It just keeps coming — Senate Republicans are fighting to kill the Violence Against Women Act. It’s like they can’t help themselves.
VAW is up for renewal. Although some Senate Republicans supported VAW in the past, the Dems have added two measures to the bill that Republicans are calling poison pills. One, they want to make it easier for battered women who are illegal immigrants to get temporary visas. Two, they want to include same-sex couples in programs for domestic violence.
Some conservatives are feeling trapped.
“I favor the Violence Against Women Act and have supported it at various points over the years, but there are matters put on that bill that almost seem to invite opposition,†said Senator Jeff Sessions, Republican of Alabama, who opposed the latest version last month in the Judiciary Committee. “You think that’s possible? You think they might have put things in there we couldn’t support that maybe then they could accuse you of not being supportive of fighting violence against women?â€
I don’t know if that was the plan. But considering all the creative ways Republicans in Congress have used “poison pills” so that they could bash Democrats for one thing or another (here’s just one example, from the maha archives), I say — choke on it, dude.
Meanwhile, some righties are still trying to trash Sandra Fluke. This time, they find she is dating a liberal Jew. Oh noes! Erik Loomis of Lawyers, Guns and Money provides insightful commentary.
Sandra Fluke’s boyfriend is…wait…a JEW!!!!
And not the good kind of Jew that likes to kill Palestinians in order to further bizarre apocalyptic fantasies of right-wing Christians.
No, Fluke likes the kind of Jew who might know leading Democratic players like….oh my god….CASS SUNSTEIN!!!!!
What’s next? Black men hugging each other? Sorta kinda related — Tbogg.
And wading further into the murky world of guilt by association, Little Lulu has discovered that Soledad O’Brien knows somebody who knew Derrick Bell, and that she has read one of Derrick Bell’s books, twice. Obviously, this “pro-Bell bias” disqualified her from attempting to crack through the dense wall of stupid known as “Joel Pollack.”
Actually, it’s not a war on women. It’s a war on humanity.
The Eric Loomis piece is a shorter version of a LONG hateful screed on the Telegraph:
http://thegraph.com/2012/03/sandra-flukes-boyfriend/
I know these right-wingers are consumed by hate, but the depth and volume is utterly staggering. And it seems to be getting worse.
John — you are confusing Eric Loomis and Brooks Bayne. The long hateful screed on The Graph (not the Telegraph) by Brooks Bayne is what Loomis is snarking about.
I went to Ms. Malkin’s page and now I’m sorry.
“I favor the Violence Against Women Act and have supported it at various points over the years, but there are matters put on that bill that almost seem to invite opposition,†said Senator Jeff Sessions, Republican of Alabama…”
What Sessions (and most Conservatives) meant to say was, “I favor Acts of Violence Against Women, and have supported that at ALL points over the years…”
Women, you may want to borrow one of “Baby Doc” Bush’s most famous quotes, and apply it to Republicans who are determined by their efforts to take back Women’s Rights back to the mid-19th Century: “Bring Them On.”
“Take is away, Ladies…”
I still question – do Republican politicians really believe all this stuff OR
I still question – do Republican politicians really stand by all this stuff OR are they merely pandering to that lunatic fringe of Americans who DO stand by the stuff just to get their votes.
As I suggested earlier, the ‘magic’ 12% of us who seem to decide election outcomes may be largely comprised of lunatics – which may weigh heavily in favor of the latter.
Felicity,
I also used to wonder whether they believe their own BS or not.
Crazy, or stupid?
But, when they decide to antagonize over half of the population in an election year, I think that answers that question.
Both!
It’s kind of like that old Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups ads:
“Hey! YOU got crazy on my stupid!”
‘And YOU got stupid on my crazy!’
Introducing – “Republicans – P*ssin-off ‘The Buttercups:'”
“Two bad tastes, that taste worse together…”
I can not understand what it is that The Right Wing has against Women all of a sudden. Aren’t Woman at least one half the entire Human Race and don’t Women cast most of the votes and, at least, the ones that make sense? I wonder what goes through the minds of some Right Wingers as they assail the basic rights and dignity of Women. Do they really think there will not be a day of reckoning about this? It certainly doesn’t support their claims to “Christianity” in my book either. You know what I say? I say, “Women Of The World…Unite!”
Slightly Off Topic, but should be carved in stone….
“On Wednesday, March 1, 2006, at a hearing on the proposed Constitutional Amendment to prohibit gay marriage, Jamie Raskin, professor of law at American University, was requested to testify. At the end of his testimony, Republican State Senator Nancy Jacobs said: “Mr. Raskin, my Bible says marriage is only between a man and a woman. What do you have to say about that?”
Raskin replied: “Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You did not place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible.”
Hat tip to Facebook person ‘Dominionism is destrying America’.
Doug — great story. Thanks!
Next on the Republican adjenda: Repealing the 19th Amendment.
(I’m not sure if I am joking or not…)
… at the rate things are going, the Republicans might need to try repealing the 19th Amendment if they want to continue getting elected! They keep screwing half of their constituency.
15, 2012 @7:42 pm
I can not understand what it is that The Right Wing has against Women all of a sudden.
It’s not all of a sudden and it’s not exclusively The Right Wing (sadly). Although they have chosen to be the vanguard in the war on women. Dominance is the root that nourishes them.
You think they might have put things in there we couldn’t support that maybe then they could accuse you of not being supportive of fighting violence against women?
Gosh, I dunno. Why don’t you ask the USA PATRIOT act?
Conservative have just released their list of priorities for American women:
“Kinder. Kuche. Kirche.”
Hmm… Sounds kind of familiar… I wonder – where have I’ve heard THAT before?
I’m amazed they’d so openly talk about “kuche”, but I hear it is popular!
If Hillary Clinton had been elected, then the Republicans would have done misogyny first, and saved racism for later.