House Majority Leader Eric Cantor holds up Violence Against Women Act

[Callie Del Noire]

Welp, guess I have a new story to link whenever I hear someone say America's not a racist country.

We're not. The GOP is just run by them these days.

[Shjade]

And who puts the GOP folks where they are?

[Skynet]

And who puts the GOP folks where they are?

Ultra-conservative Tea Party types.  And people selfish enough to vote for crazy candidates because they promised tax cuts, even if they personally disagree with the bigotry.  Trust me, there's a lot of liberals, moderates, women, and people of color who are not happy with the current crop of leadership.  And the GOP's getting so extreme and bigoted that the whole "tax cut" routine isn't working anymore.

I will say that there are problems with race in the US.  We have come very far, when members of certain races couldn't even vote or get fair trials decades ago, but there are still some racist expressions and stereotypes in the media which are either tolerated or go unchallenged.  Some of them are dead and buried, like blackface minstrel shows, but others, like the image of Latinos being lusty and sexually uninhibited, are still present.

[Callie Del Noire]

And who puts the GOP folks where they are?

I didn't.. which is why I've been called a 'RINO'. The GOP is run by a group of old men who want to keep control against a more socially moderate generation.. which is leaving the party for libertarian independence. The Tea Party was hijacked by it's radical fringe and then it was used to keep those old men in control of the party. A lot of the men in the party learned their lessons under Tricky Dick and his minions.

[Skynet]

Even Richard Nixon realized that some rhetoric just isn't practical or needs to be abandoned.  He helped create OSHA, EPA, opened negotiations with China, and helped desegregate schools.  He was ultra-conservative by the standards of the time, but on some issues he went liberal when he thought that it was necessary.

As Hunter S Thompson said:

"Even Nixon's a bleeding-heart liberal in comparison to that golem, George Bush!  Where's Tricky Dick now that we finally need him?"

[Callie Del Noire]

Even Richard Nixon realized that some rhetoric just isn't practical or needs to be abandoned.  He helped create OSHA, EPA, opened negotiations with China, and helped desegregate schools.  He was ultra-conservative by the standards of the time, but on some issues he went liberal when he thought that it was necessary.

As Hunter S Thompson said:

"Even Nixon's a bleeding-heart liberal in comparison to that golem, George Bush!  Where's Tricky Dick now that we finally need him?"

I have always thought Nixon was better at foreign policy than domestic. I didn't realize he had created OSHA/EPA.. or rather.. it never registered. He was a very good statesman.. domestic issues not so much. I honestly think if he had been better at handling domestic issues and rivals, he could have set something in play in the Middle East..

[Stattick]

The bill's officially dead now. For the GOP's next trick, Chris Christie and House Republicans are getting in line to punch Boehner in the dick for refusing to pass Hurricane Sandy relief as the party disintegrates before our very eyes.

[Callie Del Noire]

The bill's officially dead now. For the GOP's next trick, Chris Christie and House Republicans are getting in line to punch Boehner in the dick for refusing to pass Hurricane Sandy relief as the party disintegrates before our very eyes.

Does it make me a shallow person that I enjoy the thought of the Most Annoying Governor curb stomping the crap out of the Speaker.. who really really needs to go.

[Stattick]

Does it make me a shallow person that I enjoy the thought of the Most Annoying Governor curb stomping the crap out of the Speaker.. who really really needs to go.

Nah, not shallow at all. Problem is, Boehner passes for what's called a centrist Republican these days. If he goes, and after the recent fiasco he probably will, then House Republicans are likely to choose Tea Party lacky Eric Cantor for the next Speaker of the House... Not unless the House Republicans fracture so severely that they can't vote in a new Speaker. Remember, the Speaker isn't chosen by the bigger party per se. It's a simple majority vote to pick the Speaker. It's extremely unlikely to happen, but it's possible for the House to vote in a Speaker from the minority party. I don't think it'll happen, but in my heart, I'm hoping that the House GOP is so fractured, that we end up with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D (again). I know it won't happen; the House Republicans hate her almost as much as they hate Obama.

