Jake Tapper Exposes Arkansas State Senator Bart Hester With One Simple Question

On the April 1 edition of ?The Lead with Jake Tapper?, Jake had the pleasure of interviewing Republican Arkansas State Senator Bart Hester. With one simple question, regarding the potential for anti-gay discrimination under the ?Religious Freedom Restoration Act?, Jake exposed the pathetic rhetoric that many ?Christian? Republicans are willing to spew to justify their discriminating laws.

Businesses shouldn t have to participate in ga...   YouTube

Within the first minute of the interview, Jake asked Senator Hester:

?If there is a conservative Christian florist, would it allow that florist to deny serving, providing services to a gay couple who wants flowers at their wedding??

Sounds like a simple question. Sounds like a yes or no question. Somehow though, Senator Hester was able to take this simple question and spin it into this:

?Well I think it’s two different questions to me. I think it does not allow for discrimination in any way, and it does not allow for a florist to discriminate against a gay couple looking for flowers. Now what I think it does allow, is for a florist that has a strongly held religious belief, to be able to hold that belief close and not participate in the message of a homosexual wedding or ceremony. I think the First Amendment is very close to all of our hearts in America and it’s part of the cornerstones of who we are.?

Did anyone get an answer out of that statement? Neither did Jake Tapper. Jake went on to grill Senator Hester more over this simple question only to be given the same double talk over and over. Senator Hester even went so far as to compare the issue with a Jewish baker being asked to put a Nazi Swastika on a cake. Perhaps Jake could get more out of this question:

?How are they gonna stay true to their conservative Christian beliefs and also not discriminate? This is what I don’t get here.?

To this question, Jake was given the First Amendment treatment once again with this response:

?It’s not a confusing issue at all. The First Amendment is not a confusion. We have the right to freedom of speech, we have the right to hold our strongly held religious beliefs close to us. I think there is a difference in serving someone. I don’t think there’s any portion of that that the government doesn’t have compelling interest to have businesses serve individuals. They cannot force that individual to participate in a ceremony that they don’t believe in.?


Watching this exchange is truly a head shaking experience. Unfortunately, these are the things we must be watching and keeping up with. Just ask the residents of Indiana that are already being discriminated against due to small minded radical ?Christians? like Senator Hester.

If people are okay with going from ?Whites Only? signs to ?Christians Only? signs, then by all means, keep voting for these people and overlooking their views as harmless rhetoric.

 

Anthony is the 42-year-old father of two beautiful grown daughters, a veteran, and writer/musician. When he is not participating in leading a youth football team, as well as other community activities, he enjoys playing music and reporting on various social and political issues that are relevant today.