Cornyn: Obama trying to "divide the country" with same-sex marriage support

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(CBS News) A leading Republican said on Sunday that President Obama announced his support for same-sex marriage last week to divide the country and distract from his record.

"President Obama brought this issue up because he wants to - he can't run on his record," Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said on CNN's "State of the Union." "He's trying to raise divisive issues up to solidify his base and to divide the country, and that isn't what we should be focusing on now. We should be focusing on jobs and the economy."

When asked whether Mr. Obama's GOP opponent Mitt Romney should avoid the topic of same-sex marriage, Cornyn said, "I think we ought to talk about what the American people want, and that is jobs and get the economy on track."

Other conservatives have said that if Mr. Obama's announcement was politically motivated, it was a foolish move.

"I don't think the president did a political calculus to do this because if he did, he needs to go back to the calculator because it's a bad formula," Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said on CBS' "Face the Nation."

Perkins told host Bob Schieffer, "I think that Barack Obama has helped fit that missing piece of intensity that Mitt Romney is going to need."

Others, like Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick on "Face the Nation," said that Mr. Obama will benefit from appearing like a principled leader.

Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said on CNN that the president's announcement wasn't politically motivated and that it's unlikely to cost him votes. "I'm not sure the evangelicals were going to lean toward President Obama anyway," he said.

On ABC's "This Week," openly gay Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts pointed out that the president had already supported gay rights when it came to matters like repealing the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy.

"I can't think there are many people who said 'OK, I'm going to vote for Obama even though he's said the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional and he's said that gay people can serve in the military - but if he says marriage, that goes too far,'" Frank said. "I literally don't think anybody's vote was changed."

[ge556]

Was Martin Luther King's goal to divide the country?
Was Ghandhi's goal to divide his country?

[nfission]

Right, there's something to think about, Repubs just don't get it.

[stuwerb]

Dividing the country over an issue of love and commitment? Seems unlikely.

[TimeToEvolve]

Every time the Republicons are in charge they cut taxes which causes the debt to skyrocket (Reagan, Bushoccio 1 and Bushoccio 2 did that).

Then when the Dems come in all of a sudden the Cons start hysterically screaming about the debt (they did this during Clinton and now Obama). So then the Dems have to start talking about raising revenue (taxes).

This is the Republicon/conservative strategy.

[TimeToEvolve]

Earth to idiot Republicon from the inbred state of TexAss. You and your free market Reaganomics freaks were the ones who created this massive inequality between the Top 1% and the 99%. Do you think we are as stupid as your corrupt corporate butt? Imbecile faker Cornyn.

[Smail_Buzzby]

Someone that no one has ever heard of is now a 'leading Republican'?

Oh wait, CBS news again...like CBS knows anything about leading anything.

[TimeToEvolve]

Republicons simply do not have the brain to get it.

[wildemanne]

keep the church in your small towns, the pulpit next to the conservatives beds, so preacher doesn't have far to walk for a little side stuff, and the conservatives will feel just fine when reverend moves in next to their wives and moves them to the couch

[MTATL67]

Coryn is comment is just about the stupidest thing I've read. A group blaming someone is dividing the country because they don't agree with them in taking or denying rights of citizens is just idiotic. If the Republican party doesn't evolve with the rest of the country they will find themselves going the way of rotary telephone.

[unclebernies]

The republicans are dividing the people with their greedy agendas which are almost always about helping those who don't need it. Feed the greed.

[occupy_cbs]

pr_boxer: "If anyone's dividing the country its self-serving people like Sen. John Cornyn, and his Tea Party cohorts."




America has been under attack by the "birthers, baggers and buffoons" of the republican party for almost 4-straight years now -- just a re-branding of the religious right into just another delusional group attacking women, gays/lesbians, students, the poor, the elderly and all minorities!

[Bobspongepants]

BO is Bi

[occupy_cbs]

Our first divider was bush -- another bozo like cornyn from texass -- pushing social conservative wedge issues for the religious right!


chevyhotrod: "No body is pushing anything.....time to get back to what really matters and that is the wasteful spending of money"




Thanks for proving that the far-right extremists cannot admit that the busheviks were the ones pushing their social wedge issues for the religious right, and were the ones that began the most wasteful spending while cutting revenue to a 70-year LOW!