A Glimpse Into the GOP's Backward Bubble

[DemocratSinceBirth]

If there’s one takeaway from Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s “religious freedom restoration” debacle, it’s that Republicans ignore today’s cultural environment at their peril.

Conservatives can continue to live in a bubble if they want to, but they should expect blowback, because outside that bubble is a far different reality.

Pence seems shocked by the widespread perception that his state’s new Religious Freedom Restoration Act invites businesses and individuals to discriminate against gay people on the grounds that serving them would, or might, infringe on the religious owners’ beliefs. But what other conclusion is there?

The law came shortly after the courts legalized gay marriage in Indiana last fall. It is more expansive than other state laws and a federal version passed 20 years ago. For example Indiana does not have civil rights protections in place for gay people. Several anti-gay activists were invited to watch Pence sign the bill. And Pence punted time after time after time on ABC’s “This Week” when asked if the new law permits discrimination against gays.



http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2015/03/31/indiana-religious-freedom-gives-glimpse-into-the-gops-backwards-bubble