What it's all about
My sense of outrage is getting exhausted, and that's just what the Republicans want.
I am well aware of the horrific bills the House has passed in the name of "cutting the budget". Defunding Planned Parenthood and NPR/PBS, redefining rape to exclude sex with a minor and sex with a person you drugged (even though the Republicans have publicly backed off that - they haven't actually removed it from the bill), cutting Headstart - the most efficient and effective children's program in history and more. All of it done without getting to the real deficit driver: the Bush tax cuts.
The House Republicans know darn well that none of it will see the light of day. With a Senate still (barely) in Democratic hands along with a Democratic President, someone is going to have to negotiate.
This was all about campaign promises, folks. If they do all of this now, versus when they have real power, the Republicans can go back to their constituents smelling like roses without having to have actually followed through on any of the harmful actions they promised. They get no consequences, but they get to look like they did something.
But there is a far more sinister motive: if we're all outraged at the outrageous bits, the merely loathsome proposals have a chance of passing under the radar. It's simple misdirection - one of the oldest tricks in the book.
So keep your eye on the other hand, people. They're about to pick our pockets.
I am well aware of the horrific bills the House has passed in the name of "cutting the budget". Defunding Planned Parenthood and NPR/PBS, redefining rape to exclude sex with a minor and sex with a person you drugged (even though the Republicans have publicly backed off that - they haven't actually removed it from the bill), cutting Headstart - the most efficient and effective children's program in history and more. All of it done without getting to the real deficit driver: the Bush tax cuts.
The House Republicans know darn well that none of it will see the light of day. With a Senate still (barely) in Democratic hands along with a Democratic President, someone is going to have to negotiate.
This was all about campaign promises, folks. If they do all of this now, versus when they have real power, the Republicans can go back to their constituents smelling like roses without having to have actually followed through on any of the harmful actions they promised. They get no consequences, but they get to look like they did something.
But there is a far more sinister motive: if we're all outraged at the outrageous bits, the merely loathsome proposals have a chance of passing under the radar. It's simple misdirection - one of the oldest tricks in the book.
So keep your eye on the other hand, people. They're about to pick our pockets.