Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTed Cruz Ignores Gay Republican Concerned That ‘Religious Liberty’ Equals Discrimination
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2016/04/18/3770337/ted-cruz-discrimination-gma/
Todd Calogne, a pizza parlor owner in New York City, began his question by telling the Republican presidential candidate that hes a lifelong Republican who has been married to his husband for two years. Ive noticed a lot of religious freedom laws and somewhat institutionalized discrimination laws happening around the country, he said, likely referring to anti-LGBT laws passed in North Carolina and Mississippi and proposed in many other states. What would you as President do to protect me and my husband from that institutionalized discrimination?
Cruz refused to actually entertain that question or even humor its premise a total of three times after anchors Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos tried to push him further. Instead, he repeatedly insisted that religious liberty simply protects everybody. That freedom ultimately protects each and every one of us, he claimed. We shouldnt have the right to force others to knuckle under and give up their faith, give up their belief. For me, I have spent my entire adult life fighting to defend religious liberty, fighting to defend the freedom of every one of us to seek out and worship God, and I think keeping government out of the way of your lives protects the freedom of every one of us.
Roberts was the first to try to get more out of him. But when you talk about freedom what he referred to with his husband a lot of people would say, doesnt everybody have the freedom to be treated equally, dont we all have the freedom to be equal?
Cruz again avoided any acknowledgment that same-sex couples like the questioner could experience discrimination under these laws. Instead, he suggested it simply protects an Orthodox Jew from the government mandating what a Kosher deli can serve, an analogy that is purely hypothetical no deli has ever been forced to serve anything, and why would it? and irrelevant to the question. Its never been an issue of what any business sells on its menu, but merely a question of to whom it is willing to sell those items.
Todd Calogne, a pizza parlor owner in New York City, began his question by telling the Republican presidential candidate that hes a lifelong Republican who has been married to his husband for two years. Ive noticed a lot of religious freedom laws and somewhat institutionalized discrimination laws happening around the country, he said, likely referring to anti-LGBT laws passed in North Carolina and Mississippi and proposed in many other states. What would you as President do to protect me and my husband from that institutionalized discrimination?
Cruz refused to actually entertain that question or even humor its premise a total of three times after anchors Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos tried to push him further. Instead, he repeatedly insisted that religious liberty simply protects everybody. That freedom ultimately protects each and every one of us, he claimed. We shouldnt have the right to force others to knuckle under and give up their faith, give up their belief. For me, I have spent my entire adult life fighting to defend religious liberty, fighting to defend the freedom of every one of us to seek out and worship God, and I think keeping government out of the way of your lives protects the freedom of every one of us.
Roberts was the first to try to get more out of him. But when you talk about freedom what he referred to with his husband a lot of people would say, doesnt everybody have the freedom to be treated equally, dont we all have the freedom to be equal?
Cruz again avoided any acknowledgment that same-sex couples like the questioner could experience discrimination under these laws. Instead, he suggested it simply protects an Orthodox Jew from the government mandating what a Kosher deli can serve, an analogy that is purely hypothetical no deli has ever been forced to serve anything, and why would it? and irrelevant to the question. Its never been an issue of what any business sells on its menu, but merely a question of to whom it is willing to sell those items.
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
3 replies, 520 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (2)
ReplyReply to this post
3 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Ted Cruz Ignores Gay Republican Concerned That ‘Religious Liberty’ Equals Discrimination (Original Post)
Miles Archer
Apr 2016
OP
SusanCalvin
(6,592 posts)1. Anyone expected anything else? nt
Ilsa
(61,698 posts)2. Did this gay republican really think
that these religious freedom laws were really about that, in essence? He needs to wake up and see what the GOP really think of him and his husband.
Volaris
(10,274 posts)3. Cruz is an absolute Reptile.
If I had to pick between the hot-tempered faux protofascist (Trump), and the actual, cold-blooded real one (Cruz or Kasich--and don't kid yourselves, the latter is just as bad as the former) ill take Trump with a smile on my face.
Go, Bernie, GO.