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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsGOP candidates back Indiana’s anti-gay law amid uproar
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http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/gop-candidates-back-indianas-anti-gay-law-amid-uproar?cid=sm_fb_maddow
GOP candidates back Indianas anti-gay law amid uproar
03/31/15 08:00 AMUpdated 03/31/15 08:14 AM
By Steve Benen
As the national controversy grows surrounding Indianas new right-to-discriminate law, the pushback against Gov. Mike Pence (R) and his allies is intensifying. The Indianapolis Star, the states largest newspaper, abandoned subtlety this morning, running a full-page, front-page editorial with an all-caps headline that serves as a powerful command: Fix This Now.
But among Republican presidential hopefuls, the uproar is misguided according to the national GOP candidates, the new law is great and doesnt need fixing.
The scope and scale of the criticism continues to reach new heights. Private-sector leaders are demanding action; other states are launching boycotts; entertainers are canceling shows, and some Indiana communities are taking action on their own in the hopes of preventing discrimination.
But while much of the American mainstream moves in one direction, Republican presidential candidates are quickly scurrying in the other direction.
Speaking to Hugh Hewitt, the conservative talk show host, Mr. Bush defended the law as similar to legislation in Florida and as a safeguard for religious belief. I think Governor Pence has done the right thing, said Mr. Bush, who is expected to run for president in 2016. I think once the facts are established, people arent going to see this as discriminatory at all.
Remember, Jeb Bush is supposed to be the gay-friendly moderate of the GOPs 2016 field.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) offered his support for the controversial Indiana law. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) did the same. Right-wing neurosurgeon Ben Carson has become an enthusiastic supporter of the Hoosiers anti-gay measure.
Around the same time, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) eagerly announced his support for the right-to-discriminate law, as did former Sen. Rick Santorum (R). Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) was slightly more circumspect, though his super PACs press secretary said in a statement, As a matter of principle, Gov. Walker believes in broad religious freedom and the right for Americans to exercise their religion and act on their conscience.
Republican presidential politics is often an ugly business, requiring national GOP candidates to position themselves surprisingly far from the American mainstream. The electoral challenge is obvious: one of the far-right candidates is probably going to be the partys 2016 nominee, and incidents like these will be hard to forget.