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Indiana Set to Add Protections to ‘Religious Freedom’ Law

April 2, 2015 at 7:20 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 19 Comments

“Indiana Republican leaders are set to announce a deal Thursday morning that alters Indiana’s controversial ‘religious freedom’ law to ensure it does not discriminate against gay and lesbian customers of Indiana businesses,” the Indianapolis Star reports.

“The proposal — which grants new protections for LGBT customers, employees and tenants — is set for a 9 a.m. rollout at the Statehouse and a 9:30 a.m. committee hearing. It closely mirrors a draft plan that was circulated early Wednesday morning and could potentially quell concerns that have made Indiana the focus of national derision for one very intense week.”

Filed Under: Religion, State House

Arkansas Governor Will Not Sign ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill

April 1, 2015 at 12:40 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 51 Comments

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) said he “will not sign a controversial religious liberty bill, saying he wants lawmakers to recall the bill and change it so that it more closely resembles federal law,” the Washington Post reports.

Said Hutchinson: “This is a bill that in ordinary times would not be controversial. But these are not ordinary times.”

New York Times: “Several businesses, including the state’s largest employer, Walmart, as well as the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, the Arkansas Municipal League and other civic groups have come out against the legislation.”

Filed Under: Religion, State House Tagged With: Asa Hutchinson

Are Republicans Losing Big Business?

April 1, 2015 at 9:40 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 38 Comments

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?

Filed Under: 2016 Campaign, Religion


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A Lesson for Republicans in Indiana

April 1, 2015 at 9:29 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 35 Comments

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.”

Filed Under: 2016 Campaign, Religion Tagged With: Indiana

Arkansas Passes ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill

April 1, 2015 at 6:54 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 14 Comments

“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.”

Filed Under: Religion, State House Tagged With: Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson

Pence Digs In Over ‘Religious Freedom’ Law

March 30, 2015 at 7:01 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 25 Comments

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?

Filed Under: Religion, State House Tagged With: Mike Pence

Pence Will Seek Clarification of Religious Freedom Law

March 28, 2015 at 8:24 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 55 Comments

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.”

Filed Under: Religion, State House Tagged With: Mike Pence

Religious Freedom Law Sparks Outrage in Indiana

March 28, 2015 at 10:18 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 79 Comments

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.”

Filed Under: Religion, State House Tagged With: Indiana, Mike Pence

Quote of the Day

March 28, 2015 at 7:29 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 171 Comments

“The First Amendment says keep government out of religion, not religion out of government.”

— Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), quoted by David Brody, speaking at a private prayer breakfast in Washington, DC.

Filed Under: 2016 Campaign, Religion Tagged With: Rand Paul

GOP Lawmaker Suggests Mandatory Church Attendance

March 28, 2015 at 6:45 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 75 Comments

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.”

Filed Under: Religion, State House Tagged With: Sylvia Allen

Pope Says His Tenure Will Likely Be Short

March 13, 2015 at 4:33 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 80 Comments

Pope Francis said in an interview that he believes his pontificate will be short and that he would be ready to resign like his predecessor rather than ruling for life, Reuters reports.

Francis also said he “did not mind” being pope but would like to be able to go out in Rome unrecognized for a pizza.

Filed Under: Religion Tagged With: Pope Francis

Quote of the Day

March 10, 2015 at 7:06 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 53 Comments

“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.

Filed Under: Religion Tagged With: John Kasich

Very Few Republicans Think Obama Is Christian

February 25, 2015 at 11:19 am EST By Taegan Goddard 86 Comments

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.

Filed Under: Religion

Lawmaker Says Obama Reflects His Overseas Education

February 23, 2015 at 3:58 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 58 Comments

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.”

Filed Under: Religion, White House Tagged With: Tim Huelskamp

Walker Says He Doesn’t Know If Obama Is Christian

February 21, 2015 at 11:52 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 112 Comments

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?”

Filed Under: 2016 Campaign, Religion Tagged With: Scott Walker

North Dakota GOP Cancels Opening Prayer by Muslim

February 20, 2015 at 10:03 am EST By Taegan Goddard 19 Comments

“Republican leaders in the North Dakota House of Representatives said they canceled the opening prayer by a Muslim on Ash Wednesday because some members thought it was more appropriate to have a Christian deliver the invocation,” the Fargo Forum reports.

Filed Under: Religion

Obama Faulted for Not Using ‘Islamic’ Label

February 19, 2015 at 7:08 am EST By Taegan Goddard 55 Comments

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.”

Filed Under: Religion

Tennessee Lawmaker Wants Bible to be Official Book

February 11, 2015 at 2:20 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 47 Comments

Tennessee state Rep. Jerry Sexton (R) “has introduced a bill to make the Bible the official state book, after two other Southern states considered similar moves in recent months,” the Huffington Post reports.

“Although Tennessee doesn’t have a state book, it does have a state fruit (the tomato), mineral (agate) and wild animal (raccoon).”

Filed Under: Religion

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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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