Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean has
criticized Indiana Governor Mike Pence's support of a bill critics
say would allow businesses to deny service to gay men and lesbians.
Just days after he appeared on ABC's
This Week, where he insisted a so-called religious freedom
bill he signed would not be changed, Pence asked lawmakers to “fix”
the bill to include LGBT protections.
(Related: Indiana,
Arkansas governors sign revised “religious freedom” bills.)
Appearing on PoliticKING, host
Larry King asked Dean about the controversy.
“Evidently, this is the last gasp of
the far right. You know, it is what it is. It's bigotry against gay
people. They designed the bill that way,” Dean
said. “Mike Pence is backpedaling and not getting very far.
It's going to cost him a hell of a lot of money. You can't be a
bigot these days without incurring the wrath of the business
community.”
Dean, former chair of the Democratic
National Committee (DNC), also praised business leaders who spoke out
against the bill.
“For a long time the business
community has not been a social or moral leader in this country.
They focused on making money and that's about it. Finally, you're
beginning to see on a nationwide basis major American corporations
putting their foot down. And that's the best way to chase the far
right out of American politics.”
(Related: Google,
Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter call for LGBT protections nationwide.)