We officially do not have the VAWA

Congress is a hot mess, which is generally the norm, but for the love of all that is holy 66 days without a disaster package for victims of Sandy and the death of the VAWA. I’m glad we avoided a fake crisis that was the fiscal cliff, because there is totally nothing else going on.

So can someone explain to me how we failed on the Violence Against Women Act? Because this was supposed to be easy. Maddow’s blog had a post about it written by Steve Benen.

So the VAWA was approved by the Senate back in April with a 68 to 31 vote. The bill was co-written by a liberal Democrat Pat Leahy (VT-D) and a conservative Republican Mike Crapo (ID-R). It should have been approved like it had been in 2000 and 2005. But House Republicans killed it.

Why you ask? Because the GOP hates women, gays, and people of color. The House GOP found the bill was too supportive of immigrants, the LGBT community, and Native Americans. They decided it was better to let the bill expire than to approve an expanded proposal. Vice President Joe Biden (an original author of the bill) tried and failed to keep the bill alive. This is the first time since 1994 that the Violence Against Women Act doesn’t exist.

Senator Patty Murray (WA-D) said:

“The House Republican leadership’s failure to take up and pass the Senate’s bipartisan and inclusive VAWA bill is inexcusable. This is a bill that passed with 68 votes in the Senate and that extends the bill’s protections to 30 million more women. But this seems to be how House Republican leadership operates. No matter how broad the bipartisan support, no matter who gets hurt in the process, the politics of the right wing of their party always comes first.”

So, proponents of the law aim to revive the law in the new Congress, but they will start from scratch, and in the meantime state and local governments will have fewer resources to combat domestic violence.

Republicans took a beating in the last election from the ladies. Remember the rape caucus? Yeah, they lost. Apparently, the GOP continues to believe that women are not important. Anyone who votes for these people better be able to defend this or not speak to me for a lengthy period of time.

Ohio vs. Women

This is absolutely insane. Ohio representing how awesomely ridiculous we can be. So this video of Rachel Maddow interviewing Connie Schultz, Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Senator Sherrod Brown's wife, discussing specifically Ohio's Heartbeat bill. I won't ruin the video for you. Schultz and Maddow kick ass and take names while Ohio Republicans look like fools.

Schultz expresses complete shock that Ohio is leading the nation in anti-women legislation and the dangerous trend that has been ushered in by newly elected officials, specifically officials who campaigned on creating jobs and cutting spending.

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Rachel Maddow and the Employee Free Choice Act Take 2

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Rachel Maddow and the Employee Free Choice Act Take 1

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This is take one; take two happened tonight, but hasn't gone up on her site yet. Secret ballot will still exist, and union busting could die. The word "free" is in the title, how can the Republicans not love this. They are working hard to pay Americans less. Bring on the unions and the end of the world.

“Wrong Kind of Feminists” Unite!

This is why when trying to fend off people asking for money on the street who begin with “Do you like children?” I always respond with “I’m one of those liberal baby killing feminists.”

After reading Jezebel.com, I once again learned something about myself from the GOP: real feminist vote for Sarah Palin. Wait, is Sarah Palin running for President because I thought people should be voting for McCain/Palin or Obama/Biden? Silly, uninformed me.

F you Palin and F you GOP: according to Palin women aren’t feminist unless they vote for her, and according to McCain Palin is the answer to the liberal feminist agenda. Well, I kind of agree with McCain on this one…Palin is the farthest person from a feminist. NEWSFLASH: HAVING A VAGINA DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE A FEMINIST!!! It means you are a woman. I refuse to vote for a woman because she is a woman. I will vote for a woman who’s policies I agree with.

I’m not even going to touch the lines about the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. I have had the privilege of meeting Lilly, and listened to her when she endorsed Obama. She is currently traveling with Michelle Obama. I will remind readers, as the article does, that Obama and Clinton made it back to the Senate to vote on the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and McCain found it so important he didn’t show up. Of course the article also mentions the Rachel Maddow clip, which is an earlier post from today.

But a question for the GOP and its leaders: Does this mean all black people who don’t vote Obama aren’t black? I’m just want everyone to get on the same page, and god help those of us who identify as more than a single aspect of ourselves...what about black women?

Giggles Part II

I just say this on feministing.com. I also would like to profess love for Rachel Maddow. By now you all know how much I love when people tell me what to think, but I have to say I'm relieved that two conservative males are letting me know what feminists think about Sarah Palin. Feminist hate happy women, working women, etc...I get it now feminists hate women.