John Kasich’s Same-Sex Marriage Debate Is Over, But Ohio Gov’s 2016 Election Just Begun

According Ohio governor John Kasich, same-sex marriage is now a dead political issue and he claims it is time for everyone to move on.

This fairly moderate Republican stance came shortly before reports claiming that Kasich’s 2016 presidential election campaign will be kicking off on July 21, 2015. Some people believe he is trying to reach for the middle.

In a related report by the Inquisitr, gay marriage opponents like Allen West and Don Zimmerman claim the U.S. Supreme Court’s gay marriage ruling provides support for pedophiles. A Denton County marriage license was denied this past Friday to a lesbian couple, but already the county clerk has reversed course despite assurances of legal protection by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

John Kasich has quite a history leading up to the decision by SCOTUS. The Ohio governor was originally named as the defendant in the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges case, so when he says it is time for Republicans to move on – since there is “so many other things now that we have to focus on” – you have to wonder what members of the GOP will think.

“I do believe in traditional marriage and the court has ruled and it’s time to move on,” Kasich said on CBS‘ Face the Nation. “I think everybody needs to take a deep breath to see how this evolves. But I know this. Religious institutions, religious entities – you know, like the Catholic Church – they need to be honored as well. I think there’s an ability to strike a balance.”

Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Convention disagrees with John Kasich’s same-sex marriage dismissal. Instead, Moore claims “we’re going to have to take a page from the pro-life movement and see this as a long-term strategy.”

“We didn’t make up our views on marriage and sexuality, and we can’t unmake them,” Moore said. “We understand that in the short term, things are very stacked against us here, but we ought to have the pluralistic American environment where we can agree to disagree…. I think we have to be the people who keep the light lit to the old ways when it comes to marriage and family and that’s going to be a generation-long skirmish.”

It is possible Kasich is also looking to the long term with his comments about same-sex marriage. The Columbus Dispatch notes that the quote sets “him apart from the reactions of such GOP hopefuls as Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who called for a constitutional amendment allowing voters to recall Supreme Court justices, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who urged an amendment allowing states to define marriage as they wish.”

John Kasich’s 2016 election would not be his attempt. He once tried to run in 2000 after serving for years in Congress. Kasich was elected in 2010 as Ohio’s governor, and now he is apparently trying to raise over $10 million in campaign funding before the official announcement on July 21. While the 2000 presidential race was a failure due to a lack of finances and popular support, it is claimed his “unusual blend of conservative and moderate stances could give him an opening to set himself apart.”

What do you think about John Kasich’s same-sex marriage comments?