Democrats moved further left Thursday, flirting with a dangerous policy in order to shore up the support among the party’s base, at churches’ expense, amid a competitive presidential primary contest.
At an LGBTQ townhall Thursday, former El Paso Congressman Robert “Beto” O’Rourke very plainly said government should be able to stifle the speech of private citizens, associations, and organizations who disagree with leftist ideologues.
The topic came up in discussion during a townhall hosted by left-leaning cable news channel CNN. Host Don Lemon posed the question to O’Rourke before receiving his radical response.
“Do you think religious institutions like colleges, churches, charities … should they lose their tax-exempt status if they oppose same-sex marriage?” asked Lemon. “Yes,” O’Rourke responded without hesitation amid cheers from a roaring crowd.
Shortly after, One America News’ Alex Salvi tweeted out the full exchange, which can be seen here:
CNN’s Don Lemon: “Do you think religious institutions like colleges, churches, charities, should they lose their tax exempt status if they oppose same sex marriage?”
2020 hopeful Beto O’Rourke: “Yes.”pic.twitter.com/m0Br91Vap0
— Alex Salvi (@alexsalvinews) October 11, 2019
“There can be no reward, no benefit, no tax break for anyone or any institution, any organization in America, that denies the full human rights and the full civil rights of every single one of us,” O’Rourke said, expanding on his LGBTQ plan, which includes a myriad of proposed executive and legislative action to advance the cause. “So, as president, we’re going to make that a priority, and we are going to stop those who are infringing upon the human rights of our fellow Americans.”
O’Rourke’s comments come amid his struggles to garner enough support in a competitive race, as candidates try to “out-left” each other to attract attention from a party that is slipping further and further left. O’Rourke also recently called for the government to confiscate the most popular firearm in America.
And though he is popular in left-wing, ultra-progressive circles worshiping supreme authoritative power of government, O’Rourke may have—again—removed the veil and revealed more of Democrats’ ultimate goal of stifling opposition through immense and punitive action.
“They’re not sugar-coating it anymore, they’re coming right out and saying it,” Marty Reid told Texas Scorecard. “Now they’re coming out and telling you straight up, ‘We will yank your tax-exempt status if you don’t kowtow to the LGBTQ community.’”
Reid, who was once a state representative candidate in Northeast Texas, is the pastor of Trinity Family Church in Talty, Texas. Reid said he is worried Christians, 70 percent or more of whom regularly stay home from the polls, don’t recognize the seriousness of the left’s attack on their faith.
“We are one election away from losing our religious freedom,” Reid continued. “If we lose the House, the Senate, and the presidency, they are going to ram this down our throat like they did with Obamacare—and, I think, to a greater degree.”
