“The constitutional amendment we’re debating today strikes me as antithetical in every way to the core philosophy of republicans.”

Those were John McCain’s words in 2004, at the height of the debate over a Constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

Criticized continually for his perceived moderate tendencies on LGBT issues — from both sides of the aisle — Senator McCain’s position highlights a novel niche our political landscape: It isn’t the federal government’s business.

Sure, there are aspects of federal law that involve the institution of marriage — tax incentives, for instance — but the Defense of Marriage Act, a measure McCain himself referred to as “far less draconian” than a constitutional ban — defined most of that twelve years ago.

Indeed, as McCain argued for years, the issuance of marriage licenses is done by the states. It is the right of the states, and a state issue. States’ rights — what a notion. The idea that the federal government doesn’t have to intrude into the states’ business at every turn is a very republican, very Reagan-esque notion, and a hallmark of Senator McCain’s career.

Now, granted, being president of the United States is a touch different than being a United States Senator, something this election has showed us all too well. Both campaigns have gone running to the right as fast as their platforms would allow, Obama moving to the center, and McCain tapping into the broad base of the Republican Party. That broad base, by and large, opposes same-sex marriages, and candidate McCain’s platform reflects that. A politician’s platform that represents the people and the party he represents — what a novel idea.

Yes, John McCain has caught a lot of flak over his views on LGBT issues over the years — it’s one of the issues he’s continually broken from the pack within his party over — but that’s what makes his position so appealing to many. These issues are definitely delicate for some, contentious for many and aren’t going away, above all.

McCain’s less radical approach seems almost novel in the climate of our modern politics. Relying on the bedrock of constitutional law to determine the proper place to make decisions can, likewise, seem anathema after what we’ve seen happen over the last few years.

It may seem, to some, that this approach amounts to addressing LGBT issues without actually addressing them — passing the buck on to the states, as it were. States’ rights, however, are a much more foundational notion than any clash over same-sex marriages. It’s also something that has been systematically reduced to a stub of its former self. McCain’s point with regard to same-sex marriage being a state issues may finally be, for once, to be a much-needed step back down the path to re-empowering the states and placing more power in the hands of people.

— Ryan Frederick is a senior in management from Orient.