Daily Beast Editor John Avlon Likens Mike Pence To Segregationist George Wallace

Daily Beast Editor John Avlon Likens Mike Pence To Segregationist George Wallace (NewsBusters)

On Monday's New Day on CNN, Daily Beast editor-in-chief John Avlon likened Indiana Governor Mike Pence's defense of his state's new religious freedom law to George Wallace's fight for racial segregation. Avlon asserted that Republican politicians "don't want to say they're in favor of bigotry. So what you get is that incredibly awkward stonewalling by Mike Pence." He added that "this puts him in the same position as George Wallace...by saying that...I'm not in favor of segregation. I never have been. This is about states' rights and the Constitution."

The CNN analyst also underlined that social conservative pressing this issue is "the tyranny of dog whistle politics...These politicians are terrified to vote against this because they don't want to be seen – and vulnerable in a primary challenge – people who say they aren't Christian enough and aren't conservative enough." Avlon later contended that the backlash against Governor Pence would sink any presidential aspirations: "Whenever there's this kind of pandering to the outer reaches of politics, it ends up having unintended consequences that derail national ambitions. Pence's blowback is going to be significant."