Well Played, Morons

8 Comments

by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE: Sen. Mark Udall congratulates the House on their belated passage of VAWA, while not letting them off the hook for their lateness (here's looking at you, Mike Coffman):

"In Colorado and across the nation, an unacceptable number of women and other at-risk groups face the threat of violence in their homes, relationships and communities – places where they should feel safest. This is unacceptable," Udall said. "I am disappointed the House left survivors and victims of violence out in the cold while members of Congress quibbled last year and this year over who truly deserves protection, unnecessarily delaying the reauthorization of this bill. Violence against women is not a partisan issue. I am glad the House finally decided to put aside such political games and to support this common-sense and bipartisan law."

Today the House of Representatives voted to approve the "Violence Against Women Act," which now moves on to the White House where it will be quickly signed by President Obama. The House vote is national news, primarily because Republicans inexplicably spent weeks trying to make sure Americans understood their opposition to the measure. As CNN reports, House Republicans are idiots:

Struggling again with an issue important to women and minority groups, House Republicans on Thursday failed to pass their version of a new Violence Against Women Act and then split over a Senate version that won approval with unanimous Democratic support…

…Originally passed in 1994 and reauthorized since, the act provides support for organizations that serve domestic violence victims. Criminal prosecutions of abusers are generally the responsibility of local authorities, but the act stiffened sentences for stalking under federal law. Supporters credit the act with sharply reducing the number of lives lost to domestic violence over the past two decades.

Last year, the House and Senate were unable to compromise on another extension of the act, with Republicans opposing Democratic attempts to specify inclusion of native Americans, undocumented immigrants and lesbian, transgender and bisexual women.

Many House Republicans had opposed the Senate version of the bill, essentially because they thought it would be a good idea to get a few week's worth of media coverage explaining their continued indifference toward homosexuals, lesbians, women and Hispanics. Since there were enough House Republicans with half a brain that the measure passed anyway, the end result is that the GOP picked up a ton of negative press for no actual end result.

The upshot is that Republicans cleared the bill with plenty of time to be blamed for "sequestration." So, there's that.

8 thoughts on “Well Played, Morons”

MADCO says:

February 28, 2013 at 1:40 pm

Wait- you're not saying it was unanimous.

There were several GOTP no votes.

Why? Who are these guys? and what possible aversion couild they have to reauthorizing the VAWA? (Is it relaly cuz it starts with "V"?)

Log in to Reply
Phoenix Rising says:

February 28, 2013 at 1:44 pm

Colorado Roll-call

Coffman, AYE
DeGette, AYE
Gardner, AYE
Lamborn, NO
Perlmutter, AYE
Polis, AYE
Tipton, AYE

Note that Lamborn also voted NO on the watered-down Republican version of the bill, making him one of a select few truly anti-woman asshats.

The rest of our delegation to its credit not only voted for the Senate version of the bill, but didn't vote for the watered-down version.

Log in to Reply
1. JeffcoBlue says:
  
  February 28, 2013 at 2:35 pm
  
  They can't help themselves. Especially Lamborn, possibly the very biggest asshat in Congress.
  
  Log in to Reply
2. Aristotle says:
  
  February 28, 2013 at 4:49 pm
  
  Frankly, I'm surprised than any of them voted for it. Maybe they're finally getting the idea that they shouldn't alienate women either? Will the pandering be far behind?
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. ArapaGOP says:
    
    February 28, 2013 at 4:57 pm
    
    Definitely. Because on this blog, Republicans are damned if they do and damned if they don't.
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. Aristotle says:
      
      February 28, 2013 at 5:10 pm
      
      You bet. People don't usually go from pro-rape to anti-rape because of a change of heart. But election stats don't lie, do they?
      
      Log in to Reply
      1. BlueCat says:
        
        March 1, 2013 at 11:01 am
        
        And Colorado has so often turned out to be a harbinger of things to come. Of course it's not just Colorado. How many times now has Boehner felt forced to break the no vote without a majority of the R majority on board rule in the House? How many bills passing now that wouldn't have even been brought to a vote in the House in the recent past? And how many Rs like Coffman who have been among the reliable nays suddenly finding reasons to vote yes on bills passed by the D minority with mnority R help?
        
        I've been watching the generic congressional preference polls at Real Clear lately and, for the first time, am seeing a sustained and hefty preference for Ds including from La's fave, Rasmussen. While generics don't predict specific races, a susatined and sizeable change like this has meaning.
        
        After decades of being told that we need the titans to do well so they'll create jobs for us, the public is catching on to the fact that no amount of favors to those titans has created jobs and middle class income has been stagnating or shrinking ever since the love affair with Reagan's war on the government of the people as a bad thing and endorsement of greed as the greatest good.
        
        Turns out, we the people are getting screwed because all that greed is just greed and it really and truly only benefits the most successfully greed, a tiny, tiny elite who couldn't care less about the American middle class.
        
        Have a nice day, ArapG. Looks like those circled wagons are becoming a good old fashioned circular firing squad..
        
        Log in to Reply
3. Phoenix Rising says:
  
  February 28, 2013 at 6:09 pm
  
  Note: Coffman, Tipton, and Gardner all voted YEA on the watered down version of the bill last year, so their change of position is welcome if a bit late in coming.
  
  Log in to Reply