Foolishly, Crackpot Republican Die-hards Are Still Running Their Crazy War Against Women

Study: Wisconsin Republicans fear and loathe women even more than other Republicans do

Today is the twentieth anniversary of Joe Biden's Violence Against Women Act, signed by Presdient Clinton on September 13, 1994. It had broad bipartisan support and passed the House 235-195 and the Senate 61-38. Needless to say, the opponents were conservatives, who almost immediately went into action trying to undercut it on every level after it became law. Reauthorizing VAWA has become more difficult as time went by, as fewer and fewer Republicans were willing to support something that flies so directly in the face of their cherished War Against Women.

The bill was introduced in the House on October 26, 1993 by Jack Brooks (D-TX), 131 Republicans voted against it; 46 Republicans voted for it. Shamefully 64 Democrats crossed the aisle in the other direction and voted with the Republicans, including Jim Cooper (Blue Dog-TN), Nathan Deal (then a Georgia Blue Dog, now a corrupt, right-wing Republican governor of that state), Ralph Hall (then a Texas Blue Dog who soon switched parties and is now completely senile and drooling on himself and was recently defeated for reelection in a primary), Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN) and Nick Rahall (Blue Dog-WV).

Some of the prominent Republicans who you are still familiar with but who voted in favor of men beating up women with impunity are Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), sick and deranged sex criminal Ken Calvert (R-CA), House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI), presidential wannabe Rob Portman (R-OH), sex-obsessed sociopath Rick Santorum (R-PA), and, of course, GOP felons Duke Cunningham (CA), Tom DeLay (TX), and Newt Gingrich (GA).

Among the anti-woman senators who voted in favor of violence against women only 7 are in the Senate today: Dan Coats (R-IN), Thad Cochran (R-MS), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), John McCain (R-AZ), Miss McConnell (R-KY), Richard Shelby (R-AL). Larry Craig (R-ID) was forced to resign after it was proven beyond any reasonable doubt that he spent virtually all his spare time trolling men's restrooms in airports and train stations looking for men to perform fellatio on; several of the most vehement GOP misogynists finally died and went to Hell-- like Strom Thurmond (R-SC) and Jesse Helms (R-NC), although most of them are lobbyists or in rest homes today.

The last time the House voted to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, the GOP rammed through a weakened version that passed 222-205 while the actual reauthorization was defeated 187-236. Shockingly, only two Republicans voted for it. The Senate then went ahead and passed the real bill on February 12, 2013 with only 22 of the most virulent anti-women right-wing idiots in the history of Congress voting no-- all the regular suspects, like Ted Cruz (R-TX), Marco Rubio (R-FL), John Thune (R-SD), Miss McConnell (R-TX), Lindsay Graham (R-SC), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Mike Lee (R-UT), Jefferson Beauregard Sessions (R-AL), etc. The Senate version was then shoved up the House's ass because of public outrage and it passed 286-138 every single Democrat + 87 Republicans voting YES, but with 138 Republicans still proudly waving their anti-women flags (including Tennessee rapist Scott DesJarlais).

Although it is an entirely different bill, Republican opposition to the Paycheck Fairness Act, stems from the same sick, toxic worldview and hatred for and fear of women. On June 5, 2012 the Republicans were able to filibuster it to death in the Senate, even fake moderate Susan Collins (R-ME) voting to continue the filibuster. When the Democrats brought it up again this year, on April 9, the GOP successfully filibustered it again. Paycheck fairness, they made clear, is not something they believe in.

Because Senate Republicans keep killing it with filibusters, the House Republicans can keep it buried in committee. However, this week, miraculously, the Democrats overcame a Republican filibuster and now there will at least be an up or down vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act itself… at least in the Senate. The cloture vote passed 73-25, 18 Republicans trying to avoid the grief of another anti-women vote so close to the midterm election. (Of course, most of the die-hard haters-- folks like Ted Cruz, Jim Inhofe, Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, Marco Rubio, Pat Toomey, and sex pervert David "Diapers" Vitter-- happily filibustered away.

