Jeb Bush put to rest any notion that he is running a moderate campaign Friday when he suggested at the conservative Faith and Freedom Coalition convention that he would not cede the fight for "
traditional marriage," regardless of what the Supreme Court decides. Jeremy Peters has
the details:
Mr. Bush, the former governor of Florida, said he was not content to let the defense of traditional marriage fade away.
“It’s got to be important over the long haul, irrespective of what the courts say,” he said.
In discussing the topic, Mr. Bush made reference to divisive laws enacted in Indiana and other states that would permit some exemptions for people and institutions who say same-sex marriage violates their religious beliefs. “We need to make sure that we protect the right not just of having religious views, but the right of acting on those religious views,” he said.
He added: “Conscience should also be respected for people of faith who want to take a stand for traditional marriage.”
Pundits have made much of Hillary Clinton's "liberal" turn on same-sex marriage—she has supported it since 2013. We shall see if they remark about Bush's extreme tack to the right. After all, Clinton's view is far more mainstream, with multiple polls
showing that some
60 percent of Americans support marriage equality. Only about
35 percent support Bush's view.
Jeb's views on allowing people of faith to refuse service to LGBT Americans also runs far afield from the mainstream. A Public Religion Research Institution poll found that 60 percent of Americans "opposed allowing small business owners to refuse service to gays and lesbians, even if it violates their religious beliefs."