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Jeb Bush Met Ludacris Today. Oh, And Said Same-Sex Marriage Could Make People Unemployed.

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Likely Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush today ran into rapper Ludacris today, and said some not nice things about same-sex marriage and religion.

One of the first things any good politician learns is to know their audience. 

Jeb Bush, former GOP governor of Florida is son and brother to U.S. Presidents and grandson to a U.S. Senator. He knows his stuff.

Today, looking somewhat nervous, awkward, and unkempt, Jeb Bush delivered a short speech to the Georgia legislature. On the way in, he met rapper and actor Ludacris, who was being honored for his charity and work advocating for school vouchers.

The Georgia House is currently debating a horrific “religious freedom” bill, supported by Georgia resident and Fox News contributor Erick Erickson. Erickson is also the editor-in-chief of RedState, and says the only difference between ISIS and gay people is the killing.

The Georgia Senate passed the bill, the Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or SB 129, earlier this month. Yesterday, the Daily Beast reported if it becomes law, SB 129 “will make the state one of the most anti-LGBT places in the country.”

So, with that in mind, Jeb Bush talked with Georgia lawmakers today on the subject of “religious freedom” and same-sex marriage.

“Religious freedom is a serious issue, and it’s increasingly so, and I think people that act on their conscience shouldn’t be discriminated against for sure and there should be protections,” Bush told lawmakers, as the Washington Post reports.

“As it relates to marriage equality that may change, the Supreme Court may change that, that automatically then shifts the focus to people of conscious [conscience?] that out of their faith may want to act on their faith and may not be able to be employed, for example or may not want to provide services for a gay wedding. People I think have the right to do that just as we need to be respectful of people who are in long-term committed relationships. Sorting that out is important.”

To be clear, Bush did not attack same-sex marriage directly, but he used it as a straw man to claim that because same-sex couples are now getting married, some people might not want to be involved with those weddings and marriages, and so they may find they “may not be able to be employed” as a result.

In fact, the marriage of a same-sex couple would not be at fault, but that person’s chosen religious beliefs would be.

Big difference.

So much for the party of personal responsibility.

Bush has wrongly been framed by some in the media as a kinder, gentler Republican. We’ve heard those words before. They were used to describe his brother – whose campaign in 2004 was responsible for the dozens of unconstitutional same-sex marriage bans that a decade later the nation is striking down.

 

Hat tip: Ed O’Keefe/Washington Post
Image via Twitter

 

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OPINION

Donald Trump Jr. Bombs at CPAC – and Gets Scorched for Lying That ‘Radical’ Dems Have ‘Banned the Muppets’ From TV

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13 hours ago

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February 26, 2021

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If Donald Trump, Jr. was hoping to get support for a political run he did not receive it at Friday’s Conservative Political Action Conference. The son of the former president was the last speaker of the day, but had to address a room with more empty chairs than he probably expected. There was no attempt to be “socially distant” at CPAC, and it was definitely not “standing room only.”

The conservative crowd did not seem terribly impressed or thrilled with Trump Jr.’s remarks. At one point, when he compared CNN’s chief media correspondent Brian Stelter (who he called Brian Slettler) to “Mr. Potato Head,” claiming that everyone makes that comparison (almost no one makes that comparison, except for this guy and a Fox News host), he got enough pushback that he had to try to defend his ugly attack.

Jr. also tried to pull off jokes like, “Liz Cheney is less popular than her father is at a quail hunt,” referring to the former vice president accidentally shooting an acquaintance in the face – in 2006, 15 years ago. There likely were attendees in the room who literally were too young to know what he was talking about. When some groaned he declared, “fact check: true.”

Trump Jr.’s speech was his usual mix of lies, half-truths, and self-victimization, accentuated with a big lie about something incredibly irrelevant: “The Muppets” (no offense meant to any Muppets.)

“This month, this month alone, they’ve banned The Muppets,” Trump Jr. lied, blaming “the radical left” for the cancellation that did not happen.

“Right. I mean, if there’s things that you thought were sort of above cancellation, you would be wrong. There is nothing, the radical left won’t cancel. ”

He was probably referring to Disney +, where almost every Muppet episode can now be seen. Entertainment Weekly reports that two episodes are missing, one because Disney could not secure the rights to the music in an episode, and one because the guest star of that episode is now a convicted sex offender and was “found guilty of possessing child pornography.”

BBC News adds that Disney has added a content warning to the beginning of some episodes over “negative stereotypes.”

That’s not cancelling The Muppets, although Trump’s father has made clear he doesn’t like warning labels on his content either.

Watch:

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THIS IS TODAY'S GOP

MAGA Crowd at CPAC Rewards Josh Hawley With a Standing Ovation for Voting to Overturn a Free and Fair Election

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15 hours ago

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February 26, 2021

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Conservatives continue to reward Republicans who fought to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) was one of the most prominent proponents of the “Big Lie” that Donald Trump actually won the presidential election. Hawley refused to accept the outcome of the election even after the Electoral College voted to confirm Joe Biden’s victory in December.

Hawley continued his efforts to overturn the election even after the fatal January. 6th insurrection by supporters of Trump who believed Hawley’s misinformation.

While the senator has been harshly criticized in Missouri, he was cheered on Friday when he bragged about siding with the insurrectionists while speaking to the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando.

Many in the crowed even gave him a standing ovation.

Watch:

 

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LIES AND THE LYING LIARS THAT TELL THEM

GOP Lawmakers Lie to Skip House Votes – So They Can Attend Conservative Conference in Orlando

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16 hours ago

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February 26, 2021

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Four of the Republican Party’s most extreme House lawmakers have submitted signed letters claiming they must vote by proxy due to the ongoing health crisis, the coronavirus pandemic. But as CNN’s Manu Raju reports, all four are in sunny Florida attending or even speaking at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference.

“Several Republicans in the House have skipped Friday’s votes and enlisted their colleagues to vote on their behalf, signing letters saying they couldn’t attend ‘due to the ongoing public health emergency.’ But those members are scheduled to be at CPAC,” Raju reports.

“The members include Rep. Matt Gaetz,” Raju adds, “as well as some of Trump’s staunchest defenders who are listed as speakers, like Reps. Paul Gosar of Arizona, Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina and Ted Budd of North Carolina.”

Here’s Rep. Matt Gaetz on Thursday at CPAC, apparently unconcerned about the coronavirus as he walks maskless in the halls laughing with supporters:

Republicans were initially vehemently opposed to voting by proxy when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi approved it. But now they are abusing the procedure, and apparently lying to invoke it.

 

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