(CNSNews.com) – GOP presidential candidate Ohio Gov. John Kasich told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that there needs to be a balance when it comes to laws like those in Mississippi, which let workers cite religious beliefs to deny services to gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people.
“We need to strike a balance, and I just wish that everybody would just take a breath and calm down, because, you see, trying to figure out how to legislate that balance is complicated, and you keep doing do-overs, because nobody gets it right,” Kasich said.
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed into law last week House Bill 1523, which prevents state and local governments from punishing businesses that don’t want to actively participate in same-sex marriage ceremonies.
“You also had some tough words for Mississippi’s new laws where you can deny somebody service because they’re gay. You said — quote – ‘What the hell are we doing in this country?’” CNN host Dana Bash asked Kasich. “Are there any steps that you would take to try to stop states from passing these laws?”
“No, I wouldn’t,” Kasich said, “but what I would — I mean, I haven’t even been asked that or thought about that, but here’s what I think. There is a legitimate concern for people being able to have their deeply held religious beliefs, religious liberty, but there’s also people who we shouldn’t be discriminating against. We need to have a balance.
“There needs to — we need to strike a balance, and I just wish that everybody would just take a breath and calm down, because, you see, trying to figure out how to legislate that balance is complicated, and you keep doing do-overs, because nobody gets it right,” he said.
“So if we would just kind of calm down here, I think things would settle down, and what I like to say is, just relax. If you don’t like what somebody’s doing, pray for them, and if you feel as though somebody is doing something wrong against you, can you just, for a second, get over it, you know, because this thing will settle down,” Kasich added.
Kasich said “to some degree, this has become a wedge issue that can be exploited by people on both sides. We don’t need that. We need a divided America, not a — we need a united America, not a divided America. As one of my daughters said, we’re the United States, not the divided states.”
Meanwhile, during a town hall debate moderated by MSNBC’s Chris Matthews on Thursday, Kasich was asked what his position is on the North Carolina bathroom law, which requires people to use bathrooms in public buildings that correspond to the gender they were at birth.
“Well, I think the governor now is trying to go and somehow improve that or fix that, and I wish him the best on that,” he said, adding, “We’re not passing anything like that in my state.”
(AP photo) 
