Senate Democrats are doing all they can to keep oxygen in this “war on women” narrative, and the next big agenda item is the vote to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. It’s an uncontroversial law, one that would have passed the Senate with wide bipartisan support. But that was before Democrats added a host of vaguely-related controversial new measures to it, including provisions on immigration and tribal laws.
Republicans have speculated that this was a tactic to provoke a fight over an otherwise uncontroversial piece of legislation. But it doesn’t sound like they’re going to take the bait, at least not in the Senate:
Senate Republicans are irritated at Democrats’ push to exploit the Violence Against Women Act for political gain but signaled today they aren’t planning an effort to block or delay it.
As Senate Democratic women and Vice President Joseph Biden amped up their push to reauthorize the bill at separate events today, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told reporters that Republicans don’t intend to filibuster it, with the assumption that Democratic leaders will at least allow a Republican alternative to be offered for a vote.
“All these things add up to things that are keeping a bill that could pass on a voice vote from being passed,” Grassley said. “Violence against women except for these additions is noncontroversial. I’m afraid what they’re doing here is they want a political issue — you know, ‘war on women’ — and they are going to end up with another one-year extension.”
Democrats continued to decry GOP “obstructionism” today, despite the indications that Senate Republicans won’t filibuster the bill (and probably couldn’t if they wanted to, as it has 61 co-sponsors):
“I’m worried that a few Republicans are returning to the playbook of obstruction,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who chairs the Democrats’ campaign arm. “Women in America cannot afford political theater on this issue, not on this issue. Their lives depend on it.”
“It is very important that it not be made political fodder,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein said. The California Democrat added that the bill is not a new concept and has been expanded several times in the past.
“We all thought it was a no-brainer to extend it to everybody,” she said, adding that it was a “big surprise” to her in the Judiciary Committee when the Republicans voted against it.
Be prepared for a lot more rhetoric once the bill passes the Senate and heads to the House, where the Republican majority will likely put up much more of a fight. We’ve had to sit through the “war on women” and “do-nothing-Congress” narratives, but it sounds like both ridiculously dishonest Obama memes will finally collide during the VAWA fight.
No, the VAWA — aka the We Hate Men Act — is quite controversial and, IMHO, worse than Obama NoCare. As a man who is old enough to remember the "before" and the "after", it was the VAWA that really changed everything, it was the "firing on Fort Sumter" of the war against boys, it was when the true gender foolishness arrived both in K-12 and higher ed, it was when everything literally went to he**. n nI would not be surprised to learn that the left created this "war on women" hysteria to push this through without objection. I will say this — any Republican who votes for it is worse than a RINO, and will not have my support. VAWA may be noncontroversial inside the beltway, but out amongst the great unwashed masses, out where there are men and women who love them, it is anything but! n nThe middle is rapidly ceasing to hold in this country and we aren't that far from some radical right-wing party arising — something along the lines of everything the TEA party has been accused of being but isn't. A *real* racist, sexist and zenophobic movement — history teaches us that such things happen when the middle ceases to hold and the Violence Toward Men Act is an example of how the middle becomes partitioned and ceases to hold. n nVTMA is a war on fathers and fatherhood. What Daniel Patrick Monahan warned about in the Black community is now already the norm of all racial groups in this country and if VTMA is re-authorized, the yet-unborn generation will be parented by single mothers and lesbian couple while money that could be used to fund our social security is paid to deal with two generations of out-of-control "wilding" men in a social order that has broken down as much as Native American society broke down in the 19th Century. n nGod save us from the VTMA (aka VAWA) — this country will not survive as a heterosexual nation of male/female families if this passes…..
Let's see … I'm a woman. So if I am attacked today, the jerk who assaults me can just walk away unscathed because the Violence Against Women Act hasn't passed?r nr nWhat total BS!!! This is nothing more than a cynical piece of maneuvering to advance the phony' war on wome'n meme. Disgusting in every way. Patty Murray you ought to hang your head in shame – even though I know you won't.