So that may put the House in an awkward position. The GOP strategy has been to bottle the bill up in John Kline's Education and the Workforce Committee and just let it die there. If it passes out of the Senate, that will make that strategy less effective and the pressure of Kline particularly will become intense. His Democratic opponent, Mike Obermueller, is already turning up the heat.

"It's not surprising that there would be strong bipartisan support for the Paycheck Fairness Act," he told voters in Minnesota this week. "This bill will help make sure that women get equal pay for equal work and will prevent employers from firing a female employee just because she asks her male co-worker how much he makes. Everyone in our country deserves a level playing field to work with and people here in Minnesota want action on this important middle class issue. Out in Washington D.C., Congressman John Kline doesn't seem to be listening, as he has been sitting on the Paycheck Fairness Act in his House committee for months. Nearly 200 members of Congress have demanded that the Paycheck Fairness Act be brought to the floor for a vote. Congressman Kline should immediately move this bill out of his committee and onto the House floor, where I predict it will pass with broad bipartisan support as well."

Obermueller is correct. If the bill gets to the floor of the House is should have smooth sailing. Most of the anti-women Blue Dogs who would vote against this kind of thing were defeated in 2010 and the handful of asshole left aren't enough to make a difference. And there are enough Republicans in precarious positions electorally-- despite Steve Israel's malpractice in running the DCCC-- to make it too dangerous for at least a couple dozen Republicans to vote NO on Paycheck Fairness. These dozen vulnerable Republicans, for example, wouldn't dare further piss off women voters in their districts by voting no:

• Fred Upton (MI-06)
• Dave Reichert (WA-08)
• Rodney Davis (IL-13)
• Frank LoBiondo (NJ-02)
• David Valadaio (CA-21)
• Chris Gibson (NY-19)
• Mike Coffman (CO-06)
• Joe Heck (NV-03)
• Peter King (NY-02)
• Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-08)
• Jeff Denham (CA-10)
• Sean Duffy (WI-07)

Speaking of Sean Duffy, Wisconsin Republicans repealed the state's own statewide equal pay law a couple of years ago when they won control of both houses of the legislature and the governor's mansion. It's what Republicans do when they get the chance. In November Duffy is facing Blue America-backed Kelly Westlund in a swing district being ignored by the DCCC. Duffy is vulnerable and Westlund has been a strong and articulate advocate for equality. Yesterday she told us that "Ron Johnson's vote against paycheck fairness for women is, sadly, what we've come to expect from Republicans in Wisconsin. Sean Duffy voted against equal pay for equal work and co-sponsored Todd Akin's bill to redefine rape. Under Scott Walker's leadership, Wisconsin actually repealed the state version of the paycheck fairness law. This oppressive Republican Boys' Club has got to go."

All the Blue America candidates support equal pay for equal work and, going into the last months of the campaign, can all use whatever help you can afford to give them. Steve Israel has a deal to not go after any Republican committee chairmen or party leaders, like Upton, Ryan and Kline. He never has and until they throw his corrupt ass out of the DCCC, they never will. However… looks like someone else is riding to the rescue this year while Israel plays footsie with Boehner. The following statement from Mike Obermueller's campaign was issued last night in response to news that Kline had been selected for Bill Maher’s Flip-a-District contest:

“This news confirms what we’ve been hearing more and more of each day: folks in the second district are tired of John Kline, and they’re ready to kick him out office. People are fired up and are organizing across the district to remove him from a seat he’s become too comfortable in.

“From willingly shutting down the government as a political stunt, to holding up Equal Pay for Equal Work legislation, to trying to raise interest rates on student loans, Kline has proved again and again that he does not truly represent our neighbors in this district.

“We’re glad that the low-profile Kline is beginning to receive the attention he deserves for his actions. It’s a boost to everyone who has worked so hard on our campaign to know Kline is starting to be seen for the Tea Party congressman he is.

“Our momentum is building every day. And even with this attention, our efforts won’t change. We’re continuing to build our campaign on the strength of the grassroots organizing we know it will take to win this race.”

Suck on it, Steve Israel, you fucking crooked a-hole!