Libertarian nominee for President and former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson is hitting President Obama for playing politics on the gay marriage issue.
In a statement released by his campaign, Johnson said:
Gay marriage equality is not a trick question, and we shouldn’t be getting trick answers from the President of the United States. Gay Americans deserve better than a President who winks and nods and tries to convince them that he will protect their rights, but refuses to emerge from the closet and support one of the most basic rights – the right to equal access to marriage. And frankly, even opponents of gay marriage deserve the truth from the White House. Is the President for it or against it? Right now, the Administration is trying to have it both ways.
Johnson, at least, isn’t trying to have it both ways. “Unlike President Obama,” he continued, “I am not afraid to state, without a wink or a nod, that the government has no right to tell us who we can marry or not marry.”
Chris Barron, co-founder of the gay Republican group GOProud applauded Johnson’s comments, noting that this “is more evidence that the conventional wisdom — that Johnson’s votes will come from Romney – simply isn’t correct.”
“I think Johnson may end up costing Obama big time with some of his social liberal base,” Barron added.