Thread: GOP: now & in the future

would be rather amusing if one morning it was announced that 80% of the GOP representatives and senators have started a new party. There would be bloodshed I reckon.

Update. Gerrymandering by the sore losers in the Stupid Party.

The GOPs continued War on Women

Evidence how stupid some republicans are

Should a recently introduced bill in New Mexico become law, rape victims will be required to carry their pregnancies to term during their sexual assault trials or face charges of “tampering with evidence.”

Under HB 206, if a woman ended her pregnancy after being raped, both she and her doctor would be charged with a felony punishable by up to 3 years in state prison:

Tampering with evidence shall include procuring or facilitating an abortion, or compelling or coercing another to obtain an abortion, of a fetus that is the result of criminal sexual penetration or incest with the intent to destroy evidence of the crime.

Sexual assault trials are infamously grueling for survivors, who are often subjected to character assassination and other attempts to discredit their accounts. State Rep. Cathrynn Brown’s (R) bill would add the forced choice between prison or an unwanted pregnancy to these proceedings.: New Mexico Bill Would Imprison Rape Victims Who Receive Abortions

Suckin’ up to the crazies

As hundreds of thousands of people braved sub-freezing temperatures in Washington, D.C., on Friday to join the anti-abortion protest March for Life, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) took the opportunity to reiterate his commitment to banning abortion in America for good. : John Boehner: Ending Abortion Is 'One Of Our Most Fundamental Goals This Year'

And they tell us there is no war on women

A proposed abortion bill introduced in Arkansas this week would ban all abortion services after a fetal heartbeat is detected — which can occur as early as six weeks, before some women even realize they’re pregnant — and charge doctors who perform abortions after that arbitrary cut-off with a Class D felony, punishable by up to six years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

GOP lawmaker Jason Rapert filed the legislation on Monday, and half of Arkansas’ state senators — 18 of the Senate’s 35 total members — have already signed on as co-sponsors. : Arkansas Republicans Would Jail Doctors Who Perform Abortions After Just Six Weeks Of Pregnancy

The GOPs New Outreach Program

They can not win any other way

Former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell (R), who was the chief elections officer when the state experienced massive voting problems in 2004, is planning to lead a national effort to rig the electoral college in favor of the 2016 Republican presidential candidate.: Republicans' Effort To Rig Electoral College Gets National Backing

Gerrymandering

Yesterday, Virginia Republicans took the first step to move a GOP plan to rig the Electoral College forward in that state. Similar plans are under consideration in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

The Republican election rigging plantargets blue states that President Obama won in 2008 and 2012, and changes the way they allocate electoral votes to give many of these votes away for free to the Republican candidate for president.: How Republicans Plan To Rig The Next Presidential Election, In Six Pictures

Michigan Gerrymandering

Late last week, democracy scored two important victories over a Republican plan to rig future presidential elections by changing the way electoral votes are counted in several key blue states. Two Virginia Republican state senators spoke out against the plan, effectively killing it. And Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford (R) attacked the election-rigging scheme as trying to “change the rules of the game.”

In Michigan, however, which is the bluest of the six blue states where the election-rigging plan has been discussed, state House Speaker Jase Bolger (R) appears quite open to rigging his state’s electoral college votes to benefit Republicans: Michigan's GOP House Speaker Expresses Support For Election Rigging

What the rightwing call Gerrymandering

Since the failed presidential election, the GOP has been grappling with identifying exactly what it is the party needs to work on most — diversity, social issues, and Latino outreach, or election mechanics and a flawed Romney candidacy/campaign?

Really “election mechanics”? The GOP members will suck this up: Jindal: The GOP “might need to change just about everything”

A Republican calling the sore losers out.

Republicans in five states, notably Virginia, have discussed changing the way they award Electoral College votes in presidential races by apportioning them on each congressional district, rather than the state's popular vote.

The reason: Republican Mitt Romney would have won the presidency despite losing the popular vote in states where the GOP controls the legislatures: Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Florida.

But Florida, the largest swing state, won't go along with changing the Electoral College if Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford has any say (and he has a major say).

"To me, that's like saying in a football game, 'We should have only three quarters, because we were winning after three quarters and the beat us in the fourth," Weatherford, a Republican, told the Herald/Times. "I don't think we need to change the rules of the game, I think we need to get better.": Florida House Speaker Weatherford: changing the Electoral College is for sore losers

Their welcoming committee

The fifth-ranking House Republican took a shot at the LGBT community at a recent town hall, saying he wanted to use “the power of humiliation” to undermine a program that helps individuals who need substance abuse treatment.

