Republican presidential hopefuls find themselves in an awkward position as the "religious freedom" bills they hastily endorsed are walked back or vetoed.
Senator and declared Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz may be placing himself in the most awkward position of all as he condemns corporations for speaking out against discrimination.
"The Fortune 500 is running shamelessly to endorse the radical gay marriage agenda over religious liberty to say: 'We will persecute a Christian pastor, a Catholic priest, a Jewish rabbi,' " he said. "Any person of faith is subject to persecution if they dare disagree, if their religious faith parts way from their political commitment to gay marriage."
Major companies ranging from Apple to Coca-Cola and Wal-Mart have taken a stance against so-called "religious freedom" or "religious liberty" bills that would make it legal to discriminate against gay customers.
This is an awkward time for social conservatives who have aspirations for higher office as they discover that corporations care more about their profits than ideology. Profits are their ideology and anything that would jeopardize profits is usually challenged, whether it's discrimination against would-be customers or simple safety regulations.
We also live in a time now where, more than ever, corporations are very conscious about their public image and reputation. Ever since the Supreme Court decided that corporations are people, marketing departments have shifted their strategy to make you see them as people. Social media is now interwoven throughout any successful marketing strategy and being anti-social can ruin an executive's day unlike any time in the past.
Being an inclusive business or organization simply cannot harm you the way being an exclusive or bigoted business can.
No business or corporation has actually announced their intention to "persecute" Christian, Catholic or Jewish faith leaders, as Ted Cruz alleges, nor have any gay people or gay rights activists that I'm aware of.
You may have noticed, as I did, that Ted Cruz left Muslims out.
According to the Des Moines Register, Cruz covered a wide range of topics during his appearance in Sioux City. Cruz called for repealing "every word" of both Obamacare and Common Core. He also called for abolishing the IRS and implementing a flat tax.
How exactly would a flat tax be collected without the IRS? Furthermore, how does one repeal every word of Common Core? Common Core is not a federal law.