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Are Republicans Losing Big Business?

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Rick Klein: “The culture wars are raging again, bringing the predictable splits. Democrats say one thing; Republicans – including all of the potential 2016ers — say another, reflecting real divisions among voters. But there’s something missing on the GOP side: some of the biggest voices in the business community. Leading the way in criticizing the new Indiana law and its cousins in other states are titans of the corporate world: Apple, Walmart, Marriott, Eli Lilly, even Indiana’s Chamber of Commerce.”

“There are few signs that corporate leaders’ splits with the political right will last permanently, or matter for things like campaign contributions. But it’s instructive to see how things are lining up in this fight. It’s as if big slices of corporate America are glimpsing a demographic and ideological future ahead of their political counterparts.”

Wonk Wire: An erosion of gay rights?

A Lesson for Republicans in Indiana

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First Read: “Here’s the bad news for Republicans: The political fight over religious freedom and gay rights that erupted in Indiana has forced Gov. Mike Pence to retreat; put the Republican 2016 contenders to the RIGHT of Pence; and further exposed that the GOP is in a different place on gay rights than the rest of the country. That includes big business. But here’s the good news for the party: They’re learning this lesson early — as opposed to having it play out next spring or even in the fall of 2016.”

Jonathan Bernstein: “The positions that play well in a small bubble of party politics and on Fox News may go wrong when the larger November 2016 electorate is exposed to them.”

Arkansas Passes ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill

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“The Arkansas legislature on Tuesday passed its version of a bill described by proponents as a religious freedom law, even as Indiana’s political leaders struggled to gain control over a growing backlash that has led to calls to boycott the state because of criticism that its law could be a vehicle for discrimination against gay couples,” the New York Times reports.

“The Arkansas bill now goes to the state’s Republican governor, Asa Hutchinson, who expressed reservations about an earlier version but more recently said he would sign the measure if it ‘reaches my desk in similar form as to what has been passed in 20 other states.’ But the bill already faces a significant corporate backlash, including from Doug McMillon, the chief executive of Walmart, the state’s largest corporation, who said Tuesday afternoon that Mr. Hutchinson should veto it.”


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Pence Digs In Over ‘Religious Freedom’ Law

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Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) dug in his heels, supporting the “religious freedom” legislation he just signed and refusing to support nondiscrimination protections, the Indianapolis Star reports.

“Pence struggled under persistent questioning from ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Sunday morning as he went on air to defend the law… One thing Pence was clear about, however: He will not support language that would bar discrimination. The performance Sunday morning, on national television, marked an apparent about face from Saturday, when he told The Indianapolis Star that he would support new protections.”

Bloomberg quotes Pence: “We’ve been under an avalanche of intolerance and I’m not going to take it lying down. We’re not going to change the law.”

Wonk Wire: Why the outrage?

Pence Will Seek Clarification of Religious Freedom Law

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Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R), “scorched by a fast-spreading political firestorm,” told the Indianapolis Star that “he will support the introduction of legislation to ‘clarify’ that Indiana’s controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act does not promote discrimination against gays and lesbians.”

Associated Press: “Hundreds of people, some carrying signs reading ‘no hate in our state,’ gathered Saturday outside the Indiana Statehouse for a boisterous rally against a new state law that opponents say could sanction discrimination against gay people.”

Religious Freedom Law Sparks Outrage in Indiana

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Indiana faces “a growing backlash over a religious-freedom law that has drawn a hostile reaction from defenders of gay rights, who say it could result in discrimination based on sexual orientation,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Measures similar to that signed into law by Indiana Gov. Mike Pence this week are already in place at the federal level and in some 30 states. The law covers a relatively complex issue—setting a legal framework for those who claim a government rule or requirement is hampering their exercise of religion.”

The Indianapolis Star notes “the public firestorm has been fueled almost exclusively by critics — from gay rights activists to business leaders to celebrities— who see the law as a license to discriminate under the guise of religion. Oddly and conspicuously missing has been a strong counter-show of public support by the law’s backers, including evangelical Christians.”

