California same-sex marriage ruling exposes McCain's religious right problem

Last week's California Supreme Court ruling that paved the way for same-sex marriage in that state has reignited the political debate over marriage and which couples should be a part of it. Sen. John McCain, who has been a fence-sitter on the issue, probably hoped to avoid the fracas over same-sex marriage, simply because it's an issue where he and the religious right disagree.

Does McCain's less-than-adequate pandering to the religious right spell trouble with the base in November or does it signal a waning of influence of the religious right in the GOP? It's a question that the California decision could shed light on.

Focus on the Family president James Dobson has made it clear that he will not vote for McCain because he hasn't taken a strong enough stance against relationship rights for same-sex couples. McCain opposes same-sex marriage but also opposes a federal amendment to ban it. He does support some contractual rights for same-sex couples.

Shortly after the California decision, Dobson told his radio audiences:

We've got the three presidential candidates - Hillary Rodham Clinton, John McCain, and Barack Obama - Have you all noticed, to my knowledge and I watch very carefully what these candidates are doing - Not one of them has made reference in any way at all to the pressures and the dangers and the problems faced by the family, or by the need to preserve marriage. None of them. And all three of them voted against the amendment to protect marriage in [the] Constitution. So we just don't have a whole lot of assistance. They don't give a hoot about the family, or they'd talk about it. John McCain didn't even mention it in his speech on Thursday after the decision was handed down by the California Supreme Court.

Tom Minnery, senior vice president of Government and Public Policy for Focus on the Family, wasn't happy with McCain either:

John McCain, the Republican candidate, is a candidate who said that he would support marriage amendments at the state level, and we already said there was no strong response after this California decision. Well, hello, senator: there is a marriage amendment that is stuck in the state Legislature in your home state, Arizona, and I have to tell our listeners, Dr. Dobson - I have tried to get the McCain people to understand: Now is the time to get this out of your home state legislature and get it to the people in the fall. But he has not chosen to get into the marriage amendment in his home state of Arizona. In fact, it's being held up in the state Senate, not by Democrats but by Republicans.

To fuel the fire just a bit more, McCain has repeatedly declined to meet privately with Dobson, but he did appear on the "Ellen" show on Wednesday, hosted by lesbian comedian Ellen DeGeneres, who has just announced that she will be marrying longtime partner Portia de Rossi.