Neil Gorsuch’s Supreme Court nomination has the worst-of from the anti-gay religious right “salivating,” as writer and activist Alvin McEwen noted, with goals to ultimately undo advances in reproductive rights and LGBT equality (no word what they think of Donald Trump’s first two divorces).
Among the figures, the National Organization for Marriage—who’s president Brian Brown literally wept when the state of New York passed marriage equality in 2011—say they see Gorsuch as “an intellectual giant and proven pro-family conservative who can help transform the court” … back to 1950, that is:
The clearest path to reversing that illegitimate decision is, thus, changing the makeup of the Supreme Court. The confirmation of Judge Gorsuch is the first step on that path. Then we need to make sure that the next vacancy on the Court is filled by an originalist judge in the mold of Justice Scalia, as Judge Gorsuch’s background and track record show him to be.
Brown went on later, in an effort to drive signatures for a petition asking Mitch McConnell to “do everything, up to and including changing Senate rules, in order to ensure Gorsuch’s confirmation.” Funny how there’s no rush like that when a Democrat with an entire year left in office is the one in the White House:
“Having a conservative, constitutionalist in the mold of Justice Scalia on the US Supreme Court is one of the most important things we can do to advance marriage, life, religious liberty, the truth of gender and all the other issues we care deeply about.”
Rev. Franklin Graham—who in 2016 said, just like Jesus would, that Donald Trump’s BFF Vladimir Putin has been “right” to persecute LGBT people in Russia—loves Gorsuch’s nomination because he thinks that here in America, Christians like Kim Davis (remember her?) have been the persecuted ones:
On Monday, Franklin Graham slammed “atheist progressives” who he said want to “strip God and all references to Him out of our society” and “marginalize Christians to the point of making them second class citizens.” He said that, if approved, “Gorsuch will add a needed conservative voice on America’s highest court.”
Then there’s Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, who at one time rightfully condemned Trump’s racist, anti-immigrant rhetoric and was even featured in an ad with other evangelical leaders pressuring congressional Republicans to pass humane immigration legislation. Then Rodriguez sold out the community in exchange for Trump face-time for his group and an opening prayer for himself at the inauguration:
On Tuesday, Rodriguez “lavishly praised Gorsuch” and urged the Senate to “move swiftly” to confirm him.
Notes McEwan:
And all of this is happening in the backdrop of allegations that Trump's people coordinated with Russia to influence last year's presidential elections. How many folks want to bet that there are certain prayers by certain parties asking that Gorsuch be confirmed before the Russia investigation continues.