March 30, 2015

Dems hammer Pence for posing with anti-LGBT activists while signing ‘religious freedom’ bill

Source: RawStory

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“The first thing you have to do when you have a problem is admit you have a problem,” Senate Minority Leader Tim Lanane said. “You have to be able to be willing to set aside all the politics. But in the years I’ve been here, I’ve seen it — the radicalism of the right wing has taken over.”

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“When this bill was signed, right over here in this very office, standing behind the governor was a mish-mash of every kind of anti-marriage-equality lobbyist that exists. If you read what they say [in support of] the bill, it becomes very clear that there is an intent to discriminate.” Pelath was referring to the fact that in the official photograph of the signing tweeted out by Governor Pence:



He is standing with a number of people identified by GLAAD as being ardent opponents of LGBT rights, including Curt Smith, who equates homosexuality with bestiality and helped write the bill; Micah Clark, who believes homosexuality is a mental disorder that can be cured with therapy; and Eric Miller, who recently distributed flyers to churches that claimed pastors could be arrested for preaching against homosexuality.

When asked by an Indianapolis Star reporter who the people he was being photographed were, Pence refused to identify them by name, stating only that they were “religious and faith leaders.”

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Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/dems-hammer-pence-for-posing-with-anti-lgbt-activists-while-signing-religious-freedom-bill/

March 30, 2015

Christie endorses 20-week abortion ban

Source: The Hill

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), a potential 2016 contender, on Monday endorsed a ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

“I am proud to be a pro-life Republican. I believe that every life is an individual gift from God, and that no life is disposable,” Christie said in the statement to the Susan B. Anthony List, an anti-abortion group.

A bill enacting such a ban, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, was abruptly pulled by House leaders in January after opposition from some female Republican lawmakers. The lawmakers criticized language they said only allowed exceptions for rape if the victim reports the crime to police.

Christie on Monday touted his credentials governing a blue state and urged lawmakers to take up the issue. “When I was preparing to run for Governor of New Jersey there were those who told me there was no way I would be elected as a pro-life candidate,” he said. “I told them that they were wrong, that the voters would accept the sincerity of my beliefs even if they felt differently. Today, I am a living example that being pro-life is not a political liability anywhere in America.

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Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/237403-christie-endorses-20-week-abortion-ban

March 30, 2015

Mike Pence Has A Long History Of Fighting Gay Rights

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"In the state of Indiana, marriage is recognized as between a man and a woman, and I think that's how it should remain," Pence said in 2014 in an interview with MSNBC's Chuck Todd. However, after a federal appeals court ruling halting another court's ruling striking down the state's gay marriage ban, he also vowed that the state would not recognize same-sex couples.

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In 2010, Pence signed an open letter by the anti-gay marriage Family Research Council that ran in Politico and the Washington Examiner expressing support for organizations that oppose same-sex marriage and "protect and promote natural marriage and family." (A year earlier, the FRC's Tony Perkins praised Pence for joining a private briefing with local pastors on efforts to pass a traditional "marriage protection amendment." Perkins praised Pence as a "solid ally on this issue in the U.S. House.&quot

In December 2010, Pence appeared on CNN and argued against repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the official U.S. military policy that governed service by gays and lesbians. He said that repealing the act would be using the American military "as a backdrop for social experimentation."

"So I don't believe the time has come to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell," Pence said. "I really believe our soldiers that are at the tip of the spear know that. We ought to put their interests and the interests of our national security first."

Not surprisingly, during his time in the House, Pence voted "yes" on legislation defining marriage as only between one man and one woman, and he opposed legislation that prohibited workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation.

In 2011, an opinion piece by Wendy Kaminer in The Atlantic quoted Pence arguing that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act "wages war on freedom of religion in the workplace."

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Full article
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/mike-pence-gay-marriage-religious-freedom

March 30, 2015

Wilco Cancels Indiana Concert Over 'Thinly Disguised Legal Discrimination'

Source: TPM

The alternative rock band Wilco on Monday slammed Indiana's new anti-gay "religious freedom" bill as "thinly disguised legal discrimination" in a tweet announcing that an upcoming concert in the state was canceled.

