Pirate's Cove

It’s actually rather rare, probably to the tune of “Never”, that I agree with the Washington Post’s Eugene Robinson. Perhaps not necessarily on the deep substance, but the idea

What is the GOP thinking?

There they go again. Given control of Congress and the chance to frame an economic agenda for the middle class, the first thing Republicans do is tie themselves in knots over . . . abortion and rape.

I’m not kidding. In a week when President Obama used his State of the Union address to issue a progressive manifesto of bread-and-butter policy proposals, GOP leaders responded by taking up the “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act” — a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. But a vote on the legislation had to be canceled after female GOP House members reportedly balked over the way an exception for pregnancies resulting from rape was limited.

The whole thing was, in sum, your basic 360-degree fiasco.

At least there are some in the party who recognize how much trouble Republicans make for themselves by breaking the armistice in the culture wars and launching battles that cannot be won. It looks as if the nation will have to stand by until GOP realists and ideologues reach some sort of understanding, which may take some time.

That last paragraph I’m somewhat squishy on, but, I do have to wonder what the GOP was thinking in trotting out the legislation so soon in the legislative term. Mr. Robinson writes that the only reason it was pushed was to “create an event”, what with the pro-life march in D.C. upcoming (it was held yesterday, the 22nd) (many outlets described the march as “thousands” attending. Others say “tens of thousands”. It was more like hundreds of thousands, and, unshockingly, very few media outlets have done stories on the march). He could be right.

Regardless, I think it was a Bad Idea to push this legislation so soon in the term. For the first time since 2006 the GOP controls the House and the Senate. They have a chance to push big, bold ideas to help the economy of the country, to make things happen, to create conditions that stimulate businesses to hire. To hire full time. To increase wages because the business environment dictates that. To put the US on the road to a true recovery. To block Obama’s job killing, energy killing, amnesty giving, etc., ways. Get energy bills passed. Pass foreign trade bills, ones that Obama has said he agrees with, because this is one area where the GOP and Obama agree. Save the social policy bills for later, once things have been accomplished. Heck, pass bills to pick a fight with Obama. Don’t do things like this now.

People, we are in an economic recovery whose fruits are not reaching the middle class. We have a crucial need to address U.S. infrastructure and competitiveness. We face myriad challenges abroad, including Islamic terrorism and global warming.

If a renewal of the culture wars is your answer, Republicans, you totally misheard the question.

Except for the “global warming” idiocy, I agree. Obama misheard the results of the 2014 election. Republicans shouldn’t miss-hear, because much of the results were about citizens voting against Obama and Democrats, and saying “let’s give Republicans a chance”. Don’t blow it. That’s just my two cents.