Rep. James Lankford (R-OK), who at the same Oklahoma City meeting earlier this month blamed gun violence on “welfare moms”, took a question from a constituent irate about a program that counseled LGBT individuals with substance abuse problems. The woman accused the Substances and Mental Health Services Administration of “pushing the homosexual agenda” and “indoctrinating our citizens.”: Republican House Leader Vows To Use 'Power Of Humiliation' To Undermine LGBT Program

The host of the GOPs welcoming committee this week

Republican senators in the so-called Gang of 8 working to enact comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship argue that repairing the broken system would attract Latino voters to the GOP. As Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) explained during a Sunday appearance on ABC’s This Week, “We are losing dramatically the Hispanic vote, which we think should be ours for a variety of reasons, and we’ve got to understand that.” In November, President Obama “won 71 percent of the Hispanic vote while Mitt Romney won 27 percent.”

But some Republicans disagree. Responding to the bipartisan framework, Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA) echoed the rhetoric surrounding immigrants and Democratic voters throughout the 2012 election and suggested that Hispanics would never vote for Republicans who don’t provide them with government hand outs:

“I hope politics is not at the root of why we’re rushing to pass a bill. Anyone who believes that they’re going to win over the Latino vote is grossly mistaken,” Barletta said. “The majority that are here illegally are low-skilled or may not even have a high school diploma. The Republican Party is not going to compete over who can give more social programs out. They will become Democrats because of the social programs they’ll depend on.”: GOP Rep Says He Opposes Immigration Reform Because Latinos Are Uneducated, Will Never Support Republicans

What if it was your daughter

Hospitals would need to check the immigration status of uninsured patients under a new bill introduced by an Arizona lawmaker. Rep. Steve Smith’s (R) H.B. 2293 would require hospital staff to “reasonably confirm” patients’ status during check-in or treatment, and immediately report those who do not have the required papers to immigration officials.: Arizona Bill Requires Hospitals To Screen Immigration Status Of Uninsured Patients

More GOP news

If the shoe fits

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal called on the Republican Party to "stop being the stupid party" on Thursday as GOP leaders promised fundamental changes to help stave off future losses.

In the keynote address at the Republican National Committee's winter meeting, Jindal said the GOP doesn't need to change its values but "might need to change just about everything else we are doing."

"We've got to stop being the stupid party. It's time for a new Republican Party that talks like adults," he said. "We had a number of Republicans damage the brand this year with offensive and bizarre comments. I'm here to say we've had enough of that.": Jindal: GOP must stop being 'stupid party'

No clue

Oklahoma Republican congressman Rep. James Lankford said at a town hall meeting in Oklahoma City earlier this month that blame for gun violence in the U.S. falls on the shoulders of “welfare moms” who commit fraud.: Oklahoma Republican congressman blames gun violence on Prozac and ‘welfare moms’

Soon to be out of work

Fifty-five percent of voters in the state said they disapprove of LePage's (R- Gov. of Maine) performance as governor, compared with 39 percent who approve. The poll also showed LePage, who will be up for re-election next year, losing in every hypothetical head-to-head matchup. : PPP: Maine Gov. LePage Extremely Unpopular

They just aren’t that bright

For more than four years, a never-ending parade of conservatives have sought to label President Obama a socialist hell-bent on destroying the very fabric of America, but Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) has managed to take the rhetoric a step further.

The tea party congressman was asked by a reporter from the Atlanta Journal Constitution on Tuesday if he felt compelled to move his party further to the right, to which Broun responded by accusing President Obama of defending a non-existant “Soviet constitution:” : GOP Rep: 'The Only Constitution That Barack Obama Upholds Is The Soviet Constitution'

Ever hear of preventive maintenance

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant (R) doesn't like President Barack Obama's health care reform law. It's too expensive and too intrusive, he says.

And Bryant has another reason to oppose the law, he revealed in an interview with Kaiser Health News: It's not necessary because everyone's doing just fine now.

