It seems that Ted Cruz and his far-right Christian supporters took advantage of the sudden death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia this past Saturday, Feb.13. With the political world fighting over what comes next after Scalia’s death, many stories went by almost unnoticed.
So when footage of Glenn Beck popped up with his claim that, “Our Bible and Constitution both come from God,” Cruz and his campaign seemed to keep the momentum going. This time in the form of Pastor Mike Gonzalez, Cruz’s South Carolina Evangelical Chairman. Yes – that is an actual position.
In an interview with MSNBC’s Joy Reid, Gonzalez was asked about South Carolina evangelicals and their important issues. Gonzalez responded by saying:
“Well really the most important issues for evangelicals in South Carolina, really to evangelicals at large, are the issues of life and marriage and really religious freedom. And also I would add a fourth to that, and that is someone, a president, who will uphold the Constitution, who is a lawful president, and that’s what Ted Cruz is.”
Shortly after, Reid played a clip of Cruz spouting the same religious freedom fear-mongering that he seems so fond of. Reid then asked:
“Pastor Gonzalez, what do you say to Americans who are more secular who say, “What we don’t want is to have a president in the White House who is essentially using his own personal faith to run the country when the Constitution has a Separation of Church and State?”
This is where the madness continues as Gonzalez says:
“Well the reality of it is, is this idea of the Separation of Church and State is a myth. I mean, you bring your faith into the marketplace just like you do anything else, and so Ted Cruz will be a president not just, you know, who is a preacher or pastor in the White House, that’s not the idea. But I believe that all people, all Americans can rally around Ted Cruz because he upholds the Constitution, and I believe all Americans want to truly uphold the law.”
The fact that he said that with a straight face is truly amazing. Reid went on to push back and point out that the Separation of Church and State was a fact and not a myth. Of course this was met with the same far-right religious rhetoric that comes out when challenged.
I have said it before and will continue to say it – These people are dangerous. When you can openly deny the Constitution and in the same breath say that you are a firm supporter, there is something very wrong and it should not be ignored.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpc0IHw26PU&w=853&h=480]