WILCO ✔ @Wilco

We're canceling our 5/7 show in Indianapolis. “Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act” feels like thinly disguised legal discrimination.

4:30 PM - 30 Mar 2015

Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy has been outspoken about LGBT rights in the past. Tweedy, a Chicago-area native, wrote a letter to his local newspaper in 2013 to urge Illinois residents to support passing same-sex marriage legislation.

Indiana officials over the weekend scrambled to contain the fallout from the newly enacted law, which critics say would protect business owners who refuse to serve gay couples because of religious objections. Top Republican lawmakers in the state said Monday that they plan to push for an amendment "clarifying" that the bill doesn't allow for discrimination.

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Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/wilco-cancels-indiana-concert-anti-gay-bill

March 30, 2015

Twitter's Policy Team Bashes Indiana's Religious Freedom Law

Source: TPM

As the controversy over Indiana's "religious freedom" law that critics say would legalize anti-gay discrimination gained traction on Twitter this week, the social media company itself weighed in on Monday, saying that the Indiana law, and laws like it in other states, are "unjust and bad for business."

Policy ✔ @policy

We’re disappointed to see state bills that enshrine discrimination. These bills are unjust and bad for business. We support #EqualityForAll.

3:08 PM - 30 Mar 2015

The tweet from Twitter's policy team comes as Gov. Mike Pence (R) faces mounting national criticism for signing a recent religious freedom bill into law. The legislation could allow businesses to discriminate against gay customers if business owners have religious objections.

Other businesses with major stakes in Indiana have bashed Pence's move. The CEO of Salesforce and Angie's List have both protested the law by halting expanding in the state.

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Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/twitter-condemns-religious-freedom-indiana

March 30, 2015

Elizabeth Warren On Hillary Clinton And Running For President

MARCH 30, 2015 3:03 PM ET

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Interview Highlights

On interest in running for president

I'm working on those ideas, I'm pushing those ideas forward, I'm fighting for those ideas, every single day.

But you don't want to run, still?

I do not.

Do you think it will be better for the party though if Hillary Clinton has a challenger in the primary?

Now, come on. Hillary Clinton has not declared.

Do you think it would be better if she sails through the nomination or if she has a challenger from the left?

What I care about is that everyone who runs for president, who runs for any national office right now, talks about this core set of issues about what kind of a country we are and what kind of a future we're building. For me this is really personal.

Interested in being Democratic leader in the Senate?

Nope.

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http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2015/03/30/396383305/elizabeth-warren-on-hillary-clinton-and-running-for-president?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=politics&utm_medium=social&utm_term=nprnews

The above is from an interview with Sen Warren conducted by Boston NPR station WBUR. If you go the link, you can read more or, download the interview and listen to it on your computer.

March 30, 2015

AFSCME Relocating Conference Out Of 'Disgust' Of Religious Liberty Law

Source: TPM

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) has decided to relocate its 2015 National Women's Conference "as a direct result" of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) signing a controversial religious freedom bill into law.

AFSCME's decision to pull out of Indianapolis, Indiana, where it was scheduled to host its conference in October, was announced by AFSCME President Lee Saunders (pictured) on Monday.

"This un-American law allowing businesses to refuse service to gay and lesbian customers sets Indiana and our nation back decades in the struggle for civil rights," Saunders said in a statement. "It is an embarrassment and cannot be tolerated. The 1.6 million members of AFSCME cannot in good conscience make such a sizeable financial investment in Indiana knowing that women and men in that state are deliberately being targeted for discrimination."

A number of major businesses and national figures have criticized the law. Just before Pence signed it, the popular tabletop convention Gen Con threatened to relocate. Meanwhile, in Georgia, the science fiction convention Dragon Con warned that it could move out of the state if Georgia's legislature moved forward with similar legislation.

