Even MSNBC’s Michael Steele thinks the liberal meltdown over Indiana’s new religious freedom law lacks “clarity and commonsense.”
On last night’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, Steele told Connecticut governor Dan Malloy (D) to "bring the crazy down” with his rhetoric calling Indiana governor Mike Pence and other Republican lawmakers “bigots” who “want to condemn gay people to second class citizenship in America.”
“When you do a bigoted thing, you’re going to get called out on it," Malloy said.
“Do you [Republicans] really want to condemn gay people to second class citizenship in America today? This year?” he asked.
Steele chimed in, “I cannot disagree with [Malloy] more. He just needs to bring the crazy down a little bit on this."
"I think the hyperbole, calling people bigoted when you know that’s not the case...”
Malloy interrupted Steele, to which Steele replied, “I let you do your rant uninterrupted. Now you’re going to let me bring some clarity and commonsense to the conversation.”
“The reality of it is that there’s nothing bigoted in this law, there’s nothing bigoted about the governor who signed this law, and there’s nothing discriminatory about this law,” he argued.
“This law is based on past, present federal law. Thirty-one states have it..."
Steele continued,
“The governor has promised a fix. Let’s see what that fix is."
"I suspect that fix will either address a non-discrimination law, in which it makes very clear, the governor stated today, that gay and lesbians will not be discriminated under law in the state of Indiana, or something close to that,” he said.
Check out the full fiery exchange below.