One Picture Tells You All You Need to Know

The recent flap over comments made by Rand Paul underscores the fact that the Tea Party folks can pretty much be consigned to one of two categories: the willfully ignorant and the inflexible idealogue.

But isn't it delightful watching the Republican poobahs struggling to figure out how to keep the Tea Party votes, but sorta-kinda-halfway disavow the Tea Party ideas!

Of course, "having it both ways" is the basic Republican approach to politics anyway ... as in voting against the stimulus program, but taking credit for getting the money that funds needed projects in their districts.

Around and around and around we go ...

Well, the Democrats tried again ... looking for a compromise that would make a bill to provide $40 million for science research acceptable to Republicans.

Once again Republicans tacked on the ridiculous pornography amendment (see previous post).And once again enough Democrats caved to kill the measure.

What is it with the Democrats, anyway? These guys just don't get it. There is no point looking for bipartisanship. When it comes to anything the Obama Administration proposes, the Republicans in Congress WILL ... NOT ... COOPERATE.

Hey ... isn't this the same bunch who campaigned in 2008 on the theme "Country First"?

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For Republicans, political priorities trump principles.

So there was this bill coming up in Congress that would provide federal funding for scientific research, and for more jobs in math and science education. What’s not to like about that?

Nothing … except the Grand Obstructionist Party decided to kill it.

Since they didn't have the votes, how they did it is interesting, not to mention instructive: They attached an amendment to the bill that would prohibit the firing of any federal government employee who watched pornography during working hours.

Get it? Any Democrat voting for the bill, with that amendment included, would be voting in favor of allowing federal employees to look at porn. And you can imagine the attack ads that would mysteriously appear when those Democrats run for re-election this Fall.

Anyway, the Republicans voted against the bill, of course, and they were joined by more than a hundred Democrats who didn’t have the courage to face all those attack ads. And the bill failed.

So the smug Republicans have won. And scientific research and would-be math and science teachers have paid the price.

The next time we hear those Republican politicians spouting off about how much they love this country, let’s try to remember that it’s all bullshit. What they care about more than anything else is screwing Obama and the Democrats so they can win elections.

They … have … no … shame.

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