If President Obama pushes for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, a leading Hispanic Evangelical leader says the President will lose major support among Hispanic Americans.
Rev. Samuel Rodriguez is an important voice in the Evangelical world and the Obama Administration consults with him on matters of faith and public policy.
Watch his strong remarks by clicking play, and read his words below.
Rodriguez: I'm concerned with marriage. I truly am concerned with marriage.
Brody: In what regard?
Rodriguez: If President Obama comes against the Defense of Marriage Act which he has stated that he will
Brody: He wants to repeal it.
Rodriguez: If he repeals the Defense of Marriage Act then he's going to have an incredible amount of backlash from the Hispanic American community. Hispanic Americans are more committed to traditional marriage than even white Evangelicals according to Pew research. To us this is a deal breaker.It is a game changer.
"Marriage is critical to the Hispanic American community. The pushback is real simple. In 2006 and in 2008 the Hispanic American vote swayed away from the Republican party.
Hence, President Obama is in The White House. We can equally do the same in 2010 and 2012. President Obama needs to understand that the Hispanic American voter is without a doubt the quintessential swing and moderate vote in the elections and we will determine who occupies The White House and who occupies Congress."