[tag]Congress[/tag]ional [tag]Republicans[/tag] gave up, quite literally, on passing a substantive policy agenda several weeks ago, choosing instead to focus on divisive bills, which they didn’t expect to pass, in the hopes of rallying the base in advance of the [tag]midterm[/tag] [tag]elections[/tag].
The result has been as annoying as it is futile. The better part of June has been spent on an anti-gay [tag]amendment[/tag], a permanent repeal of the [tag]estate tax[/tag], and a [tag]flag-burning[/tag] measure, none of which were expected, or even designed, to pass.
Of course, it’s only June. Have congressional Republicans run out of divisive, [tag]culture-war[/tag] votes? Not even close.
House Republicans intend to hold votes this summer and fall touching on abortion, guns, religion and other priority issues for social conservatives, part of an attempt to improve the party’s prospects in the midterm elections.
The “[tag]American Values Agenda[/tag]” also includes a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage which already has failed in the Senate a prohibition on human cloning and possibly votes on several popular tax cuts.
“Radical courts have attempted to gut our religious freedom and redefine the value system on which America was built. We hope to restore some of those basic values through passing this legislative agenda and renewing our country’s commitment to faith, freedom and life,” Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said Tuesday.
The “American Values Agenda” is basically [tag]James Dobson[/tag]’s playbook.
Among the ideas:
* Strip federal courts of [tag]jurisdiction[/tag] on cases involving the [tag]separation of church and state[/tag].
* Require that some women seeking to end their pregnancies be informed the procedure “will cause the [tag]unborn child[/tag] [tag]pain[/tag].”
* A ban on human [tag]cloning[/tag].
* Prohibit the confiscation of legal firearms during national emergencies.
* Apply anti-[tag]gambling[/tag] laws to the Internet.
The next question, of course, is whether any of this will work. For the far-right [tag]GOP[/tag] [tag]base[/tag], who feel as if they’ve been largely ignored for the last two years, this might be too-little, too-late. The religious right movement is crazy, but it’s not stupid. If these 11th hour votes are just being thrown in to placate Dobson’s followers, and none of them actually become law, the scheme may not do much to rally support for November.
As for regular ol’ voters, one also has to wonder if picking a culture-war fight might backfire. It’s not a great pitch to the electorate: “We gave up on trying to pass substantive legislation, but look at all these right-wing ideas we voted on (but failed to pass)!”
It’s been painfully obvious for a while now, but it’s almost comical how unserious congressional Republicans are about matters of state. This is what the “[tag]party of ideas[/tag]” has come to? It’s kind of embarrassing.