We knew it was only a matter of time before 2016 Republican presidential hopefuls started weighing in on the whole Indiana versus the gays debate. And, as expected, they’re shooting themselves in the feet.
Ted Cruz called Indiana’s homophobic governor Mike Pence “courageous” for singing the blatantly antigay bill. Now, George W. Bush’s kid brother Jeb has also come out in support of the bill, saying he’s totally in favor of “religious freedom” laws that make it legal to discriminate against gay people.
While running his mouth to conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt, Bush said: “I think Governor Pence has done the right thing. I think once the facts are established, people aren’t going to see this as discriminatory at all.”
Mr. Bush, the facts have been established, and the bill is discriminatory. Pence himself admitted at a press conference today that maybe, just maybe, the bill ought to be re-written.
How about we take this to the next level?
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“There are many cases where people acting on their conscience have been castigated by the government,” Bush babbled on. “This is really an important value for our country, in a diverse country,where you can be tolerant of people’s lifestyles but allow people of faith to exercise theirs.”
Given Jeb’s homophobic views towards gay people, this news shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone. But it shouldn’t discourage them either. With the nationwide backlash Indiana has suffered as a result of this new law, paired with a recent poll finding that the majority of Americans are now in favor equal rights for gay people, George’s kid brother will likely regret taking this stance on the off chance that he makes it to the general election next year.
What we wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall in Hillary Clinton‘s office right now.
Related stories:
Six Reasons Why Indiana’s Antigay Law Is Even Worse Than You Imagined
The Fallout From Indiana’s “Religious Freedom” Law Is Getting Even Uglier
Demitrius Wolfe
I think jeb has already raised his hand.
dhmonarch89
https://twitter.com/Timodc
Openly gay, Tim Miller, is still Bush’s communications man- let him know he’s a back stabbing idiot for working for this jackass!
darian
“This is really an important value for our country, in a diverse country,where you can be tolerant of people’s lifestyles but allow people of faith to exercise theirs.”
Problem is those same people of faith tend to be the most intolerant of others lifestyles while exercising their by oppressing a group of people because a book tells them so. Instead of helping all people like their fairy tell book says.
Giancarlo85
People of faith used their religion to justify slavery and segregation and to prevent women from voting. People of faith also pushed the Scopes Monkey trial (William Jennings Bryan). Keep your religion out of government. This isn’t a theocracy. Two people of the same sex getting married is not the business of religious groups.
Giancarlo85
And we don’t need another Bush disaster in the White House. The last two were enough. But some idiot Republican on here will probably call Jebby a moderate. And does Jeb sound Presidential to you? Sounds like a guy who needs to stay on a ranch in Texas.
sweetbrandigirl2004
And just like that he KILLED any change he had of being President !!!!
Rick Caffey
Buffoon…no..no…no in 16
Chris L. Reynolds
Jebro Bodine Bush is no Einstein!
jason smeds
Jeb is starting to look like his mother Barbara.
Luis H. Lopez
The brother of a war criminal and now he is a homophobic bigot can the bush tyrants please vanish the us would be better without them!!
Desert Boy
The Repugs are using “teh gays” again, trying to make us the latest 2016 wedge issue but rebranding us “religious freedom”. But, unless you’re a Bible thumper, the voters are smarter now. The Repugs? Not so much.
tjr101
I’m still waiting for the inevitable gay Republican to show up and defend this guy like how little roaches show up on an unclean kitchen counter.
Giancarlo85
@tjr101: Oh they are here. Just the other day a libertarian hypocrite on here was saying he would vote for Rand Paul, who is more extreme than Jeb.
jwtraveler
Did he sing the anti-gay bill a capella, or did he have a chorus of homophobes?
Alex Rothwell
Naturally.
Cam
Now watch, if he wins the GOP primary he will then try to pretend he didn’t really support that bill in order to trick independents into voting for him.
1EqualityUSA
“Compassionate conservatism” didn’t work for us the last time a bush wormed his way into office. I hope the Republican party loses over and over again.
Giancarlo85
The sad part is that some of the LCR and libertarian types on this site are claiming that the republicans would balance the budget and do well on the economy… we all know this is a load of crap. Republicans have a terrible past record. And not only that they are funded and backed by bigots.
1EqualityUSA
Republicans were in favor of loosening regulations on big business. The raping and pillaging of retirement accounts was the fallout. I would imagine that having every citizen by the financial balls would be a powerful position in which to be. All the more reason to coerce elections, suppress voters, and have supreme court justices get away with political driving.
Giancarlo85
@1EqualityUSA: They’ve already gutted the Dodd-Frank rules on financial reform leaving this country vulnerable once again to predatory lenders. This is what republicans do best… selling this country out to corporate interests.
Jeff Scott
What happened to separation of church and state? Why did this even happen?
Mack
There is no way this yahoo is going to win the presidency unless there is another brother out there to steal a state for him.
russellhm
JEB doesn’t get it. He’s willing to support immigration reform—a wife who is a Latina may have persuaded him—but he could woo a lot of anti-Hillary voters and Independents if he didn’t keep pandering to Republican bile! And since he has yet to formally announce his candidacy, he and other Repugnant maybes are illegally collecting campaign funds. Poor JEB! His mum was right the months ago in discouraging him from running, but now, Barbara the Battleaxe says he must. She knows how to pander to the family, too! “Honey, you don’t need to eat your broccoli if it distresses, just don’t throw up on a prime minister’s lap again!”
gaym50ish
It has been a slow process, but at some point the Republican politicians stopped kowtowing to the corporations and began sucking up to the churches. It will be their downfall, if that hasn’t happened already. The major corporations are now on OUR side, as was made clear by their diversity programs and their reactions to this law. If they lose the business people, the evangelical Christians will be their only “base.”
1EqualityUSA
gaym50ish, but then there’s the koch roach brothers…