Republican Senator Marco Rubio affirms he’s “not gonna be anybody’s Vice President” and it looks like he’s done with politics, full stop.
Speaking to reporters of the first time since ending his bid for the Republican nomination on March 15, Rubio says he plans on finishing out his term in Congress and then “I’ll be a private citizen in January.” (video below)
Could this mean an end to the political future of a candidate not too long ago praised as the savior of conservatism?
To commemorate this occasion, here’s a list of Rubio’s top 7 (of many) anti-gay moments:
1. On wanting to overturn President Obama’s anti-discrimination policies on a constitutional basis.
“It is a document of limitation that’s supposed to be interpreted and applied based on its original intent, and there is no way that you can read that constitution and deduce from it that there is a constitutional right to an abortion or a constitutional right to marry someone of the same sex.”
2. On a constitutional amendment guaranteeing same-sex marriage.
“We can continue to disagree with it. Perhaps a future court will change that decision, in much the same way as it’s changed other decisions in the past. But my opinion is unchanged, that marriage should continue to be defined as one man and one woman. The decision is what it is, and that’s what we’ll live under.”
3. On businesses refusing services to gay couples.
“Should a photographer be punished for refusing to do a wedding that their faith teaches them is not one that is valid in the eyes of God?”
4. At a fundraiser for the anti-gay Florida Family Policy Council.
“The American Dream cannot be saved unless our people have the values they need for success. They cannot be taught by government, and they will not be taught by the tornado of entertainment content and media messaging swirling around our children every day.”
5. On a Senate immigration bill he tried pushing in 2013.
“If this bill has something in it that gives gay couples immigration rights and so forth, it kills the bill. I’m done. I’m off it, and I’ve said that repeatedly. I don’t think that’s going to happen and it shouldn’t happen. This is already a difficult enough issue as it is.”
6. On Kim Davis being “forced” to do her job.
“Marriage is the most important institution in our society, and I believe it should be between one man and one woman. Our nation was founded on the human right of religious freedom, and our elected leaders have a duty to protect that right by ensuring that no one is forced by the government to violate their conscience and deeply held religious beliefs about traditional marriage.”
7. On believing gay people are born that way, but that it doesn’t guarantee them equal rights.
“I don’t believe same-sex marriage is a constitutional right. I also don’t believe that your sexual preferences are a choice for the vast and enormous majority of people. In fact — the bottom line is that — you know, I believe that sexual preference is something that people are born with.”
