Carly Fiorina: ‘CEOs Are Being Pressured’ to Oppose ‘Religious Freedom’ Laws

[Eugene]

Source: ABC News

Carly Fiorina: ‘CEOs Are Being Pressured’ to Oppose ‘Religious Freedom’ Laws

Apr 3, 2015, 7:30 AM ET
By RICK KLEIN and ALI DUKAKIS

While likely 2016 presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina doesn’t have any experience in elected office, as the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, one thing she knows first-hand is what it’s like to lead a major company.

Corporate leaders have been out front this week with both Arkansas and Indiana moving to adopt controversial new "religious freedom" legislation. Opponents of the bills contend they could allow business owners to use religion to discriminate against members of the LGBT community.

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“I think it's really too bad, honestly, that CEOs are being pressured. ... It's pressure by people in the political process to take a stand,” she said. “None of us support discrimination of any kind. Certainly, Indiana doesn't. The law doesn't condone discrimination of any kind. But we also protect religious liberties in this country.”

On ABC News' “This Week” last Sunday, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who signed the bill into law last week, told George Stephanopoulos the act intends to prevent government from infringing on an individual’s religious beliefs. But after becoming the subject of harsh national criticism, Pence began to walk back his position, telling reporters this week that he needed to revisit the issue. However, Fiorina backed Pence’s original defense of such laws, saying they protect individual religious beliefs from government regulation.

“What this law basically says is that a person can push back against ... either federal government mandate or state government mandate to exert their religious liberties,” Fiorina said. “It says nothing about gay marriage.”

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Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/carly-fiorina-ceos-pressured-oppose-religious-freedom-laws/story?id=30073470

[underpants]

1. one thing she knows first-hand is what it’s like to lead a major company.

Yeah and John Wayne was a great cowboy too

[MrModerate]

6. More precisely, how to lead a major company -- off a cliff. n/t

[66 dmhlt]

9. But what a campaign slogan: "Sure, I'm Incompetent - But I'm Not CRAZY Like Those Other Guys!"

[MrModerate]

12. I think Jeb has already copyrighted that one. n/t

[2naSalit]

2. CTFW

Call the f'ing Waaambulance!

[Gidney N Cloyd]

3. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the poor CEOs being called on to set profit aside for justice

[kwolf68]

4. Yet turn the tables

If CEOs were being pressured by right-wing interests to change their ways they would just say 'that's the market at work' or something similar. They sure don't like it when the market doesn't say what they want.

[marble falls]

5. Not to insult anyone other than Carly Fiorina: fuck you, Carly Fiorina!

[blkmusclmachine]

7. Crazy

talk

[jmowreader]

8. Another thing she knows first-hand...

...is what it's like to get fired from your job as CEO of a major company.

Carly is the kind of person who'd think 'separate but equal' is good because American Standard would sell more water fountains and toilets.

[libdem4life]

10. Rec for exposure. It's the corporate pressure that has worked well to not

only bring the issue to the national stage, but to appropriately shift the conversation. You think we'd be hearing from her if it were just a bit of picketing? Hopefully there will be another wave of corporate pressure that goes national.

There are states well known for bigotry who were lucky enough to still be "working" on their versions of RFRA. Ms. Fiorino's angst is welcome, indeed.

[Initech]

11. Religious freedom laws have nothing to do with religion or freedom!

And it's absolutely a good thing that ceos are opposing this. That's one thing they actually get right.