Indiana Governor: This Is the Same Religious Freedom Law Obama Voted for in Illinois

Weekly Standard ^ | March 29, 2015 | JOHN MCCORMACK

[grundle]

White House doesn't dispute it.

In an appearance on ABC's This Week, Indiana governor Mike Pence defended his state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act by noting that Barack Obama had voted for the same law as an Illinois state senator.

"The Religious Freedom Restoration Act was signed into federal law by President Bill Clinton more than 20 years ago, and it lays out a framework for ensuring that a very high level of scrutiny is given any time government action impinges on the religious liberty of any American," Pence said. "After last year's Hobby Lobby case, Indiana properly brought the same version that then-state senator Barack Obama voted for in Illinois before our legislature."

This Week Host George Stephanoplous later asked White House press secretary Josh Earnest to respond to Pence's claim: "Josh, you just heard the governor say right there this is the same law, he says, that Barack Obama voted for as a state senator back in Illinois."

Earnest didn't dispute the Indiana governor's statement. "Look, if you have to go back two decades to try to justify something that you're doing today, it may raise some question about the wisdom of what you're doing," Earnest said.

[Talisker]

"Look, if you have to go back two decades to try to justify something that you're doing today, it may raise some question about the wisdom of what you're doing," Earnest said.

And just exactly what questions might those be, @ssh@le? WHAT concerning the 1st Amendment has changed in the past 20 years?

[Organic Panic]

Obama can go back to Bush and blame everything on him. Libs go back to Reagan and blame ever malady on him. When it’s a democrat screwup,they never admit it and say “dude, that was like two years ago.”