Appealing to the Taliban wing of the party

July 20, 2006

The House of Representatives, which hasn’t done much of anything of substance in months, has been surprisingly busy lately, debating and voting on a series of bills that are geared towards making the Republican base happy. Taken together, I think there’s a pattern.

* The House approved a measure to shield “under God” in the Pledge from any legal scrutiny.

* The House voted to acquire a 29-foot cross in San Diego so that it can remain on public property.

* The House will vote soon on a measure to make it harder to challenge display of the Ten Commandments in public buildings.

* Lawmakers unveiled a proposal to give $100 million in taxpayer money to private religious schools.

Of course, congressional Republicans don’t really expect any of these to become law; they’re pushing the measures to motivate the party’s most ardent activists in an election year. But therein lies the point — what does the GOP base want? They want more government support for, and interference in, matters of faith.

Maybe I’m biased in light of my previous place of employment, but when it comes to the most obvious targets of the far-right wing, it’s not just gays and abortion; it’s the separation of church and state.

Nope, you’re not biased, you’re right on. It’s all about tearing down the wall, brick-by-brick. It’s the underpinning of everything they talk about and everything they want to do– they want their religous beliefs and the state to be one in the same. It’s the very reason I prefer the term “theocratic right” to “religious right,” it’s more accurate.

Then again, my own previous place of employment (not AU, but another professional opposition research outfit) makes me biased in that direction as well.

  • “I prefer the term “theocratic right” ” – ZoeKentucky

    That leaves out one of the important aspects of the Theocrats, their desire to take us ‘back’ to a time in this country that never was. Which is why I prefer Theocratic Reactionaries.

    These guys are really going to miss the seperation of church and state when the Roman Catholics (a majority of the Supreme Court, by the way) declare this to be a Catholic country and that we have to obey the Pope.

  • Carpetbagger – I had forgotten that you used to be with AU. Are you still doing Barry Lynn’s radio show? If you are put in a plug so that we’ll know when you’re on.

  • I don’t think they’ve thought this through. Once they dismantle the wall between church and state, what’s to stop the state from meddling in religion, when the country has swung to the left? What’s to stop the state from demanding that churches perform gay marriages?

  • It’s the “House of Repre-Sadjucees.” Bush and his signing statements would make him a “Scribe.”

    Anyone want to be a Pharisee for these goons?

  • mybillofrights.org

    Mission Statement
    Our mission is to promote awareness and respect for the Bill of Rights as the foundation of our individual freedoms, our laws, and the American system of justice, through the design and crafting of Bill of Rights displays to be placed on public lands throughout America, beginning with the capitol grounds of all 50 state legislatures.

    http://www.mybillofrights.org/home.php

  • Are you still doing Barry Lynn’s radio show?

    Yep. As a rule, I’m on the first Monday of every month.

    I’m a better blogger than radio guest, but I’ll try and let readers know the next time I’m scheduled to be on.

  • What I really don’t understand is that all the pandering to the base appears to be working? Or does it work? they must clearly be able to see that most of this stuff just falls away after a while, you’d think after this much time they’d be unimpressed with the token, meaningless efforts of the politicians.

    Then again, when you live your life based on faith alone, not much else has to make sense.

  • This is predictable election-season nonsense from the same team that has been bringing us predicatable election-season nonsense for over a decade now.

    The saddest, though no less predictable, part is that when you look at those votes (and the San Diego cross is a prime example) the “yes” votes exceed the number of Republican’ts. A lot of D’s are voting for these measures.

    In one of the Greatest Hits of old from this group, the bill to prohibit use of federal funds to enforce the federal court injunction against Roy Moore’s 10 Commandments, my representative – allegedly a D – voted yes. I called him on it and his staffer, an old friend of mine, jumped in: “It was a meaningless election year trap! We weren’t going to fall for it and let them trap us on a non-issue like that! All they wanted was a negative ad – and we stopped them!”

    I would like to think this was just a bad day, but I strongly suspect seceral score of Democrats in the House and their staffs would give the same answer; indeed, it is of a kin with the Senate Democrats’ “save the filibuster for when we really need it by agreeing never to use it.” When the Rethugs twist our arm, we are far to quick to grab a knife and cut it off at the shoulder, the whole while screaming “Ha! I won!”

    Are we as a party, as a movement, really this stupid? Wont we ever just stand up to the American public and say “yeah, they wanted to buy a cross and a park with your money – forget that debt stuff – solely to delay the date of a lawsuit that will surely be refiled anyway. Its in San Diego, most of you will never see it. It wont help you keep your job, get a flu short, or help your kids graduate from college. so i said ‘WTF?’ and voted no.”

  • Don B,
    Their choices are vote republican or don’t vote. So this non-sense get them to the polls. I mean let’s face it, if they actually had deductive reasoning skills they wouldn’t be herded to whatever pasture someone tells them is greener.

  • Whoa, Bernie Sanders (I-NH) voted to acquire that property with a 29-foot cross in San Diego. Vote tally here. I guess when running for the Senate, you don’t want to piss off military veterans or theocratic Christians.

  • You know Frak, that is just scary, the way you get there before me.

    Are you sure you are not just another personality inhabiting the same body as I?

    Yes, I read it as Bill o’ Frights.

  • Why are they so fucking stupid? Every one except them can see that the Talibaptists are being played for their votes. You would think that they’d notice and get pissed. Besides, it’s the Democratic Party that believes in taking care of needy people, just like Jesus taught.
    When I learned that Christians were mostly Republican I was floored.

  • “Every one except them can see that the Talibaptists are being played for their votes.” – merlallen

    Ah, but their leaders get to go to the White House. When a religion seems disfunctional, look to the priests to understand why.

  • When a religion seems dysfunctional, look to the priests to understand why. — Lance

    Why is it that conservatives don’t trust “top-down” government, but they trust “top-down” religion? Go figure.

  • The Carpetbagger refers to the “Taliban wing of the [Republican] party”. But he’s wrong. This isn’t a “wing”, i.e., some sort of fringe movement. It’s the whole damn party! Not one Republican voted against “acquiring” (does that mean purchasing with tax money?) a giant religious symbol.

    Obviously, this is an assault on the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. Moreover, by trying to get around a valid interpretation of California’s constitution, it’s an attack on Federalism itself (from the party who used to always claim “state’s rights” at every turn). Pathetic.

  • lance and frak –

    bill o’ frights is how i saw it, too. we must be closet republicans.

    your pal,
    blake

  • “Why is it that conservatives don’t trust “top-down” government, but they trust “top-down” religion? Go figure.” – slip kid no more

    LOL, man, LOL

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