One of the most common elements of a day in Congress are votes on non-binding, symbolic resolutions that honor some person or event. They’re harmless votes, which are generally ignored.
Yesterday, however, the House took up a resolution recognizing the commencement of Ramadan and “demonstrat[ing] solidarity with and support for members of the community of Islam in the United States” during this Muslim month of fasting. The measure passed without any opposition, as these resolutions nearly always do.
But this time, there’s a catch. 376 House members voted for it, while 42 members (41 Republicans and 1 Dem) voted “present.” Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) explained why.
“This resolution is an example of the degree to which political correctness has captured the political and media elite in this country. I am not opposed to commending any religion for their faith. The problem is that any attempt to do so for Jews or Christians is immediately condemned as ‘breaching’ the non-existent line between Church and State by the same elite,” Tancredo says in his statement.
Tancredo, predictably, doesn’t know what he’s talking about. First, Congress passes similar resolutions for all kinds of religious holidays, including Christmas, with nary a complaint from “elites” or anyone else. Second, unless Tancredo and his allies managed to turn the country into some kind of theocracy without anyone noticing, the line between church and state is not “non-existent.”
The ugly xenophobe’s spokesperson said he voted “present” instead of “no” because “a no vote could be construed as not commending religion in general.”
No, Tancredo is only hostile to some religions in specific. That’s much better.