sneaky gits

[veronica_rich]

John 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.)

Comments

[beldar.livejournal.com]

it's about restricting access to abortion, with an eye toward eliminating it altogether

The most frustrating thing is that no measure will "eliminate" abortion, just make it an underground activity. And since most people have no memory of pre-Roe days (strangely including some people who were around then), the perspective that this is possible is going to be hard to dispel. So as a method of achieving the impossible, sexist men get to set women's rights back a decade or two.

We have abortions because people want them and/or feel compelled to have them. Period. (Aside from occasional medical necessity.) And the self-righteous actually help perpetuate the problem, for as long as they consider pregnancies to be "mistakes" or "sins," then there will be a desire to eliminate the mistake or negate the sin.

[the-dala.livejournal.com]

Ugh. I read that today and it was difficult to get through. Just the thought of a woman having to go through the process of "proving" "forcible" rape makes me want to throw up.

[ysrith.livejournal.com]

I cannot believe this is serious. I thought "forcible rape" was a term that certain romance novelists used to cover some dodgy non-con scenes in their books. I cannot believe that someone is trying to make a definition between the various types of rape. Thisis truly frightening

Not being rude here, but there are times when I wonder about the USA and the people in it when I see things like this.

[solitaryraven.livejournal.com]

What I find most amusing/infuriating about this incredibly sickening and offensive push to redefine rake is that this comes less than a week after they went on and on about how they are going to focus entirely on "job creation" and the "economy." Yet redefining rape has been moved to the top of the priority pile? Really?

[finding-neo.livejournal.com]

Does anyone else get the creeps when they look at Boehner? Seriously. I had to stop watching the State of the Union because he was such a creeper. He looked like he was trying to figure out how he could hit Obama upside the head, or worse, and get away with it.

[a-silver-rose.livejournal.com]

Another possible example of a hidden agenda, if not a hidden proposed bill: If memory serves, wasn't it a Republican who introduced the mandatory purchase of health insurance into the federal health care law which Florida has now declared unconstitutional because of that provision?