WATCH: Anderson Cooper Tears Apart Arizona State Senator on AC360

[William769]

Anderson Cooper was fully armed last night on AC360, eviscerating Arizona state senator and gubernatorial candidate Al Melvin over Arizona's SB 1062, a bill that would make it legal for businesses and individuals to refuse to provide goods or services to certain consumers, including LGBT people, in the name of religion.

Melvin proved no match for Cooper, who repeatedly challenged him to explain the need for the law, since "Arizona doesn't have a state law protecting gay people, there's no federal law either ... so it's already legal to refuse service to someone who's gay."

In states that have bans on sexual orientation–based discrimination, such as New Mexico, there have seen lawsuits over refusals to serve LGBT people. Proponents of laws like Arizona's claim that having to provide services for certain populations, such as same-sex couples who are getting married, infringes on business owners' religious beliefs.

http://www.advocate.com/politics/media/2014/02/25/watch-anderson-cooper-tears-apart-arizona-state-senator-ac360

Listening to that State Senator had me many, many time.

[Gravitycollapse]

1. Just replace Mr.Madison with Mr.Melvin...

[William769]

2. Now thats an insult to Mr. Madison.

[Behind the Aegis]

3. He should have just dropped his best bud, Kathy Griffin, on the senator.

Good for Anderson! Is it me or does that senator looked constipated? Maybe it's because he is full of shit?!

[William769]

4. Shh

She's our secret weapon.

He's full of something.

[Skittles]

20. he looked constipated, and Anderson is looking hotter than ever

[pacalo]

5. This is a must-see.

He said he's the only gubernatorial candidate who supports this bill, yet he's giving the impression that he's clueless about its potential for discrimination based on religious beliefs.

[William769]

6. You caught that too?

[pacalo]

7. ...

[sweetloukillbot]

8. He's also opposed to common core because it makes students do math with letters

He's an idiot, but the ugliness in his expression is scary. He wasn't even trying to hide his contempt for Anderson Cooper - you could practically hear the homophobic slurs that were bouncing around in his head...

[pacalo]

13. A flat-liner who believes he doesn't owe the public he serves an explanation behind his support

of the bill. As for his coming across as homophobic, it was clear to me, also. He never had a response to the bill's potential effect on gays other than "this bill is about religious freedom", yet when Anderson brought up the fact that divorced people & unwed mothers could be affected, his flat-lined expression changed & he bucked up.

[mercymechap]

11. Is he really clueless

or do they just play dumb so as not to confuse the ignorant masses that support them.

[pacalo]

16. I believe he's being non-responsive. He knows he's wrong to support it.

But considering how he seemed taken aback & inadequate to explain why he believed Anderson was wrong when he suggested that unwed mothers & divorced people could also be affected, I'm wondering how much thought he put into this bill. He seemed clueless & disingenuous.

[calimary]

32. I'm not so sure about that. I seriously doubt he believes he's wrong to support it.

Otherwise, why else would he be clinging to defense of this? Why else would he be so certain that this is a legitimate - even noble - pursuit? TOTAL cold, blank, thick, and decidedly opaque denial. The certitude with some of these people who put it all on FAITH - is what I think we're dealing with. You just believe. It's an act of total faith. No questions. No pondering. No examination. No wiggle room or compromise. No extensive consideration of farther ramifications or possible complications. No room for any downside. There IS no downside. This is from God. And that's that. NO compromise even briefly entertained. PERIOD. End of sentence. It's settled. Done. Discussion closed.

That may be what mind set we see operating here. You throw religion into the mix - in ANY way, shape, or form, and with some of these people you might as well just throw up your hands and go home. They WON'T compromise. They won't see any need to capitulate or see any other take on this or anyone else's alternative view. They see no need to. There IS no alternative - because they think this is all from GOD.

And there are enough folks like him, still VERY much a minority but they're awfully loud and awfully insistent, that living with them and trying to share the planet with them can be rather difficult sometimes.

[pacalo]

40. Well said! I didn't factor in his misbegotten 'faith' but you nailed it.

[Skittles]

22. well he can't say what he really feels (that he hates "fags")

so he uncomfortably twists in the wind, you know?

[fizzgig]

9. cooper's facial expressions killed me

looked like it took every fiber of his being to not facepalm at times.

sen mcdouchnozzle really was something else

[William769]

15. Yep.

[Cha]

10. I can't listen, William.. sorry. But, I'm glad Anderson Cooper

put ol Melvin in his place which is the gutter. The "religion" of hate, bigotry, and lies.

Candidate for governor of AZ.. omfg.

[William769]

14. The most telling part was Anderson gave an example

That Jesus spoke out against divorce & the Bible speaks of unwed mothers and under his law that would be allowed under his religious freedom bill & the Senator responded paraphrasing here Oh we would never do that, thats just ridiculous.

I swear You could hear the homophobic hatred in his voice.

[Cha]

17. A Spectacle of hypocritical homophobic hate.. :(

[William769]

27. Thanks cha.

Dead on as usual.

[AllyCat]

12. Randi Rhodes was going nuts on this on her show today

I missed the beginning about who was talking to Melvin. Good for Mr. Cooper! I don't know how he kept his cool with this nutcase. And what the freak is that on his lapel?

[Warpy]

18. The state senator is so mind numbingly dumb

that this is painful to watch. I made it about through the halfway point and the half dozen "bottom line" statement and realized this guy had to go into politics because there is no way he could ever do anything else. He can hide from the voters. He can't hide from a boss.

[blkmusclmachine]

19. With all due respect, Senator, I don't believe a word you're saying. And I don't think you do, eithe

"'I support this bill, yet I claim to have no knowledge of its history, intent, or ramifications.'"

