Bill Cassidy on Civil Rights

Georgia stops electioneering: no water at poll entrance

CASSIDY: Most of what Representative Clyburn said was wrong or misleading. If these laws are constitutional, they will be struck down. They're not criminalizing giving people water. They're just saying you can't walk up to them just before they walk in, give them water and tell them who to vote for. You can still give water to the people working at the poll. They can distribute it. And shall I point out that Georgia has more early voting days than does Delaware or New York by far. They have no-excuse absentee voting. So, when Representative Clyburn says a 90-year-old woman has to stand in line for four hours, in Georgia, she doesn't. I think, in Delaware, she might have to, or New York.

Racism has no place in American life

A: Racism has no place in American life. We are all first children of God and then citizens of the United States of America. We must all come together in common purpose and understanding that our nation is better now than it once was and we must strive for even better, tomorrow.

Feds should not get involved in state action on religion

Laws preventing religious discrimination are "intimidation"

Voted NO on reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act.

Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) to add or expand definitions of several terms used in such Act, including :
1. "culturally specific services" to mean community-based services that offer culturally relevant and linguistically specific services and resources to culturally specific communities;
2. "personally identifying information" with respect to a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking;
3. "underserved populations" as populations that face barriers in accessing and using victim services because of geographic location, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity; and
4. "youth" to mean a person who is 11 to 24 years old.

Opponent's Argument for voting No (The Week; Huffington Post, and The Atlantic): House Republicans had objected to provisions in the Senate bill that extended VAWA's protections to lesbians, gays, immigrants, and Native Americans. For example, Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH) voted against the VAWA bill because it was a "politically–motivated, constitutionally-dubious Senate version bent on dividing women into categories by race, transgender politics and sexual preference." The objections can be grouped in two broadly ideological areas--that the law is an unnecessary overreach by the federal government, and that it represents a "feminist" attack on family values. The act's grants have encouraged states to implement "mandatory-arrest" policies, under which police responding to domestic-violence calls are required to make an arrest. These policies were intended to combat the too-common situation in which a victim is intimidated into recanting an abuse accusation. Critics also say VAWA has been subject to waste, fraud, and abuse because of insufficient oversight.

Protect anti-same-sex marriage opinions as free speech.

Congressional Summary:Congress finds the following:

1. Leading legal scholars concur that conflicts between same-sex marriage and religious liberty are real and should be legislatively addressed.
2. As the President stated in response to the Defense of Marriage Act in 2013, 'Americans hold a wide range of views' on the issue of same-sex marriage, and 'maintaining our Nation's commitment to religious freedom' is 'vital'.
3. Protecting religious freedom from Government intrusion is a Government interest of the highest order.
4. Laws that protect the free exercise of religious beliefs about marriage will encourage private citizens and institutions to demonstrate similar tolerance and therefore contribute to a more respectful, diverse, and peaceful society.

Opponent's argument against bill: (David Brunori on Forbes.com): A bipartisan group of lawmakers thinks it's appropriate for the American taxpayer to subsidize organizations fighting for "traditional marriage." The Marriage and Religious Freedom Act would give non-profit organizations that don't like gay marriage the ability to engage in partisan political activities without the fear of losing their exempt status. The sponsors are touting the bill as a means of protecting freedom of conscience on the issue of marriage. The proposed law will allow non-profit organizations to engage in political activity, as long as it's for championing heterosexual marriage, while non-profits supporting marriage equality cannot engage in partisan political activity. The tax laws should be neutral when it comes to politics.

Strongly anti-gender identity, according to AFA survey.

The AFA inferred whether candidates agree or disagree with the statement, 'I support adding sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as protected classes in non-discrimination laws'? Self-description: (American Family Association helps produce iVoterGuides): "Grounded in God; rooted in research"; they "thoroughly investigate candidates"; when they cannot "evaluate with confidence, they receive an 'Insufficient' rating" (& we exclude)