Texas Lt. Gov. Patrick has a really bad night on Fox, MSNBC

Right-wing Texas Lt. Governor Daniel Patrick took a one-two punch on Friday’s news and commentary shows, first on Megyn Kelly’s program on Fox News, and then on All in With Chris Hayes on MSNBC. Patrick was attempting to explain why he has jumped into the middle of the “Bathroom Bills” dispute, and neither Kelly nor Hayes was having any part of it.

Earlier in the week, after US Attorney General Loretta Lynch had announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) was suing North Carolina over their discriminatory, anti-trans and anti-LGBT HB2, Patrick “took the surprising position that Fort Worth ISD superintendent Dr. Kent Paredes Scribner should resign from his post over guidelines for school bathrooms that he announced last month that would allow transgender students to use bathrooms consistent with their gender identity,” according to the Texas Monthly’s website.

Later in the week, after the DOJ and the Department of Education issued guidance on the treatment of transgender students – specifically that Federal law requires they be allowed to use restrooms and locker rooms that conform with their gender identity – Patrick said that Texas would rather forego $10 Billion in federal aid to education rather than comply with the federal guidance on the issue.

Enter Kelly and Hayes. According to the Austin Statesman, “Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick made an appearance Friday night on Fox News, likely figuring he’d be on friendly territory on a conservative news show. Instead, he found himself answering a number of pointed questions from Fox host Megyn Kelly, known for her GOP debate questioning of Donald Trump.

“As he did earlier in the day, Patrick railed on The Kelly File against the Obama administration’s guidance to schools about treatment of transgender students. Things got testy when Patrick recalled last year’s repeal of a Houston human-rights ordinance, which Patrick said would ‘allow men in ladies rooms.’

“’Allow men in ladies rooms,’ Kelly asked, ‘or allow trans women in ladies rooms?’”

Patrick responded with his timeworn – and completely untrue – response that “What this creates is a great loophole for all the sexual predators and sex offenders.”

Police and other officials in cities and states that have laws protecting transgender persons, and allowing them to use the restroom that conforms to their gender identity, have debunked that allegation time after time.

Patrick raised the issue of his 8-year-old granddaughter walking into a bathroom with a 30-year-old man there. Kelly jumped on that immediately, according to the Statesman, “’But what if that man looks like a woman? And she would never know,’ Kelly said before being interrupted by Patrick.

“’Megyn, you’re missing this,’” said Patrick.

“’I don’t think I’m missing anything,’ Kelly said.”

The Statesman concluded its coverage by noting that Kelly cut Patrick off, and turned to other guests. “As Patrick continued to talk, Kelly ended the interview and cut to her other guests.”

Apparently not having learned his lesson, Patrick appeared on Hayes show. According to Towleroad.com, “Patrick failed to answer even the most basic questions posed by Hayes. Said Hayes, “I wondered if we could just start it with some basic clarity on the terminology here. What does the term transgender mean to you.” Rather than answer that question, Patrick preferred to go on a long-winded explanation of how he ‘got in the middle on this.’

“Hayes pressed again, ‘I just want to start making sure everyone understands each other…When you’re transgender, what does that mean to you, Lt. Governor?’

“After a rambling run down on Title IX in which he refuted the DOJ’s argument that Title IX’s protections against sex-based discrimination apply to transgender Americans (an argument backed up by federal court rulings), Patrick finally got to Hayes’ question, and proved he couldn’t answer it. ‘I can’t give you the definition for every transgender person,’ Patrick said.”

“One question that Patrick would answer had to with whether he believed transgender people really exist. Asked Hayes, ‘Do you think that this is a genuine phenomenon or that this is essentially a fabricated issue?’ Patrick responded, ‘I don’t think it’s a fabricated issue at all.’”

It is fabricated, but of course he couldn’t say that it was, because that would reveal that the entire issue about the possibility of sexual predators in women’s bathrooms was made up by the radical right-wing, which is trying to find an issue that allows them to discriminate against people, after being crushed in their battles against same-sex marriage and the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Patrick accused Hayes of being hostile to the issue, and to him, and then concluded with a rant as he completely lost it.

Patrick was elected in a Tea-party surge in Texas, and is widely known for making outrageous remarks.

The Gayly – May 15, 2016 @ 2:10 p.m.