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Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/afscme-mike-pence-religious-freedom

March 30, 2015

Indiana’s Mike Pence is starting to look like Lester Maddox — without the spine - By Joan Walsh

Once a symbol of the GOP’s “deep bench” of 2016 contenders, Pence is now a national symbol of intolerance

JOAN WALSH

It’s hard to keep up with the rapid devaluation of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s national political stock. As recently as last month, he was showing up in hot takes on the GOP’s “deep bench” of 2016 presidential contenders. Of course, I’ve already written about how that bench is in splinters, even before Pence began to look like a 21st century Lester Maddox — without the spine.

On Sunday Pence hemmed and hawed but ultimately refused to tell ABC’s George Stephanopoulos whether Indiana’s horrible “religious freedom” law permits discrimination against LGBT Americans. “It’s a yes or no question!” the normally affable host challenged him. The Indiana governor repeatedly ducked the question while insisting “we’re not going to change the law.”

-snip- (video of Pence's interview on ABC, yesterday)

Then Pence told the Indianapolis Star that in the face of a nationwide backlash, he would support legislation to “clarify” the law. “I just can’t account for the hostility that’s been directed at our state,” Pence complained. “I’ve been taken aback by the mischaracterizations from outside the state of Indiana about what is in this bill.”

Apparently nervous Indiana Republicans are considering some sort of cleanup legislation that would leave the law intact, but “clarify” that it is intended to promote “religious freedom,” not sanction “discrimination.” That’s a specious distinction. The law will permit discrimination – whether or not it’s given the cover of “religious” sanction.

Bigots have often claimed lofty reasons for their bigotry, of course – this post by Ian Millhiser examined the history of pro-slavery and anti-integration racists using the Bible to justify their racism, often in terms eerily similar to those used to defend “religious freedom” laws today.

more
http://www.salon.com/2015/03/30/indiana%E2%80%99s_mike_pence_is_starting_to_look_like_lester_maddox_without_the_spine/

March 30, 2015

GOP Ex-Gov: Obama's 'Inciting' Birthers By Planning Trip To Kenya

Former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu (R) said on Monday during an appearance on Fox News that President Obama is "inciting" birther conspiracy theorists by planning a trip to Kenya this summer.

“I think his trip back to Kenya is going to create a lot of chatter and commentary amongst some of the hard right, who still don’t see him as having been born in the U.S.," Sununu said on the show "America's Newsroom."

"I personally think he’s just inciting some chatter on an issue that should have been a dead issue a long time ago,” he said.

Obama announced Monday morning that he plans to travel to Kenya in July to attend the 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Summit. Conspiracy theorists have long claimed Obama, who was born in Hawaii, was secretly born in Kenya and therefore is not legally qualified to be President.

Article + video of Sununu:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/john-sununu-obama-birthers

March 30, 2015

Ohio attorney general: Gays already have too much power — that’s why they can’t get married

Source: RawStory

In a legal brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court, Ohio’s attorney general defended the state’s ban on same-sex marriages by claiming that LGBT people don’t deserve to be a protected class. Voters in Ohio approved an amendment to the state constitution in 2004, excluding same-sex couples from marriage or claiming any legal status similar to marriage.

As reported by Think Progress, the brief submitted to the Supreme Court by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, states that the 14th Amendment defers such decisions to “vigorous democratic debates in each state community.”

“Heightened scrutiny does not apply because there is no fundamental right to the recognition of out-of-state same-sex marriages. Such a right would conflict with our Nation’s traditions in two ways,” the brief states. “All States denied the asserted right to same-sex marriage until recently. And a right to ‘protection and recognition’ falls outside the general right to privacy within which the specific marriage right sits. Nor has a new consensus emerged for a new right. Even today, a majority of States would adhere to marriage‟s traditional definition absent federal judicial mandates. And an international perspective does not change the analysis.”

According to DeWine, massive governmental support for same-sex marriage is proof that gays, as a group, have not been “relegated to such a position of political powerlessness,” as the Supreme Court has previously ruled in cases where heightened protection may be required.

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Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/ohio-attorney-general-gays-already-have-too-much-power-thats-why-they-cant-get-married/