There is no one who doesn't have health care in America. No one. Now, they may end up going to the emergency room. There are better ways to deal with people that need health care than this massive new program.: Jeffrey Young: Mississippi's GOP Governor Says No American Lacks Health Care

Boehner’s gonna cry again

“[G]iven what we heard yesterday about the president’s vision for his second term, it’s pretty clear to me and should be clear to all of you that he knows he can’t do any of that as long as the House is controlled by Republicans,” Boehner said. “So we’re expecting over the next 22 months to be the focus of this administration as they attempt to annihilate the Republican Party. And let me tell you, I do believe that is their goal. To just shove us in the dustbin of history.”: Boehner: I can only conclude from that inaugural speech that Obama wants to annihilate the GOP

The final Fuck you from rethugs

Starting Feb. 1 Louisiana will stop offering hospice care services to most patients on medicaid.

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals is eliminating the service to families in the state due to state budget cuts.: End of month will be end of hospice care for some Louisiana patients

They want to keep them stupid

Legislation proposed in the Missouri House of Representatives on Wednesday would require schools to treat the theory of evolution and intelligent design equally.

The Missouri Standard Science Act states the theory of evolution must be taught side-by-side with intelligent design in public elementary and secondary schools. The bill also requires any textbook that discusses evolution to “give equal treatment to biological evolution and biological intelligent design.”
Proponents of intelligent design, a variant of creationism, believe the complexity of life cannot be adequately explained by natural processes such as biological evolution.

The bill was introduced by State Rep. Rick Brattin, and cosponsored by State Reps. Andrew Koenig and Kurt Bahr. All three lawmakers are Republicans.: Missouri Republican proposes bill to require teaching of ‘intelligent design’

They don’t want records kept

A Virginia House of Delegates committee endorsed a controversial bill Friday that would prevent any state or local government entity from providing information about gun crimes based on any federal law enacted after 2012. If enacted, the bill could prevent local police from sharing records with the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

The bill, authored by arch-conservative Delegate Bob Marshall (R-VA), aims to: Virginia Advances 'Gangbanger Bill of Rights' To Withhold Gun Crime Evidence From Federal Government

Stupid rethugs and tweets

A tweeter named Copperbird replied aptly,
hey Tucker, fighting for your country is not the same as being beaten by your boyfriend or husband. Sad you don't get that.: Stupid Right-Wing Tweets: Tucker Carlson Edition

C.S.A.

Two legislators in Mississippi are tired of what they claim is the federal government’s overreach on states’ rights — and want to take legislative action to stop it.

House Bill 490 seeks to nullify federal laws “outside the scope of the powers delegated by the people to the federal government in the United States Constitution” and that the state repudiates “this unauthorized and excessive abuse of power,” reported the Clarion-Ledger.

The two legislators who introduced H.B. 490, state Reps. Gary Chism (R) and Jeff Smith (R), claim it simply enforces the 10th Amendment. However, a professor from the University of Missisippi School of Law pointed out that Article VI of the Constitution clearly says that federal law is “the supreme law of the land,” making H.B. 490 unconstitutional.: Mississippi bill aims to ‘neutralize’ some federal laws and protect ‘sovereignty’

As if these kids don’t already have it hard enough, let’s apply more pressure on them

The bill (SB132 introduced by Stacey Campfield – R) applies to the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program. Current law says parents or guardians of children who are receiving benefits can lose 20 percent of those benefits if a child does not attend school. Campfield's bill adds a new requirement that the child make "satisfactory academic progress" as well and raises the penalty to 30 percent of benefits. : Bill Would Tie Welfare Benefits to Child School Performance | Humphrey on the Hill

Rewarding bad behavior

A bill (House Bill 649, introduced by state Rep. Jonathan Stickland – R) recently introduced in the Texas state house aims to reward employers who violate Obamacare, offering subsidies to any company that uses religious objection as an excuse for denying its employees copay-free contraception. : Texas Legislature Wants To Reward Companies That Deny Employees Contraception

Some good news

The Texas Democratic Party truly believes that an electoral coup in the state, led by Latinos, would deny conservatives access to the White House for a generation or more — potentially forever, a spokesperson told Raw Story this week. : Dems hope generational shift will turn Texas blue and shut GOP out of White House

ProgressVirginia reported Tuesday afternoon that the Virginia Senate’s Privileges and Elections Committee killed Sen. Charles “Bill” Carrico Sr.’selectoral college-rigging bill, despite an offer by Carrico to amend the bill to award electors in proportion to the state’s popular vote. The vote was 11-4 against the bill, although it will not be official until the close of the committee meeting.: BREAKING: Virginia Senate Committee Overwhelmingly Kills Electoral Vote Rigging Scheme

