Take Them At Their Words

Oh, I just love when Republicans step in it and then try to scrape off their shoes and pretend they said nothing.

Last week during a call with members of the media, Indiana’s GOP Senator, Mike Braun said the U.S. Supreme Court was wrong to legalize interracial marriage decades ago, and that the decision should have been left to individual states.

No sooner than you could shout racism, or at least no sooner than a more intelligent person on Braun’s staff could get to him, five hours later, Braun released a statement saying he misunderstood "a line of questioning," and emphasized that he condemns racism "in any form."

It all happened during a press call when Braun said he believes abortion rights questions should have been left up to the states back when Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973.

A reporter then asked if he applied the same reasoning to the Supreme Court's decision in 1967 that struck down state laws banning interracial marriage under the 14th amendment, which guarantees all citizens equal protection under the law, and Braun said:

"When it comes to issues, you can't have it both ways. When you want that diversity to shine within our federal system, there are going to be rules and proceedings, they're going to be out of sync with maybe what other states would do. It's the beauty of the system, and that's where the differences among points of view in our 50 states ought to express themselves."

Not realizing what a racist tool he was sounding like, Mike Braun doubled down when asked if he would be agree with leaving the decision of whether to allow interracial marriage up to states:

"Yes, I think that that's something that if you're not wanting the Supreme Court to weigh in on issues like that, you're not going to be able to have your cake and eat it too. I think that's hypocritical."

And then hours later, after I’m sure his staff told him what a white sheet wearing asshat he sounded like, Braun backtracked:

“Earlier during a virtual press conference I misunderstood a line of questioning that ended up being about interracial marriage. Let me be clear on that issue — there is no question the Constitution prohibits discrimination of any kind based on race, that is not something that is even up for debate, and I condemn racism in any form, at all levels and by any states, entities, or individuals.”

I don’t know, Mike, when you answered the question on interracial marriage you seemed very clear it should be a state’s rights issue, and then suddenly you did a one-eighty.

Not quite buying it, but it does get the idea out there that, maybe, if votes go a certain way, those so-called conservatives can put a stop to that “mixing of the races” business.

And it’s not just interracial marriage … during the second day of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing last week, Texas’ GOP Senator John Cornyn attacked marriage equality. His objection is that granting equal rights to LGBTQ people … let that sink in, granting equality … conflicts with the religious beliefs of some people, to which Jackson responded:

“Well, senator, that is the nature of a right. That when there is a right, it means that there are limitations on regulation, even if people are regulating pursuant to their sincerely held religious beliefs.” 

Indeed, rights are guarantees of freedom that the Constitution does not leave to the political process, not does it leave to churches of political parties who want to enshrine their religious beliefs … their religious beliefs … into law. 

Cornyn’s second complaint is that marriage equality is not in the Constitution, and therefore in guaranteeing the freedom to marry, SCOTUS invented a new right. But the same could be said then about Loving v Virginia which granted the rights of interracial couples to marry, so does Cornyn think interracial marriage is also a bad idea? Maybe his buddy Mike Braun was onto something?

Don’t think this is just one aging GOP loon spouting idiocy. Much of what the GOP “stands” for these days is stripping back any expansion of LGBTQ+ rights, from Florida’s, and other state’s, ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bills to banning trans athletes from competing in sports, and more.

John Cornyn is giving voice to that hate-filled ideology, and his questions show us how the conservatives view LGBTQ+ equal rights and how they plan to undo them.

So, again, I will say this: if you believe that LGBTQ+ Americans deserve the same rights as every other American, including the right to simply exist, then get off your asses and speak up, and stand up, and … here it comes … CAST A GODDAMNED VOTE … because if, at the midterms, the Democrats lose the house, you can know that the target on our backs, the LGBTQ_+ community, and the target on the backs of teachers teaching actual history, and the targets on the back of women having the right to choose what they can do with their own bodies, and the rights of trans Americans to be seen and respected for who they are, will disappear.

And, other than racists and bigots and faux-Christians, who the hell wants that?

IndyStar  Mother Jones