Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who is expected to join the growing field of GOP presidential hopefuls next month, has thrown in the towel on the issue of same-sex marriage when he should be fighting it, Rep. Tim Huelskamp, chairman of the Tea Party Caucus, said.
"It's the same old compromise with the left," Huelskamp, a Kansas Republican, said Monday on "The Steve Malzberg Show" on
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"We've got to stand up for marriage, we've got to stand up for the First Amendment rights of those who disagree. There is no doubt."
On Sunday, Kasich bucked the majority of Republican candidates who say they'll do all they can to fight the Supreme Court's landmark decision legalizing same-sex marriage in all 50 states, telling "Face the Nation" on CBS: "I believe in traditional marriage, but the Supreme Court has ruled, it’s the law of the land, and we’ll abide by it."
But Huelskamp told Steve Malzberg that marriage is "too important" to dismiss.
"Society after society, government after government has decided marriage between a man and a woman and the families too important to not consider that role in society … That's why the Republican Party needs to speak up now …" he said.
Huelskamp also criticized House Speaker John Boehner for punishing conservative lawmakers for speaking their minds. "We're still on the receiving end. If you vote conservative in the Republican Party in the House, you will be punished. There's no ifs, ands or buts about it," he said.
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