The prospects of a proposal to rig Michigan’s electoral votes in favor of Republicans took a nosedive on Tuesday as Gov. Rick Snyder (R) came out against the plan this year.: Michigan Governor Backs Off 'Unfair' Electoral Rigging Plan: 'I Don't Think This Is The Right Time'

Originally Posted by pseudolus

What happens in the US if someone one day decides "fuck being a Republican, I want to be liked again, I'm being a democrat" and switches allegiance? IS there a new election for his seat?

No special election. Recent example is Alan Specter of Pennsylvania. They just switch parties for the rest of their term. Another example is Democrat Joe Lieberman who switched to Independent.

Originally Posted by barbaro

The GOP will have to sort out its differences AND get the demographics needed (enough women voters, which are 25% of all voters, Center & Independents, suburban voters).

And/or if another Reagan comes along who appeals to conservative Democrats. Don't forget most blacks vote Democrat but are very conservative. And many Hispanics are conservative ... they could jump ship on the Democrats in a heart beat.

Originally Posted by Storekeeper

Another example is Democrat Joe Lieberman who switched to Independent.

The only reason two-faced Joe switched parties is because, even as an incumbent, he lost in the Democratic primary election. He won
re-election as an independent out of desperation.

Whatever the GOP is going to do they better do it quick. The future is just around the corner. My internal political weather vane points directly at Hillary being the opponent.

Originally Posted by Norton

Whatever the GOP is going to do they better do it quick.

Splintering/watering it down/desperation

But I don’t think it will help them. Might make them look crazier than they already are.

Seems they’re working on uniting all obstructionists: https://www.teapartycommunity.com/

Organizers of new social networking site The Tea Party Community have taken Facebook, eliminated the supposed liberal bullying, tossed in tens of thousands of conservatives and mixed it all together with a dash of conspiracy theory to create a new online hub, set to launch officially on Saturday.

The Tea Party Community co-founder Ken Crow tells Fox News, he wants to make it the Facebook alternative for conservatives and the Tea Party movement.

So far, it has drawn upward of 50,000 members, attracted to what Crow calls a “safe haven for the conservative movement where we can share ideas and thoughts and express ourselves without fear of retribution.”

Crow claims that he and other conservatives have been targeted by Facebook and its liberal users simply for attempting to express their political point of view.

Paranoid?: Tea Party Community, Conservative Facebook Alternative, Set To Launch

^
Capital Idea!
Provides a single locus of crazy to monitor them and keeps them from polluting legitimate fact-based conversation.

Originally Posted by S Landreth

Organizers of new social networking site The Tea Party Community have taken Facebook, eliminated the supposed liberal bullying, tossed in tens of thousands of conservatives and mixed it all together with a dash of conspiracy theory to create a new online hub, set to launch officially on Saturday.

Murdoch should have held on to MySpace, he could have bilked even more money out of these rubes.

Former Florida GOP chief pleads guilty before trial

Jim Greer pleaded guilty to theft and money laundering charges shortly before his criminal trial was set to begin

... The Republican Party of Florida said in a statement that Greer had tried to damage the party’s reputation since his arrest in 2010.

“But the truth is now known that Jim Greer broke the law, stole from the RPOF and our donors, and then said and did everything he could to cover up and distract attention from his crimes,” the statement said.
Former Florida GOP chief pleads guilty before trial - Salon.com

The fourth biggest state in the union, and the head of the republican party was a crook- stealing from donors. Ouch. The media seems to have been pretty quiet on this one. Too busy with the Chuck Hagel farce I suppose.

Originally Posted by S Landreth

Twenty years ago today, President Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The law, which passed with bipartisan support, gave workers new job protections in the event of a pregnancy or family medical emergency, mandating 12 weeks of unpaid leave. And while FMLA has failed to cover all workers — only employers with more than 50 workers are bound by the law, for instance, and as many as 40 percent of the workforce remains ineligible for FMLA protections — the FMLA has helped millions of women keep their jobs while caring for their newborn child.

S_Landreth,

Thanks for reminding me of this FMLA bill. Wow. 20 years. A very good thing by Clinton and those the voted for it.

I think it should 16 to 18 to 20 weeks, but 12 is better than nothing.

