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

[ysrith.livejournal.com]

I must admit I was very surprised when I lived in the US about the attitudes to women and race. I have always been under the impression that the USA was so modern and far ahead in these things, but that was not the case. People were still getting their heads around women doctors. And I was living in Philadelphia, not the Mid-West.

You are also right about the impact of corporations and the desire for commerical goods and satisfaction. Now, it could just be that I am a liberal European socialist, but there is no way I could live in that sort of society. I made that choice when I decided not to return to the US and practice medicine there.

[bonnie-halfelvn.livejournal.com]

I think the biggest problem is the dominance of conservative Christianity. And I say that as a Christian. That informs the Republican agenda and attitudes towards women and gays. It's all a very fundamentalist "literal" Biblical interpretation. There are people behind the leaders whispering in their ears. The conservative Christian agenda has been worming its way into politics for decades. It has wound a web around the Republican party to the point that it is drastically changed from what it was even 30 years ago.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Yep. That's because the Christian leaders have spent those decades convincing the Republican puppets that if they'd do the hardcore Christians' bidding, those leaders would deliver millions of votes by equating "Republicanism = Christianity." I was once at lunch at a local restaurant and in the next booth was a local minister eating with a couple of higher-ups in his church system, and he was bragging that he could tell his congregation to do anything and they would, happily, so long as he told them it was what Jesus ordered.

[finding-neo.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness, how could you keep your mouth shut to be hearing that???? I would have leapt all over that guy - not only what would Jesus do, but what would he think of you?

The hypocrisy among religious leaders is sickening, yet all the little sheep will gladly follow.

[a-silver-rose.livejournal.com]

IMO, it's more symbiotic than that. The Republican Party willingly bedded down with the Christian right in the hopes of tapping into that voting block. They knew damn well what they were doing, and needed little, if any, "convincing". In other words, they whored themselves. What's sad is that some of them have seemed to realize the hole they've dug for themselves, and are now afraid of their bed partner.