My Wedge Issue Rant
New heights of lunacy were reached by Republicans on Capitol hill this week when the Senate Judiciary Committee met behind closed doors, away from the public, to approve a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
Gay marriage is the GOP’s wedge issue du jour and its proven useful before in distracting the public from the real issues we face, like a president who lied us into a war, approved torture, spied illegally and now has the nerve to still lie to us about it.
We should not be surprised, after all its an election year, which makes it time for the Republican majority, with our own Senator Frist taking the lead, to trot out their wedge issues (abortion and gay marriage) in order to get their homophobic, anti-women’s rights base to come out to the polls and pull the lever for the GOP, like so many rats in a Skinner box.
Bring up gay men living in wedded bliss or women making choices about what to do with their own bodies and these republican followers drool like Pavlov’s dogs. It worked in 2004, will it work again in 2006? Those of us that haven’t been conditioned to respond to these GOP tricks hope it doesn’t.
Gay marriage is the GOP’s wedge issue du jour and its proven useful before in distracting the public from the real issues we face, like a president who lied us into a war, approved torture, spied illegally and now has the nerve to still lie to us about it.
We should not be surprised, after all its an election year, which makes it time for the Republican majority, with our own Senator Frist taking the lead, to trot out their wedge issues (abortion and gay marriage) in order to get their homophobic, anti-women’s rights base to come out to the polls and pull the lever for the GOP, like so many rats in a Skinner box.
Bring up gay men living in wedded bliss or women making choices about what to do with their own bodies and these republican followers drool like Pavlov’s dogs. It worked in 2004, will it work again in 2006? Those of us that haven’t been conditioned to respond to these GOP tricks hope it doesn’t.
posted by Cecily Friday at 12:33 PM
4 Comments:
It's disgusting. A total abuse of power. While the Republicans never fail to surprise me (because, as Lily Tomlin said, I just can't keep up with them) this particular abuse is par for the course. It's along the lines of the stunt pulled on the floor of the House a while back, when they kept the vote open for ages while they twisted a few arms to get legislation passed.
The Democrats need to bring this up NOW.
They need to start saying over and over again on Sunday talk shows, etc. that the Repubs are going to use this as a wedge issu in November, just like they did 2 years ago.
They just need to come out and say it. Say, "People have to realize that there are many serious issues facing this country, but the Republicans want to focus on certain issues that divide people and motivate their base. This isn't the sort of leadership this country needs right now..." Then go off into positie things Dems will do to strenghten the country.
They need to learn to diffuse wedge issues early.
All good comments. The Dems do need to learn how to not take the bait on wedge issues and allow the Repubs to select and frame the issues.
Rather, they need to stand up and say more than "We're not them".
One of many problems is that the Dems can't get on the Sunday talk shows. Two weeks in a row, no Dems on MTP.
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