John Oliver had one question for the men and women running for the presidency on Sunday’s “Last Week Tonight” regarding basic LGBT anti-discrimination laws.
Oliver asked each campaign a straightforward (but long) question: Would you support passage of a federal law or laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, specifically in the areas of employment, housing, public accommodation and access to credit?
“This bill represents the bare minimum of not being discriminated against. This should be what represents the true threshold of gay tolerance — not whether or not you would attend a gay wedding,” Oliver said.
Only four campaigns returned the inquiry, which was sent Thursday. Democratic presidential candidates, former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), said they would support such legislation.
A spokesman for Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) told the HBO show, “We’ll pass. Thanks.”
That leaves 18 candidates.
“Everyone else is presumably still thinking about it, but why?” Oliver asked. “It is long past time that gay people have the same rights straight people have. Namely, to be fired because they’re being replaced by a computer.”
Watch the segment, courtesy of HBO, below:
Cowards.
Rand is equally a coward for his ‘we’ll pass’ comment.
Or maybe just a fool.
^^ Cowardly fool ^^
When you are trying to get Joe-Billy-Bob to put down the Everclear long enough to stop molesting his daughter and LISTEN to a candidates POLICIES you have to pander to HIS INTERESTS to do it.
Thus we have “The Trumpster” doing his best “bull in a china shop” imitation and all the other Republican weasels scrambling to get down there and roll in the mud with him so Joe-Billy-Bob pays attention long enough to get riled up about SOMETHING enough to get off the commode and go VOTE IN THE PRIMARY.
There are only 4 things that will do that: God, Guns, GAYS, and IMMIGRANTS.
Trump has the Immigrant-bashing all sewn up, with the others flailing pitifully behind him.
Huckabee and Santorum are not doing well with the God shtick, and Rand Paul and Rick Perry have flamed out spectacularly with the Guns angle.
So that leaves GAYS. The old “go to” for Demagogues everywhere.
If you want Joe-Billy-Bob’s vote, you have to HATE ON THE GAYS just as much as he does.
Not to mention the woefully pathetic Kentucky Republican Party who on Saturday insisted that Rand Paul pay the remaining $250,000 of $500,000 by 11am that day in order to change from primary to caucus so that Rand could be on the ballot for both Pres & Senate and circumvent the Ky constitution that says one cannot be on the same ballot for 2 different offices. On Sunday, they gave him until Sept. 18th to pay the remaining $250,000.
Pathetic.