Thursday was a bust day for the Governor of Arkansas, siding with religious extremists on a biblical monument and with them again against LGBT protections.
Last week, as the nation bore witness to Indiana Republican Governor Mike Pence‘s political aspirations deflate, then wither and die in a morass of leaderlessness, special interest elbow rubbing, and overall management and media incompetence, it looked like Arkansas’ Governor Asa Hutchinson might emerge as a GOP dark horse replacement for 2016.
The 64-year old former Arkansas native, U.S. Congressman, and DEA Administrator, stepped into a similar position as Pence, facing an ugly, discriminatory, and possibly unconstitutional “religious freedom” bill. Within 24 hours he had successfully managed to reject it, get lawmakers to send him a far less discriminatory and far less radical bill that many could support, and walk away looking like a wise King Solomon.
All that ended today.
In a matter of hours, Governor Hutchinson broke his almost-promise of drafting an LGBT nondiscrimination executive order, to “set the right example of tolerance and frame the debate.”
“I don’t believe in a workplace that discriminates,” Gov. Hutchinson told reporters last week, after recounting how his son had asked him to not sign the Indiana-styled Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Hutchinson, in announcing he was rejecting the bill while calling for another that mirrored the federal RFRA, said, “Arkansas wants to be a place of tolerance,” and wants to balance religious freedom and protections.
“It’s also about communicating to the world that we are a state that recognizes diversity,” Hutchinson, seemingly projecting an air of rational, old-school conservatism, announced.
Today, that same Governor Hutchinson, exactly one week after almost walking on water in the eyes of both the liberal and conservative communities, opted to dive into the water and drown his crown in a sea of anti-LGBT ignorance.
“I don’t see any urgent need for it now,” Hutchinson told reporters today, referring to the all-but-promised LGBT nondiscrimination executive order. “I got my request,” he added, speaking of the new RFRA that mirrors federal law, “so we’ll see what the future develops but I considered the issue resolved when they gave me my first request of a new bill.”
Arkansas does not have offer any legal protections for LGBT people.Â
The Governor did not see any “urgent need” for protecting LGBT people, in the workplace or on the streets, despite the fact that Arkansas ranks 44th in a national crime survey – with #50 (South Carolina) and #51 (Washington, D.C.) being the worst.
But he did see an urgent need, today, when he signed a bill into law mandating the State of Arkansas erect a 10 Commandments monument on the grounds of the state capitol. Yes, today, Gov. Hutchinson signed a bill into law ordering the state to create a biblically-based monument, noting at least that it would be privately funded.
“The Ten Commandments represent a philosophy of government held by many of the founders of this nation and by many Arkansans and other Americans today,” the new law reads, “that God has ordained civil government and has delegated limited authority to civil government, that God has limited the authority of civil government, and that God has endowed people with certain unalienable rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
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