples seek to share in and further the institution, not tear it down.

It’s also worth noting that gay marriage is legal in eleven other countries as well as nine states and the District of Columbia and we’re all still alive. Gay Christians will have their own issues to deal with as far as the church’s objections to performing same-sex ceremonies, but what marriage equality advocates are pursuing is equality under the law from the federal government, not the church.

Abjure for a moment whatever thoughts you may have on whether or not religious beliefs should be taken into account when dealing with legislation that affects the entire country, and instead look at the principles the GOP claims to espouse, and how in the name of doing what they believe God says is right are abandoning what conservatives say is the basis of their argument.

You can’t be a conservative who says that government should be limited and responsibility to define ones life choices should be up to citizens, while also attempting to legislate what your personal religious beliefs. If you try, you are a conservative who makes no sense. Even more frustrating is the GOP’s apparent ignorance of this fact due to decades of intimidation from the Christian political machine.

Conservatism is no longer about what is best for the country. It is now about who portrays themselves as the most pious while advocating for lower taxes for the richest Americans. Something Jesus wouldn’t have been so keen on. I briefly thought there was change on the horizon.

Republicans got walloped in the 2012 elections. They lost seats in the house and senate and failed to pick up the white house. Aside from deep issues with demographics, it is the social issues that are holding this party back. In December the supreme court announced it will soon be determining the constitutionality of DOMA and California’s Proposition 8 and the Republican party was almost entirely quiet about it. Perhaps they were attempting an “if you can’t say something nice..” policy on this one, or maybe they were starting to learn from their mistakes. However, their reaction to the inauguration has brought me back to reality. Regardless, the gays and the weed are two issues that conservatives should be 100% behind, and unless they want 2016 to be not just a repeat performance, but an even bigger loss, they will wise up and do it soon.