The House of No: Exploring GOP Obstructionism

With the election less than two months away the Republican party has been hitting President Obama on the jobs numbers repeatedly. Despite having 28 months of consecutive job growth the unemployment number is still over 8%. Though there has been growth it's not where it should be, and definitely not where it could be. Last week during his speech at the DNC, the president laid out his case for reelection as a choice, countering the Republican strategy of making this election a referendum on the Presidents economic record. While making his speech President Obama made the argument that we are not done yet, and that if we choose him again, he can finish his work of fixing the economy. What was strangely absent was the red elephant in the room. The Republican obstructionism that has sought to stymie every effort to ease the suffering of the everyday American. The plan to stop Obama at any cost.  Mitch McConnell said it best.

Since declaring this to be his, and the Republicans top priority, it's no surprise that we have seen no action, no attempts, no bills to help spur job creation since the passage of the much maligned stimulus. Which oddly as Rachel Maddow points out many whom have asked for and benefited from, even VP pick Paul Ryan. Every bill that would be used to help the American people, is shot in the Senate, not even proposed in the House. Instead of crafting bills to help people underwater on their mortgages, or investing in infrastructure that would create jobs, Republicans instead focused on...abortion.

So jobs bills no, anti-abortion bills yes. So how could the party of Lincoln go out of its way to stop the economic recovery just to make the president lose in November? It's partly political, the right wing is banking on the idea that they can trash the economy and then blame it not only the president, but on the Democrats too. Former President Bill Clinton said it best in his speech "In Tampa, the Republican argument against the president's re-election was pretty simple: we left him a total mess, he hasn't cleaned it up fast enough, so fire him and put us back in." 

It's also personal. From attacking his character, his values, his patriotism, and even his place of birth. The Republicans have painted him as an enemy of the state. It may be great politics, and it sure does a great job at ginning up the base, but it makes it impossible to govern. 

It's because of this radical demonization of an actually centrist governing president, who's core legislative accomplishment, health care reform, was a Republican think tank hatched idea that was implemented in Massachusetts under then Governor Romney! Since the right wing news, spearheaded by Fox news and radio pundit Rush Limbaugh have compared Obama to Hitler and Stalin, it makes it pretty hard for any Republicans in Congress to back any idea endorsed by the President, regardless of if it's a good idea, or one they came up with. 

Republicans have literally painted themselves into a corner, if they work with Obama, the base, who believes all the bile spewed by the right wing media will primary them so fast their heads will spin. The result is that moderate Republicans, true fiscal conservatives and those who actually want to govern, either can't, or they get chased out of the party.

The GOP is backed into a corner, where the only option is to say No to everything until they win, regardless of who it hurts. Though I think it's ultimately going to backfire onto them, the only questions are when, and how much damage will they do the country until then?

This is why I now dub the Republican controlled house, "The house of No."

                                                               

GOP War on Women continues

If anything shows how little, old white guys know about the struggles of women in America, it's this asshole. Todd Akin.

Twitter has exploded today from Akins apparent "gaffe" where he said "“First of all, from what I understand from doctors, (pregnancy from rape) is really rare, If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."

Wow, how ignorant is this guy?

This little gem came from a discussion on KTVI-TV where Mr. Akin had been explaining his no exception policy on abortion. Yep, another one of these pro-family idiots who think that making women bear rape babies as well as banning contraception will help America become great again.

This is idiotic. The GOP says they are pro-life and pro-family, but they pass policies that hurt families, and demonize single mothers trying to raise the children they chose not to abort. Which is it GOP? Would you rather those single mothers abort their kids or support programs that prevent pregnancy, or in the event of it happening, aid for the child in the form of food stamps and welfare programs that keep those kids out of poverty.

Forcing a woman to have the rapists baby is a punishment for the woman, and for the unborn child too. I couldn't imagine growing up knowing my father was a monster, and that my mother never wanted me. It's such a complicated situation and it shouldn't be the choice of the state whether or not she should have that baby. This is big government at its worst.

How the people could have ever elect this Tea Party dick bag is something I cannot ever fathom.

It just seems like the GOP only cares about children while they're in the womb. Fertilized eggs are people, corporations are people, but women are not. What woman could ever vote for these misogynists?

Thankfully many women are taking notice, and even choosing president Obama over Mitt Romney in polls taken, they know what is at stake, their freedom of choice and control over their own bodies is on the line. I may not like abortion, hell I don't know any Liberal who does, but it is and should stay a legal, safe choice especially under the circumstances of rape and incest.

Because when you take a woman's right to make decisions for her own body, you take away her freedom, and her dignity. And that alone is worth fighting to protect.

*Addition*

So Akin immediately came out with a back-pedal of his legitimate rape comment, but I'm thinking the damage has already been done to this guys prospect for election. He'll be running against Claire McCaskill for the Missouri Senate seat in November, if he doesn't bow out that is. I'd actually like him for him to run, because he'll most likely lose, and lose hard, and if he somehow wins then well...Missouri apparently will deserve the misery this guy will bring. Sorry guys, but if you let these people in by staying home...

This is why it's so important to get out and vote, especially with so much on the line. We cannot let another year like 2010 happen where these TeaParty extremists can get in and bring our women back to 1850.

Another awesome fact about Akin is that apparently he's worked with now VP Paul Ryan to redefine rape, making this election even more crucial.

The thing is, that Akin is not a minority in the GOP, at least according to Democrat of California Jackie Speier. She's pretty sure that most Republicans think the same way as Todd Akin and Paul Ryan; that abortion should be illegal no matter the circumstance.

It's this anti-choice attitude in the Republican party that has led to extreme bills like the personhood bill, saying that a fertilized egg is a person with full constitutional rights, and that abortion is murder and so is emergency hormonal contraception. They also feel normal hormonal contraception should be banned as well as the IUD. The effects of these bills if passed would throw women back into the home as they would no longer have the freedom to choose when they want to have families, it throws up barriers to work and essentially puts them back into the home, "barefoot and pregnant", just what some of the good ol' boys want.

I cannot stress how important it will be to vote, even if you don't like the other person, just remember, it could be worse. You could end up with Todd Akin