GOP Lawmaker Suggests Mandatory Church Attendance

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Arizona state State Sen. Sylvia Allen (R) raised the possibility of requiring church attendance for every American, the Arizona Republic reports.

Said Allen: “Probably we should be debating a bill requiring every American to attend a church of their choice on Sunday to see if we can get back to having a moral rebirth.”

She added that she wished things were more like they were in the 1950s: “People prayed, people went to church. I remember on Sundays the stores were closed. The biggest thing is religion was kicked out of our public places, out of our schools.”

Quote of the Day

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“I was saying how amusing it is to me that the conservative movement—a big chunk of which is faith-based—seems to have never read Matthew 25.”

— Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), quoted by National Journal, on the New Testament passage where Jesus admonishes his followers to aid the less fortunate.

Very Few Republicans Think Obama Is Christian

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Alex Theodoridis reports on a poll that found 54% of Republicans said that “Muslim” best described what President Obama “believes deep down.” Thirty percent of Republicans answered the way Gov. Scott Walker did, by selecting “I don’t know.” Only 9% selected “Christian” to describe what Obama likely believes.

Interestingly, only 45% of Democrats chose “Christian,” while 17% said “spiritual,” 10% said “Muslim,” and 26% said they didn’t know.

Lawmaker Says Obama Reflects His Overseas Education

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Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) said comments from President Obama on Christian history and modern Islamic extremism reflect his education overseas as a child, BuzzFeed reports.

Said Huelskamp: “Well as you said he believes this and uh, don’t forget this was not a man educated in our American system. He learned all kinds of things wherever he was educated. He spent time in Indonesia and their schools there and this is exactly what they taught there. It’s probably close to what he believes.”

Walker Says He Doesn’t Know If Obama Is Christian

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Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said he does not know whether President Obama is a Christian, the Washington Post reports.

Said Walker: “I don’t know. I’ve actually never talked about it or I haven’t read about that. I’ve never asked him that. You’ve asked me to make statements about people that I haven’t had a conversation with about that. How [could] I say if I know either of you are a Christian?”

Obama Faulted for Not Using ‘Islamic’ Label

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New York Times: “Obama aides say there is a strategic logic to his vocabulary: Labeling noxious beliefs and mass murder as ‘Islamic’ would play right into the hands of terrorists who claim that the United States is at war with Islam itself. The last thing the president should do, they say, is imply that the United States lumps the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims with vicious terrorist groups.”

“But Mr. Obama’s verbal tactics have become a target for a growing chorus of critics who believe the evasive language is a sign that he is failing to look squarely at the threat from militant Islam. The vague phrasing, they say, projects uncertainty and weakness at a time when extremists claiming to fight for Islam threaten America and its interests around the world.”

Los Angeles Times: “Republicans accuse Obama of tiptoeing around the issue out of an apparent reluctance to offend Muslims.”

A Very Political Pope

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Bloomberg: “In less than two years in office, he’s nudged the conversation away from abusive priests and used the image makeover to wade into conflicts from helping to restore Cuban-U.S. ties to lobbying for a global climate accord. In September, he will become the first religious leader who serves as a head of state to address a joint session of Congress.”

“By sidestepping the debate on abortion, gay marriage and sex, Francis has positioned himself for a role in world affairs.”

GOP Candidates Object to Obama Comparison

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“Would be 2016 presidential hopefuls including Rick Santorum and Bobby Jindal seized on President Obama’s comparison of Islamic extremism to the Christian Crusades and other violent excesses during Thursday’s National Prayer Breakfast, decrying the comments as ‘inappropriate’ and ‘insulting to every person of faith,'” CNN reports.

Said Jindal: “We will be happy to keep an eye out for runaway Christians, but it would be nice if he would face the reality of the situation today. The Medieval Christian threat is under control, Mr. President. Please deal with the Radical Islamic threat today.”

Said Santorum: “Today’s remarks by the President were inappropriate and his choice of venue was insulting to every person of faith at a time when Christians are being crucified, beheaded, and persecuted across the Middle East.”

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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