Politics

Look at All of These Horrible Bullies Bullying Jan Brewer over Arizona's Anti-Gay Bill

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer is rumored to be be leaning towards a veto on a controversial anti-gay bill passed through the state's legislature last week. 

By Abby Ohlheiser
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This article is from the archive of our partner .

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer is rumored to be be leaning towards a veto on a controversial anti-gay bill passed through the state's legislature last week. Most people would think that the governor could be getting ready to refuse the bill because it legalizes discrimination, or because even some of the legislators who voted for it now regret supporting the broad "religious freedom" measure. That would make sense. But not to Rush Limbaugh. On Tuesday afternoon, the conservative radio host told his listeners that the governor, a grown woman, is being “bullied by the homosexual lobby in Arizona and elsewhere,” to "advance the gay agenda" in the state by vetoing the bill.

Arizona's SB 1062 is designed to allow religious business owners in the state to discriminate against LGBT individuals (or, in some cases, anyone who violates their religious convictions) in the name of "religious freedom." To Limbaugh, the notion that anyone would want to reject such a law has to come from the fringe left of American society, as part of a vast conspiracy against good, conservative Americans like Rush and his audience. So let's take a look at all the mean bullies bullying Jan Brewer to reject the bill this week.

Bullies: Three state Republican Senators who voted for it.

State senators Sen. Bob Worsley, Sen. Adam Driggs, and Sen. Steve Pierce all came out against the bill they'd just voted for, urging Brewer to veto the measure. "I screwed up. I’m trying to make it right... I would be on board to get it repealed," Pierce said of his vote. But  Pierce also believes the bill should be trashed because the whole controversy has been "blown way out of proportion. He added: "to say (the bill is) anti-gay is following the feeding frenzy... I have friends that are gay, and I wouldn’t do anything to hurt them."

Bullies: Both Republican U.S. Senators from Arizona

Bonus Bullies: The rest of the McCain Family

Bully: Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney

Bullies: Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, Arizona Businesses

The state is slated to host the Super Bowl in 2015. But there's just one catch: in a statement, the Host Committee implied that the state could lose that privilege if the bill becomes state law, in part because quite a few major businesses in the state do not believe it will encourage economic growth. "A key part of the mission for the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee is to promote the economic vitality of Arizona," their statement read, adding, "On that matter we have heard loud and clear from our various stakeholders that adoption of this legislation would not only run contrary to that goal but deal a significant blow to the state's economic growth potential."

Bully: Newt Gingrich

Brewer has to decide what to do with the bill by Friday. She has three options: veto the measure, sign it into law, or do nothing and let it become law on its own.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.