An “It's too bad that ignorance isn't painful” update

Gop’s continued War on Women

Republican lawmakers in Alabama took a crucial step on Wednesday towards their goal of shuttering the state’s last five abortion clinics, advancing a bill to the full house that would impose strict requirements on abortion providers.: Alabama Republicans Advance Bill To Close Last Five Abortion Clinics In The State

A bill introduced by nine Republican state lawmakers in Iowa on Wednesday would define abortion as “murder,” sending doctors and raped women who terminate pregnancies to jail.: Iowa bill would jail raped women for ‘murder’ of single-cell zygotes

Originally Posted by barbaro

Originally Posted by S Landreth

Twenty years ago today, President Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

S_Landreth,

Thanks for reminding me of this FMLA bill. Wow. 20 years. A very good thing by Clinton and those the voted for it.

You should visit this thread at least once a week after I update it. You’ll find news events the right-wing sites will not publish. Most of these stories I post will harm the GOP’s image, especially stories related to the GOPs War on Women. If the GOP female members/supporters read these stories they would be concerned where their party was headed/at.

The Violence Against Women Act reauthorization passed through the Senate on Tuesday afternoon, by a vote of 78 to 22. Of those opposing the legislation, all 22 were Republican men. Every female Senator supported the bill.: BREAKING: Senate Passes Violence Against Women Act, With No Help From 22 Republican Male Senators

The GOP’s New Outreach Program

On Tuesday, Virginia state senators voted along party lines to reduce the types of ID considered acceptable for voting in the state’s elections. According to the Lynchburg News and Advance, the evenly divided senate got a tie-breaking vote from Republican Lieutenant Gov. Bill Bolling.: Virginia state house and senate pass bills limiting acceptable types of ID for voting

Other GOP news

After insisting he wasn’t a “deadbeat dad” throughout his failed campaign for re-election, ex-U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh (R) skipped last month’s child support payment and has asked to stop paying altogether.

His reason: Since he’s out of Congress, he’s now unemployed.: Ex-Tea Party Rep. Joe Walsh

Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul has been named one of the most corrupt members of Congress in a new report from the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.: Ron Paul One Of The Most Corrupt Members Of Congress, Report Finds - Washington Whispers

Virginia is for Wacko’s

Virginia sure has been a hotbed of activity on issues with national implications, hasn't it? Republicans in the commonwealth pushed a scheme to rig the electoral college (which failedsoon after), launched an ugly redistricting scheme (which now appears doomed), and crafted absurd voter-ID bill (which seems likely to become law).

And while all of those are clearly important, this is the one that amazes me.

Virginia Del. Robert G. Marshall (R) fears that a financial apocalypse is coming and only one thing can save the Commonwealth: its own currency.: Virginia Is For Wackos! Now They Want To Create Their Own Currency

As part of his state’s new budget, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) and his administration are trying to force potentially tens of thousands of public sector employees in the state to work fewer hours so that the government can avoid providing them health care.: Virginia Cuts State Employees' Hours To Avoid Providing Obamacare Coverage

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) has joined the growing list of Republican governors pushing income tax cuts for the wealthiest citizens of his state, and like those other governors, his plan would raise taxes on the poor to pay for it.: Ohio Governor's Tax Plan Would Cut Taxes For Wealthy, Raise Them On The Poor

Late last month, Rick Brattin, a Republican state representative in Missouri, introduced a bill that would require that intelligent design and "destiny" get the same educational treatment and textbook space in Missouri schools as the theory of evolution. Brattin insists that his bill has nothing to do with religion—it's all in the name of science.: Anti-Evolution Missouri Bill Requires College Students to Learn About Destiny

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) will remain a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence ( Intelligence ) during the 113th Congress — despite leading a widely discredited anti-Muslim witch hunt against government personnel last year.: Bachmann Keeps Seat On Intelligence Committee Despite Discredited Anti-Muslim Witch Hunt

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is threatening to place a hold on key administration national security nominations unless President Obama explains how the White House reacted to the Benghazi attacks and who “changed” the talking points used by U.N. ambassador Susan Rice during back-to-back appearances on the Sunday political talk shows in September.: Lindsey Graham To Place Hold On National Security Nominees Over Benghazi Attacks

Originally Posted by sabang

Former Florida GOP chief pleads guilty before trial

Jim Greer pleaded guilty to theft and money laundering charges shortly before his criminal trial was set to begin

... The Republican Party of Florida said in a statement that Greer had tried to damage the party’s reputation since his arrest in 2010.
Former Florida GOP chief pleads guilty before trial - Salon.com

The fourth biggest state in the union, and the head of the republican party was a crook- stealing from donors. Ouch. The media seems to have been pretty quiet on this one. Too busy with the Chuck Hagel farce I suppose.