But it's my (not so secret) fantasy. I want Nancy. Oh. Um... Want her as Speaker. Not the other way. Really. >.>

[Callie Del Noire]

Nah, not shallow at all. Problem is, Boehner passes for what's called a centrist Republican these days. If he goes, and after the recent fiasco he probably will, then House Republicans are likely to choose Tea Party lacky Eric Cantor for the next Speaker of the House... Not unless the House Republicans fracture so severely that they can't vote in a new Speaker. Remember, the Speaker isn't chosen by the bigger party per se. It's a simple majority vote to pick the Speaker. It's extremely unlikely to happen, but it's possible for the House to vote in a Speaker from the minority party. I don't think it'll happen, but in my heart, I'm hoping that the House GOP is so fractured, that we end up with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D (again). I know it won't happen; the House Republicans hate her almost as much as they hate Obama.

But it's my (not so secret) fantasy. I want Nancy. Oh. Um... Want her as Speaker. Not the other way. Really. >.>

Sorry.. Pelosi is about as Authoritarian as Boehner is.. she'd be about as useful as she was the last time as Speaker.

[Callie Del Noire]

On a tangent related to the issue of rape..

The woman in India who was gangraped died earlier this week.. and clearly the Indian government is starting to do something

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/03/world/asia/india-rape-case/?hpt=hp_inthenews

I know that this is a MAJOR issue in India.. but I get a bit twitchy when I think about 'expedited trial'. Five of the six are being charged with counts of murder, kidnapping and rape, the men face charges including voluntarily causing harm during a robbery, armed robbery with murder, and destruction of evidence. That is MULTIPLE Life/Execution charges.

The sixth offender is being tested (bone marrow) to get an accurate age.

[Skynet]

The bill's officially dead now. For the GOP's next trick, Chris Christie and House Republicans are getting in line to punch Boehner in the dick for refusing to pass Hurricane Sandy relief as the party disintegrates before our very eyes.

The sad part is that Democratic leaders and Party members won't point out that the GOP destroyed the Act.  It's as though the Republicans have some vicious blackmail material which will destroy the Democrats, and they don't fight the GOP for fear of this getting exposed.

[Callie Del Noire]

The sad part is that Democratic leaders and Party members won't point out that the GOP destroyed the Act.  It's as though the Republicans have some vicious blackmail material which will destroy the Democrats, and they don't fight the GOP for fear of this getting exposed.

It's a non-issue in the media.. so they aren't going to waste capital on it. After all it would, at the time it flopped, would have distracted from the fiscal cliff.

Personally.. I'm curious to see who will be holding the gavel when the smoke clears and if the more.. responsible folks on both sides of the aisle that are looking to rebuild and restart this important act.

[Callie Del Noire]

You know.. I'm curious that someone hasn't bushwacked him with a question about the India rape case..then followed up with a question (if he answers about how India needs more legisslation on women's rights) about his killing the VAW act

[Skynet]

It's a non-issue in the media.. so they aren't going to waste capital on it. After all it would, at the time it flopped, would have distracted from the fiscal cliff.

Still no excuse; even if the cable news outlets won't pick it up, Reid, Pelosi, Biden, and the DNC can get someone to write an article and report of Cantor's deplorable actions, send it to a prominent liberal media website, and encourage the Democratic Congress members to keep bringing the issue up.

[Callie Del Noire]

Still no excuse; even if the cable news outlets won't pick it up, Reid, Pelosi, Biden, and the DNC can get someone to write an article and report of Cantor's deplorable actions, send it to a prominent liberal media website, and encourage the Democratic Congress members to keep bringing the issue up.

I agree.. just pointing out that the media attention to a different narrative at the time it died. The issue isn't dead. Supposedly there will be a discussion on it on NPR @ 10 today (since it's after midnight) and I'm looking to be up and listening. Word is that interested folks are looking to revive it again. It might have died.. but it's not a non-issue to some folks.

[Stattick]

Well, the US Senate has passed the Violence Against Women Act. Of course, there were 22 Senators that voted against the bill. Unsurprisingly, all of the dissenters were men. They were all Republicans as well.

Of course, the bill still has to go to the Republican controlled House, which is where the problem was last year.