Well, at least he's wearing his Jesus pin!

[blueamy66]

21. Melvin is as dumb as a brick.

Sometimes I really hate telling people that I am from Arizona.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

23. It's like watching someone from the 21st Century talking to someone from the 50s.

[calimary]

35. It's not like that. It IS that.

This is exactly what it is!!!! This old white-haired dude is lost in some "Father Knows Best" fantasy world of the proverbial "Good Old Days." That's what you get from middle-aged and older white people who moan "I Want MY America Baaaaack" as that pathetic woman standing in the back of some town hall meeting in 2010 was whining. Remember that video clip? HER America, and this guy's America, is one where Mommy stayed home with her house dress and apron on, making babies in the bedroom and cookies and a nice pot roast in the kitchen. Daddy went to work and there were two-point-something kids in the house, a dog, and a station wagon. And Daddy was king of the castle and everybody else deferred and the "little woman" knew her place and wasn't out there burning her bra and competing with men for the good jobs and being otherwise uppity. And of course Daddy's paycheck was big enough to cover everything, but that's a whole other argument about how unions had more say and more respect…

And whatever few-and-far-between African Americans were in the picture - knew to get out of town by 6pm, after they'd served all day as housekeepers, custodians, and other assorted "help." Latinos were nowhere in evidence at any hour except back in the restaurant kitchen washing dishes, and the only Asians in town ran the local Chinese restaurant. I'm not kidding. My husband grew up in a very conservative lily-white bedroom community very much like that. John Birch Society was everywhere, and was considered respectable. When you were in high school, you started hanging with the Young Republicans. And he said that blacks literally were not allowed in town after 6pm. ASTOUNDING. That's in our lifetime, mind you. Blows my freakin' mind even to think about it. My husband said he heard enough from some of those folks that it made him almost literally sick to his stomach. He was eager to get away from there.

Those moldy-oldie attitudes still exist. They're dying out. Slowly. But they still exist. Religion is the last "safe haven" these folks have under which to seek cover to keep these attitudes and preferences alive. And unfortunately, it's a VERY powerful one - and it gains new recruits every day. It's why they cling to ayn rand so much, too. She made greed and selfishness acceptable, even respectable. She provided them another avenue of justification for these shitty, antisocial, backwards-leaning, and antiquated views. They'll cling to her to their last breath. Religion is something they can use for cover, as well - saying GOD justifies it. And you can't get much higher than that.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

37. "saying GOD justifies it. And you can't get much higher than that."

Sure you can.

All you have to do is invoke the fictionalized ghost of Reagan.

At least the ones pining for the 80's aren't as adamantly against gays but that's because Reagan was from Hollywood and had celebrities over to the White House.

All Hollywood celebrities are gay.

The John Birch Society taught me that.

[Scuba]

24. The "Roger Clemens lip-licking liar tell".

[davidpdx]

25. I saw the interview

Cooper did a good job of literally pinning him on the question and then continuing to hammer him again and again. Hopefully the guy has no chance in hell of getting elected governor. It would serve him right.

[William769]

28. Yes he did.

[calimary]

36. Let's hope he has no chance in hell of getting elected governor.

Anderson Cooper did do a good job, but he neglected to point out that this kind of shit is happening all over the place already - and has been ever since the first pharmacist refused to fill a woman's totally legal prescription for contraceptives. Because it was against his religion. And how long has THAT crap been going on already?

[justiceischeap]

26. "I can't think of anyone in this state who wants to discriminate against someone"

Um, except every religious person in Arizona who wants the right to legally discriminate against gay people based on religion? Yeah. Sell it to someone else Mr. Melvin, I ain't buying it.

From watching the interview, it's almost as though they didn't consider that other people could be discriminated against... they were so focused on the "homo's" that they forgot that lots of people of the heterosexual persuasion can be discriminated against too.

[William769]

29. Agreed.

Also watching the interview I was staring homophobia right in the face and it had noting to do with religion.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

31. This shows the absolute STUPIDITY of Republicans....

It's like in Texas when they accidentally banned ALL marriage.

They said, "Well,...everyone KNOWS what it means."

[justiceischeap]

34. I don't know which is a better verb "STUPIDITY" or "FERVOR"

maybe in their fervor to discriminate against the LGBTQ community they latched onto stupidity.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

38. Republicans RARELY read, much less WRITE the legislation they promote....

Most of their actual PAPERWORK is handed to them by some corporate lawyers and they rubber stamp it with their signature.

When an issue like stopping gays from getting married comes up they go nuts. They get together and come up with stuff worthy of a joint passing session. They decided to ban civil unions and then thought the gays are so sneaky with their gay agenda that they would change the name of a civil union to something else so they banned anything RESEMBLING marriage,.....


.....which includes,....


Marriage.

They don't need our help to make them look stupid.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

30. Very good video. I only wish Cooper had done a better job closing the deal on this bigot...

He certainly pinned the guy down, but as for "Tears Apart Arizona State Senator" ... it falls a little short.

Cooper should have shamed this guy, not just try to point the dimwit towards the fallacy of his arguments and his beliefs. We have to shame people like this at every opportunity.

Shame these sociopaths.

[Zorra]

33. That poor man is clearly a pathological liar and needs serious psychiatric

attention.

[Aerows]

39. Nothing beats ignorance

like willful stupidity.

I haven't seen a person choose to be stupid on national TV just so he can run for office like that AZ State Senator. If the people aren't checking to see if he's had recent brain damage, they should.

[JI7]

41. the problem is there are enough people who vote for people like that guy who then end up

in positions of power.