There was a good write up in the Miami Herald shortly after the news broke.

After two weeks of behind-the-scenes wrangling, former GOP party chairman Jim Greer walked into court Monday morning and pleaded guilty to theft and money laundering charges that could put him behind bars for 3 and 1/2 years.: ORLANDO: Former state GOP chairman Jim Greer pleads guilty to theft, money laundering - MiamiHerald.com

Good GOP news

Because they’re watching us

Virginia House of Delegates Speaker William Howell (R) killed the Inauguration Day sneak attack by Senate Republicans who hoped to pass a massive mid-decade gerrymander. Howell ruled that the Senate’s amendment to a House bill making minor technical corrections to the House legislative maps were not germane, as it was a “vast rewrite” and would “stray dramatically” from the legislation’s original purpose.: BREAKING: Republican Virginia House Speaker Kills GOP Senate Gerrymander Scheme

Michigan’s House Speaker has ruled out aforced ultrasound bill that would mandate transvaginal probes for women seeking abortions. Speaker Jase Bolger (R) confirmed in a statement that “this House of Representatives will not pass a bill mandating transvaginal ultrasounds.”: Michigan House Speaker Shuts Down Transvaginal Ultrasound Bill

I would question Cantor's sincerity

During an appearance on Meet the Press Sunday morning, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) reiterated his new found openness to providing a pathway to citizenship for young undocumented immigrants who were brought into this country as children.: GOP House Leader Makes A Compelling Case For The DREAM Act In 160 Seconds

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

Marco Rubio's H2O sip is supposed to be a career-ender!

Really? Who said that? Oh, but of course- nobody.
Rubio has come out of the last week smelling like roses compared to his fellow GOP freshman, Ted Cruz.

Originally Posted by sabang

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

Marco Rubio's H2O sip is supposed to be a career-ender!

Really? Who said that? Oh, but of course- nobody.

Not watching your favorite left-wing, moonbat 'news' outlet lately are you sabang?:



CNN Slides Ever Lower | Power Line

Originally Posted by sabang

Rubio has come out of the last week smelling like roses compared to his fellow GOP freshman, Ted Cruz.

WE HATE BIG government. Here is our new messenger!! Rubio!!!
Rubio: I HATE big government!!! Oh wait, except when I got college loans and my parents on medicare. THAT is different!!

Not to mention his and the rest of Congress' retirement plans. But they're something special, aren't they?

I'm not sure why anyone bothers with a "rebuttal" to the SOTU. They are nearly always utter flops.

It was a slow week for the GOP.

But their War on Women continued

A closer look at this dick, Rubio

The fact that Rubio will serve as a co-sponsor on the legislation reveals a lot about the supposed new face of the Republican party. The policy, like many of Rubio’s policy choices, is actually an old trick from the Grand Old Party, not some new approach to Republican ideals. And it falls in line with Rubio’s party’s, and the Senator’s own, recent anti-woman efforts:

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Rubio voted against the Violence Against Women Act because it allocated money to rape victims.

MINIMUM WAGE: He won’t support a minimum wage, despite its huge benefits for women.

BIRTH CONTROL: The senator introduced a bill that would have prevented millions of women from accessing birth control.

PAY EQUITY: He called a bill to promote pay equity between men and women “nothing but an effort to help trial lawyers.”: GOP 'Savior' Marco Rubio Falls Back On The Same Old Anti-Woman Policies

But as RH Reality Check points out, the heartbeat bill could pass regardless of whether Beebe decides to support it. Under Arkansas law, a simple majority in the legislature can override the governor’s veto — so even if Beebe correctly concludes that the legislation is unconstitutional, the state senators who support the bill could vote again to override him. And, assuming that all of the legislators who have already voted in favor of the bill don’t change their minds, there are enough of them to assure its passage into law.

