It was just last night that Republicans kicked veterans in the gut in retaliation for Democrats announcing they’d come to agreement on the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, and now they’re at it again.
Republican Senator Susan Collins told Huffington Post that the same-sex marriage bill may be doomed now because of how Democrats (Leader Schumer working with Manchin) worked behind the scenes to find common ground with the Inflation Reduction Act.
Collins is one of not too many Republican senators willing to codify gay marriage and is trying to get others in her party on board, but now she says that the way the Democrats came to agreement on a bill to help this country is going to make her job harder.
“I just think the timing could not have been worse and it came totally out of the blue,” she told Jonathan Nicholson. “After we just had worked together successfully on gun safety legislation, on the CHIPs bill, it was a very unfortunate move that destroys the many bipartisan efforts that are under way.”
As this was going on, Republican leadership was urging members to vote against the CHIPS bill that they support, in retaliation for the healthcare, climate and chips bill.
Republicans just held veterans hostage last night because they’re so mad that Democrats managed to get something done on climate change for the entire globe:
“After passing the initial legislation with 80+ votes weeks ago, Senate Republicans turned around and blocked the same bill that would have expanded healthcare for veterans.
The PACT Act is the legislation that was discussed by President Biden during his State Of The Union to provide healthcare for veterans who were exposed to the military’s toxic burn pits.”
This is the party that stole a Supreme Court seat on a made up principle that they then changed when it was their turn.
Republicans voted against the right to contraception, cheaper gas, cheaper insulin, baby formula — for heaven’s sake, they voted to overturn the 2020 election based on what they knew were lies.
147 Republicans voted to steal the 2020 election, and then were silent, endorsing, and/or actually involved in the efforts to assist Trump in a self-coup on January 6th.
Currently, women and girls are being tortured around this country because the Republican Party supports withholding life-saving and health-saving medical care for them.
This is not a party that has a leg to stand on when it comes to claiming bipartisanship.
For any Republican to suggest they are the party working in a bipartisan way in this day and age is far too large a disingenuous tale to swallow.
What’s happening here is Republicans aren’t used to getting outsmarted (out tricked?) by Democrats and it burns.
Democrats have been obstructed by Republicans for over a decade. Republicans have refused to honor the two-party system of governance, and have repeatedly held the entire country hostage (debt ceiling stand offs anyone?) to get what they want when the voters don’t hand them the power to which they feel entitled.
The former Republican president has promised to pardon insurrectionists if he is re-elected. The Texas state Republican Party (and local!) has officially “rejected” the President of the United States’ decisive win, in an election that was the most secure in modern history. Bipartisanship?
Human rights are sacred. The right to marriage is a sacred freedom. It is not something that should be used as a battering ram for unrelated bills, that – by the way – help everyone.
Collins is wringing her hands and crying concerned again, but the truth of the matter is if Collins can’t get Republicans on board a basic human rights issue, they will have to own that in November. The Democrats didn’t ‘make’ them be mean to anyone; that’s a bully’s excuse and it doesn’t wash.
House Republicans are already struggling to explain their no votes (157 of them) on same-sex marriage, with Wisconsin Republican Mike Gallagher claiming he’s “in favor of marriage equality,” but concerned about… polygamy. And Republican Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania voted no and then attended his gay son’s wedding.
Gay marriage has become a widely supported right. Republicans voting against it risk alienating an entire generation of new voters, so Susan Collins trying to blame Democrats for Republicans kicking another constituency in the back out of petty retaliation isn’t going to work.
Ms. Jones is the co-founder/ editor-in-chief of PoliticusUSA and a member of the White House press pool.
Sarah hosts Politicus News and co-hosts Politicus Radio. Her analysis has been featured on several national radio, television news programs and talk shows, and print outlets including Stateside with David Shuster, as well as The Washington Post, The Atlantic Wire, CNN, MSNBC, The Week, The Hollywood Reporter, and more.
Sarah is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.