Blog Credo

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.

H.L. Mencken

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Explain To Me Again About That Big Tent

http://www.vox.com/2015/3/31/8317303/republicans-religious-freedom-indiana

The best explanation of what is wrong with the Indiana law is that unlike previous "Religious Freedom" laws that protect religious minorities from state sanctions is that this law injects itself into religious disputes between citizens.  In other words, it sides with religious groups that refuse to serve people because a religious objection, and then codifies that into law.

The ultimately effect on LGBT people is likely to be small.  Except that this is a clear counterattack on the coming legalization of same sex marriage.  The motives are clear here.

The fact that putative "moderate" Jeb "JEB!" Bush is endorsing Indiana's attempt to legalize private discrimination is an interesting one.

Bush has been cast in some corners as a possible version of Jon Huntsman - the sane Republican in a field of crazies.  I have no idea what Huntsman would have done with this law - he's from Utah - but Bush is either pandering or he's part of retrograde action against full equality for LGBT Americans.

Does Bush REALLY believe this is a good law?  Or is he sucking up to the old, white rural voters that make up the GOP electorate?  And which answer is worse?

Remember, this is the moral busy-body who injected himself into the Terry Schiavo case.  Maybe he really believes that codifying discrimination on religious grounds is a good thing.

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