Last week Chris Christie, while arguing in favor of a public referendum on same-sex marriage, made the mistake of claiming minorities would have been better off if Civil Rights had been voted on in a public referendum.
Christie later apologized for the comparison, but today he reiterated the same argument while arguing in favor of a public referendum and against legislative action.
CHRISTIE: If the majority of the people want [same-sex marriage] prove it. Put it on the ballot, let it be voted on….I’ve told every Republican in the state legislator to vote to put it on the ballot. They need three-fifths to put it on the ballot. The Republicans have two-fifths in the legislature. So that means the Democrats only need to come up with one-fifth of the legislature…this is the bargain of your life. I’m giving you two-fifths! And the polls they show me say that if it goes on the ballot, it will lose. How much more magnanimous can I be? What else do you want me to do? Go campaign for it too? Look, I’m doing the best I can here!
Chris Christie doesn't seem to understand that they're called Civil Rights because it's your fundamental right as a person. It is not something that should be voted on by the prejudiced masses.
Christie is running away from this as hard as he can because legalizing gay-marriage in his state at a time like this will effectively kill his chances of being selected as a vice presidential running-mate. That's why he wants a public referendum on the matter. Because the "polls show [him] that if it goes on the ballot, it will lose."
What is a matter of basic equality to you is just a political nuisance for Chris Christie, and while he would like for you to believe that he's simply taking a principled stand on the right of the public to vote, the truth is he just wants it to go away for the sake of his own political career in Wingnut America.
I posted Mayor Cory Booker's response to Christie's comparison last week, but I'm going to post it again since Christie is now repeating the same argument.
Christie, and the entire Republican Party, is on the wrong side of history.