The Republican Party seems to be continuing down its path of self-destruction. So much so that today even Speaker of the House, John Boehner, seems to be giving up.
Farm Bill Fails in Congress
Come on over to the other side, John, you’re welcome to join the rest in the sane world. When you can’t even pass a farm bill, it might be time to give up.
As Nancy Pelosi said today, it was “… amateur hour” in Congress as the Farm Bill vote failed to pass the House. 62 republican representatives (25% of its membership) voted against it. The new normal of fractured republicans as the House majority continues: nothing ever gets done. They construct bills impossible to pass, then vote against their own bills! Then as soon as it fails, Tea Party politicians run to every microphone they can find to blame in on Obama and the democrats. How, exactly? Obama is somehow forcing the republicans to act like intellectually challenged nitwits who add amendments so extreme that they vote against their own bill?
I think the republican party is doing some sort of performance art… trying to demonstrate how a planet can collapse under it’s own weight and erase itself from existence.
Republicans couldn’t even pass the Farm Bill… amazing. We already knew that democrats wouldn’t vote for it, because of the deep cuts to food stamps (“Stick it to the poor, but make sure I still get my tax breaks” continues to be the mantra of republicans in Congress). That Boehner brought it to the floor and his own party voted against it is yet another blow to the leadership. Moreover, it’s a demonstration that the Republican Party is so fractured it ought not even be called a single political party anymore. There is no majority. In American politics we have democrats, republicans, people who don’t vote, Independents who foolishly believe being unable to take a stand makes them mature, and the crazies who behave as if they’re monkeys at the zoo who broke into the concession stands.
Republicans from the Capitol Grass, “Get Off My Lawn!”
The “autopsy” that the RNC did after the 2012 election clearly pointed out that the general impression of the Republican Party is that it’s party of “old white men.” Now, a day after the 6-hour long press conference where the Tea Party boo’d its once savior Marco Rubio, the Tea Party bowel blockage are ripe and ready to kill the Immigration Reform bill as well.
Marco Rubio was the Tea Party darling… and now they boo him at rallies. It’s worse than junior high with these people.
Setting aside all the abortion talk. Setting aside the wonderful idea a Tea Party congressman offered on the floor this week that we should teach our children in elementary school, “This is what a man… this is what a father does that is, you know… better... important… and…this is what a mother does… it’s different…” … Set all that aside… if that’s possible.
Looking only at the rhetoric republicans have been using about the immigration reform bill and, well… the Republican Party IS a party of rich, old, white men. Contrary to what the RNC chair claims, it’s going to take a lot more than just a new marketing plan to rid the party of that stigma. You can’t just claim the Party is different – the Party actually has to be different. Politicians are too clumsy (and the general public is too savvy), with media to think that smoke and mirrors will cover all the warts in the Republican Party.
Every recent town hall meeting that has taken place in a deep red district has had someone stand at a mic and demand “Build that damn fence!” (and) “Round them up and kick them out!” – shortly after the right-wing paranoid battle cry, the crowd cheers, jeers, and leers. They are quite literally, yelling Get Off My Lawn. Kick them out. They don’t look like me, they don’t think like me, so get them out of my country!
As usual, facts are optional for republicans. The recent CBO report on Immigration shows that if we succeed in passing comprehensive immigration reform, then immigration will boost the economy and shrink the deficit. Two things that, allegedly, the Tea Party republicans want! But since Obama and the democrats want reform as well, we can assume republicans will try to kill the bill. They would deny the sky is blue if Obama supported it. Hate and ideological fervor rule the day in Republicanland.
A large problem is that the extreme right-wing media outlets have created a fact bubble around immigration as they have around every other issue (though Fox News has started to back off immigration a bit… only after many leaders in Washington met with Fox show anchors to ask that they dial it down). What’s different now, however, is that in the past people who worked in Congress didn’t listen to the extreme media outlets as their primary source of information… but the Tea Party politicians do, and bring up various conspiracies in committee meetings! They work in Congress, and yet they get their information from right wing conspiracy-driven radio. It is amazing!
A huge majority of republicans swear to their lord that immigration will cost trillions of dollars for the United States. Trillions!!! On top of their belief that the world “will brown” and their “culture” (whatever that is) will somehow be harmed. Usually there’s something in there about the UN and God being made illegal as well. They are too wound up in the paranoia to bother to read the legislation and CBO report.
It’s OK to have different values, but that the republican base has an entirely different reality and facts continues to be a significant problem.
To the rest of the world: please allow us to apologize for our crazy old uncle that is the republican base. The majority of the country is not like them. We want to fix a lot of things that are not right with our country, its laws, and its image, but we’re having a hard time right now because our crazy uncle is throwing a mighty fit on the front lawn. He doesn’t like change. He is afraid change. He says things like “men are better”, and “real Americans” a lot, but we’re forced to give him some leeway… because we understand that he was raised that way. He doesn’t know any better. He’s bigotted, ignorant, and wrong, but he doesn’t know any better, so all we can do is intervene and teach with facts whenever we can.
To the rest of the world: we’re doing our best to educate the republican base about things like “Facts” and “Truth” and “how to not be a raging hypocrite” … but it’s taking a little bit longer than we thought it would. We’ll get there eventually, and have to humbly ask for your patience. We’re not all crazy and mean spirited. Promise.
Published: by | Updated: 04-21-2015 18:09:50
