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Tommy Thompson on Civil RightsFormer Secretary of H.H.S.; former Republican Governor (WI) |
A: I think that is left up to the individual business. I really sincerely believe that that is an issue that business people have got to make their own determination as to whether or not they should be.
Q: So the answer’s yes.
A: Yes.
A: A president can do a lot of things. A president can set a vision that’s going to abrogate as much as possible racism in our society. A president has got to be abl to get out and speak and be able to unite. As Wisconsin governor, I tried to bring people together. And if you do that, you can reduce and abrogate racism to a very great degree, and the president has got to be the number one person in doing that.
The question: “If a private employer finds homosexuality immoral, should he be allowed to fire a gay worker?” His response: “I think that is left up to the individual business. I really sincerely believe that that is an issue that business people have got to make their own determination as to whether or not they should be.“The next day, Thompson told CNN he should have asked the moderator to repeat the question. ”I made a mistake. I misinterpreted the question,“ Thompson said. ”I didn’t hear the question properly and I apologize.“ A Thompson spokesman said, ”his long record reflects that belief,“ and that Thompson does not believe any form of discrimination in the workplace is justified.Asked if his answer was yes, Thompson said, ”Yes.“