Help keep Salon independent

Jon Stewart blasts Rand Paul’s “disingenuous” stance on religious freedom: “Don’t they sell cakes to sinners all the time?”

The Kentucky Senator doesn't like Big Government...until he does like Big Government

Published

(Comedy Central)
(Comedy Central)

Jon Stewart returned from his week-long hiatus Tuesday night to sit down with Kentucky Senator and noted “free speech” champion, Rand Paul. The two-part interview gave Paul the chance to speak openly about the GOP’s confusing stance on Big Government (“We don’t like Big Government until we do like Big Government”) — particularly as it’s manifested itself in issues of NSA and religious freedom over the last year.

“It seems like gay marriage looms a lot larger in the minds of certain conservatives than it does in the Bible,” Stewart said to the GOP hopeful Tuesday. “And the only thing I would say is, don’t they sell cakes to sinners all the time, adulterers?”

Stewart illustrated the disingenuity of Paul’s stance by explaining that a bakery owner would never badger Paul about whether or not he’d “used the Lord’s name in vain,” prior to being helped. In a classic Paul move, the hopeful turned to the Patriot Act in his rebuttal.

“What I’ve been filibustering against is whether or not a warrant that has a corporation’s name on it [like] Verizon can collect all the records of all the people if corporations are people,” he said. “So we’re right back to the Patriot Act and I think we agree now.”

Watch the clips below:

By Colin Gorenstein

Colin Gorenstein is Salon's assistant editor of internet and viral content. Follow @colingorenstein or email cgorenstein@salon.com.


Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Related Articles