Marriage equality isn't in danger, but Democrats need you to stay afraid | Opinion

With the news that the Supreme Court has been asked to consider a case that would revisit the issue of same-sex marriage, hyperpartisan liberals are working overtime to try to sow fear and discontent. 

In August, former Democratic presidenial nominee Hillary Clinton warned that the Supreme Court might “do to gay marriage what they did to abortion,” and urged “anybody in a committed relationship out there in the LGBTQ community … to consider getting married” before the nation's highest court takes that right away.

It was a dire warning. And it was wrong. There are issues on the horizon that liberals should worry about. This isn’t one of them.

I’ve sparred often with Democrats, and I have a professional’s respect for the political résumé of the former secretary of State. I expect Clinton to be critical. But you don’t have to mislead to make your point forcefully. On this issue, she isn’t just mistaken. She’s spreading a fear that has no basis in law or politics.

The facts tell an entirely different story.

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Opinion: I was the named 'opposition' in Obergefell v. Hodges. I've never been happier to lose.

Support for same-sex marriage is higher than ever

Support for same-sex marriage is on the rise, including on the right. A recent survey by leading Republican pollsters found that 72% of Americans believe that same-sex couples should have the right to marry. And 68% approve of the Obergefell v. Hodges decision that established the freedom to marry nationwide to same-sex couples.

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Nearly three-quarters support the bipartisan Respect for Marriage Act, a law passed three years ago to protect marriage equality and religious liberties, which was supported by 47 House Republicans and 12 Senate Republicans.

Americans have moved on, especially Republicans. This isn’t a progressive’s dream scenario. It’s reality.

A majority of Republicans – 56% – support same-sex marriage, 55% back the Respect for Marriage Act, and 63% say a Republican can support marriage equality and still be a Republican.

Furthermore, per a recent column opinion penned by President Donald Trump’s own pollster, Adam Geller, “Trump’s view on marriage equality is a political winner,” highlighting the president’s lack of interest in undoing same-sex marriage. Geller goes on to state, “The issue of marriage equality is settled in the eyes of voters, and attempts to re-litigate past battles are politically perilous.”

Simply put, there is no appetite among voters or Republican leaders to overturn Obergefell. 

The political momentum continues to move in support of the freedom to marry. More than twice as many voters say they’ve become more supportive over time than those who say their support has lessened. The energy is with Americans who see the debate over marriage equality as over. Case closed. The left should save its energy for debates that will have real consequences.

Liberals know there's no real threat to marriage equality

President Trump sees it that way, too. He said plainly in 2016: “These cases have gone to the Supreme Court. They’ve been settled. And I’m fine with that.”

When tested, 71% of Republicans found his message convincing.

Under his leadership, the Republican Party struck anti-marriage language from its party platform. The president is politically savvy enough to understand this is a settled issue, and the American people want his energies rightly focused on strengthening our economy, creating jobs and keeping our communities safe.

Opinion: Supreme Court isn't poised to end gay marriage, despite the media's fearmongering

Yes, Kim Davis, the county clerk in Kentucky who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples on religious grounds and was sued and lost, has appealed her case to the Supreme Court.

But respected conservative Supreme Court litigator Gene Schaerr – a former clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia – told Newsweek that it is very unlikely that the court will even agree to take up the case: “The notion of destroying marriages and undoing family relationships would be extremely difficult for the Court to justify.”

The “chicken little” warnings aren’t grounded in reality. So why raise the specter of rights being torn away when the law and the culture are moving in the opposite direction? Because fear works. Fear raises money. Fear keeps Americans angry, divided and distrustful.

There are important debates ahead over religious liberty, over equal treatment under the law, and they matter. People of good faith can differ on principles. But this is not that debate. This issue is settled. The country has moved on. The law is being followed.

If you keep telling us the sky is falling, eventually people will stop listening. Marriage equality isn’t in danger. Were that to change, Americans on the left, center and right would come to its defense. And on an issue as important to human happiness as the right to share your life with a partner in marriage, we should all try to keep the fear and cynicism that poison our politics to a minimum.

The country deserves better.

David Urban is a West Point graduate, attorney, Republican strategist, CNN senior political commentator and a former senior adviser to President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign.