What To Expect At The Western Conservative Summit
The long road to the Republican nomination is winding through America’s highest-profile home for Illuminati and Reptoids this week with Scott Walker, Rick Perry, Carly Fiorina, Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee and more attending the Western Conservative Summit. Here’s what to expect from this weekend’s cattle call:
1. The New GOP Litmus Test: Gay Marriage
The Western Conservative Summit made news earlier this year when they barred the Log Cabin Republicans from attending their conference, but their backwards attitude towards the LGBT community won’t stop there. Summit Gala headliner Scott Walker has already doubled down on his call for a constitutional amendment, and panelist Tony Perkins went on an epic Twitter rant Friday, calling the ruling a “shocking abuse of power” and promising it would “supercharge” opposition to gay marriage. Don’t take Perkins’ word for it: Rick Santorum didn’t even wait for his speech to begin teeing off, telling Denver radio station KNUS that the ruling was the court’s attempt to be “trendy” with marriage equality and would lead to polygamy.
Scott Walker's Campaign Ailed By Budget Crisis
Scott Walker is suffering from 'Jeb Bush syndrome:' the closer he gets to his presidential announcement, the worse his headlines are. Walker plans to run on his record in Wisconsin but that list of achievements is quickly dwindling as the state faces a massive budget crisis. The governor has already lost the support of his state's Republican party, now he risks losing the national GOP's nomination before his campaign even officially begins. From the Chicago Tribune:
Once in lockstep with Walker, GOP lawmakers are flashing some independence as they struggle to make ends meet. They have refused to go along with the governor's proposed cuts in money for elementary and secondary schools and his plans to finance a big boost in road construction solely by borrowing. They have also forced him to moderate his proposed reductions in funds for higher education.
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From 2011 to 2014, the pace of private-sector employment growth in Wisconsin ranked 36th among the states and the District of Columbia, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Walker's state ranked behind all its Rust Belt neighbors, Illinois included. Wisconsin even trailed Kansas, which has been the focus of national attention after steep tax and spending cuts pushed by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback produced big government deficits but little economic pop.
New GOP Marriage Equality Position Will Be Constitutional Amendment
Now that the Supreme Court has recognized marriage equality nationwide, the race is on to stake out the far right fringes of the Republican Party. Scott Walker and Ted Cruz have an early lead with their support for a constitutional amendment to allow states to ban marriage equality. Sure Marco Rubio called homosexuality a sin. Jeb Bush thinks the fight against marriage equality should continue because "we need to be stalwart supporters of traditional marriage." And Ben Carson thinks being gay is a choice because "a lot of people who go into prison go into prison straight -- and when they come out, they’re gay." But now that conservatives lost yet another Supreme Court case, GOP candidates are going to have to appease the Tea Party and support a constitutional amendment. Scott Walker saw the writing on the wall and took the extreme position before he needed to. Who will be next?
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Republicans Fight Losing Battle With Pope On Climate Change
Republicans like Jeb Bush and Rick Santorum -- and the Koch brothers -- ignored the writing on the wall when they fought a losing battle with Pope Francis and the reams of science behind human-caused climate change. Instead, they took on more than they could chew and made sure their climate change denialism will be a major issue this election. Here's what happens when you're on the losing side of an argument with the pope: Washington Post: How Climate-Change Doubters Lost a Papal Battle. “Yet the battle lost over climate change also suggests how hard it may be for critics to blunt the power of a man who has become something of a juggernaut in an institution where change tends to unfold over decades, even centuries. More than anything, to those who doubt the human impact of global warming, the position staked out by Francis in his papal document, known as an encyclical, means a major defeat…
Faith and Freedom Roundup — Social Conservative Edition
Thursday, June 18th
- Marco Rubio's dog whistle to religious conservatives on Hobby Lobby and religious discrimination laws. YouTube
- Ted Cruz announces 2016 will be the "religious liberty election." YouTube
- Steve King calls for civil disobedience over gay marriage. YouTube
MEMO: Social Issues Front and Center at Faith and Freedom Conference
The gravitational pull of religious conservatives at this weekend’s Faith and Freedom Conference in D.C. is too much to resist for the Republican presidential field. Look no further than their partner, Concerned Women of America, to see that social issues will be front and center. For a primer on the Koch-backed CWA, read Bridge Project’s just-released report here. Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Scott Walker, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and the rest of the GOP contingency (remember Chris Christie?) will be speaking in between breakout sessions on “The War On Christianity: How Religious Freedom Is Under Attack” and “Tolerance Vs. True Love: When it Takes Courage to Protect Your Conscience & Compassion to Reach the Lost.” Attendees will be demanding their speeches focus on social conservative issues; after all, that’s why they’ve all trekked to Washington.
Jeb! Didn't Last Long
Jeb Bush's formal entry into the presidential race this week lowered the bar for White House aspirants everywhere. Not since Ludacris has America been forced to endure such a terrible "roll-out." For a typical candidate, the attention gleaned from a campaign announcement results in a media honeymoon. Bush, however, is not your average candidate; he's plagued by his lockstep support for his brother's unpopular polices and positions that are either toxic to the conservative base or unacceptable to the general electorate. A scratch beneath the surface of his record as governor and in the private sector reveals a reality not matched by his rhetoric. Whether its challenging the pope, promoting cuts to social security, or giving the voters and the conservative base more reason for suspicion, Bush's campaign is tripping over itself right out of the gates.