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sneaky gits
Feb. 1st, 2011 02:59 pmJohn Boehner's push to redefine rape, as the article notes, isn't about rape at all - it's about restricting access to abortion, with an eye toward eliminating it altogether.
I could say a lot of things about this proposal, about the legislators behind it, about supporters of this backdoor measure. Instead, I'll just make two observations I've noticed about Republicans in power over the last decade, at least:
1. Anytime Republican legislators initiate something that they know will get a lot of media attention and stir up a bunch of uproar, it's usually as a cover for some other legislation they're trying to sneak through that they don't want anyone to notice ("Wag the Dog," anyone? It's not just a fun movie premise; it exists). Hard as it is to believe, the "disguised" legislation is usually worse, and often unrelated. I saw this happen during the war years of the last decade - the Bush administration and the predominantly Republican Congress would introduce one item, then as quickly as they could, throw something else out for people to deal with ... and then a third thing ... and so on and so forth. It's a form of torture designed to wear down opposition. People can generally deal crisis to crisis, but when they overlap, it becomes too much to handle, and they'll turn their attention to one thing and let the rest of the things slide past with little to no notice.
2. That's not to say the "cover" legislation - such as this rape definition thing - isn't also intended to actually go through. The Republicans are a sneaky lot, and while cruel, not stupid: If you're going to create a cover for something, why not design it to also screw as many people as possible? That way, it's not a wasted labor. But if this doesn't go through, they will at least expect that - it's always the disguised legislation that's the most important.
So, in this case - what else are the Republicans doing in Congress that they really don't want us to know about? (None of this is random hatred of Republicans; it's a legitimate observation I've made over several years now, related to my career, that has helped me sort of anticipate what will come next news-wise. I don't know if the Democrats don't do the same thing because (a) they haven't been in power enough to try it yet; (b) they're not clever/mercenary enough to carry it out; or (c) they have higher principles ... which, I kind of doubt this last one, since people are people, and there are Republican voters (and a very few Republican lawmakers) who have principles, so you have to concluded there are Democrats who are also unscrupulous.)
I could say a lot of things about this proposal, about the legislators behind it, about supporters of this backdoor measure. Instead, I'll just make two observations I've noticed about Republicans in power over the last decade, at least:
1. Anytime Republican legislators initiate something that they know will get a lot of media attention and stir up a bunch of uproar, it's usually as a cover for some other legislation they're trying to sneak through that they don't want anyone to notice ("Wag the Dog," anyone? It's not just a fun movie premise; it exists). Hard as it is to believe, the "disguised" legislation is usually worse, and often unrelated. I saw this happen during the war years of the last decade - the Bush administration and the predominantly Republican Congress would introduce one item, then as quickly as they could, throw something else out for people to deal with ... and then a third thing ... and so on and so forth. It's a form of torture designed to wear down opposition. People can generally deal crisis to crisis, but when they overlap, it becomes too much to handle, and they'll turn their attention to one thing and let the rest of the things slide past with little to no notice.
2. That's not to say the "cover" legislation - such as this rape definition thing - isn't also intended to actually go through. The Republicans are a sneaky lot, and while cruel, not stupid: If you're going to create a cover for something, why not design it to also screw as many people as possible? That way, it's not a wasted labor. But if this doesn't go through, they will at least expect that - it's always the disguised legislation that's the most important.
So, in this case - what else are the Republicans doing in Congress that they really don't want us to know about? (None of this is random hatred of Republicans; it's a legitimate observation I've made over several years now, related to my career, that has helped me sort of anticipate what will come next news-wise. I don't know if the Democrats don't do the same thing because (a) they haven't been in power enough to try it yet; (b) they're not clever/mercenary enough to carry it out; or (c) they have higher principles ... which, I kind of doubt this last one, since people are people, and there are Republican voters (and a very few Republican lawmakers) who have principles, so you have to concluded there are Democrats who are also unscrupulous.)
