Craig James, the helicopter parent and former ESPN analyst running for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas, brought his Socratic stylings to a Republican debate on a Wednesday. In the midst of a big gay pile-on in which James and something called Ted Cruz chastised a former Dallas mayor for marching in a gay pride parade, James dropped the following:
JAMES: I think right now in this country, our moral fiber is sliding down a slope that is going to be hard to stop if we don't stand up with leaders who don't go ride in gay parades. I can assure you I will never ride in a gay parade. And I hear what you're saying, Tom, but leaders – our kids out there people need to see examples.
MODERATOR: Do you think people choose to be gay?
JAMES: I think it's a choice, I do.
MODERATOR: It's not in the genes?
JAMES: I think that you have to make that choice. But in that case right there, they are going to have to answer to the Lord for their actions. We should not give benefits to those civil unions.
Watch the video, if you want to see two men trip all over their dicks to out-gay-bait each other (and if for some reason you longed to hear Craig James fart inanities into a live microphone once again). A couple things to note: James is currently polling in the mid to low Buddy Roemers—4 percent, last we saw—so it's only natural that he reach for the hard stuff. Also, you know who else has to answer to the Lord? Men who kill five hookers while at SMU.
Update, 6:10 p.m.: Our transcript up there is truncated. Per the full video at left, the last bit of James's quote should read:
I think it's a choice. I do. I think—you have to make that choice. Absolutely. I'm gonna finish this up now. Same-sex marriage, if someone chooses to do that, that's them. And the Lord—God's going to judge each one of us in this room for our actions. But in that case right there, they're going to have to answer to the Lord for their actions. We should not give benefits to those civil unions.
He goes on:
It should not occur. We have to stay strong on this. This is important, man. I'm telling you what: We have a fiscal issue in this country. We also have a moral issue in this country.
Rapturous applause.
TX GOP Senate Candidate Craig James Claims That Being Gay Is A Choice That Will Be Punished By God [ThinkProgress]