And the bill’s sponsor, Arkansas Sen. Jason Rapert (R): Arkansas May Pass The Nation's Most Restrictive Abortion Ban, Even Without The Governor's Support

At the Wisconsin Right to Life Legislative Conference this week, the state’s top Republican lawmakers assured attendees that they will do everything in their power to enact a forced ultrasound bill, which would mandate an invasive transvaginal probe for some women seeking first-trimester abortions. “This bill is a priority,” Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R) said. “It is long overdue.”: Wisconsin Republicans: Forcing Women To Undergo Transvaginal Ultrasounds Is Our 'Priority'

The GOP’s New Outreach Program

As bipartisan momentum builds for comprehensive immigration reform in the aftermath of the GOP’s poor showing among Latinos in the 2012 election, conservative Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) warned Republicans that “immigration is exactly the wrong subject to use to attract Hispanic support.”: Republican Rep Says GOP Should Oppose Immigration Reform Because It Would Give Democrats 'Millions Of Votes'

Other GOP news

I honestly don't care who's cheating with who -- unless that person sets themselves up as some kind of moral arbiter of other people's behavior. So yeah, I'm curious how much fire there is behind this smoke:

S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley is one of three “other women” named in a divorce lawsuit filed in Richland County, S.C. earlier this month.: SC Gov. Nikki Haley Named As Other Woman In Divorce Case

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) has emerged as a national voice for the Republican Party, but a poll released Wednesday suggested that his star may have severely diminished at home.

According to findings from Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling, a mere 37 percent of Louisiana voters approve of the job Jindal is doing compared with a majority of 57 percent who disapprove.: Poll Shows A Dismal Approval Rating For Bobby Jindal

Jindal, who was hailed by the chattering class for telling Republicans to stop being the "stupid party" -- needs to heed his own advice. This incredibly stupid RWT is in reference to the Violence Against Women Act (a bill that 22 Republicans, including Marco Rubio, voted against) which calls for, among other things: Stupid Right-Wing Tweets: Bobby Jindal Edition

In his State of the Union address, President Obama made the case for universal early childhood education — an idea that isn’t sitting well with conservatives.

On Friday, Fox Business host Stuart Varney and Fox News host Steve Doocy attacked preschool access as a government handout intended to extend “literally, the nanny state.” Varney echoed an argument used by former presidential candidate Mitt Romney that Obama won the election by giving “gifts” to women and minorities. Even though Obama cannot run for office a third time, the host warned the president is using preschool to entice a whole new generation of toddlers to support him when they’re eligible in 15 years: Fox News: Obama Proposed 'Free' Preschool To Toddlers So They Can Vote For Him 'In The Future'

A bill filed Thursday by Sen. Kelly Hancock of north Texas would, according to The Dallas Morning News, shut down the Office of Public Insurance Counsel, a key consumer advocate in the state’s insurance rulemaking process.

The bill comes immediately after the insurance counsel made strides toward blocking a 20 percent rate increase for homeowner’s insurance implemented by State Farm late last year.: Texas Republican moves to abolish state’s consumer insurance advocate

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) today signed a law that imposes severe cuts to his state’s unemployment insurance program, a change that will also cost jobless workers in the state access to the federal unemployment compensation program.: North Carolina Governor Signs 'Unprecedented' Gutting Of Unemployment Insurance

Fast on the heels of the “legitimate rape” of science by yet another Republican, Missouri is fast-tracking itself to be the center of the universe of idiocy for 2013 (you’re #1!). You see, this time Republicans in Missouri want to make it a felony for a legislator to propose gun control legislation.

Yes, because the best way to insure that Hitler doesn’t take over America is to start jailing your political opponents.: Missouri GOP wants to make it a felony to propose gun control laws

We are coming to get you

Adding to his ever-growing list of fears, conservative commentator Erik Rush suspects that President Obama will work with the American Psychiatric Association to classify Christianity as a mental illness in order to take away their rights and detain them indefinitely. Rush, who ironically encouraged a possible Romney administration to begin prosecuting and disenfranchising liberals, writes that the health care reform law will be the mechanism that will enable Obama to begin targeting Christians for persecution.: Erik Rush Suspects Obama Will Classify Christians as 'Mentally Ill and Ship Them Off to an Asylum'

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

Make John Bolton State Department Chief and Allen West head of the Defense Dept and get the country back on track!

And presumably put Michelle Bachman in charge of education. Good luck selling that to the US people.

Rick (I'm a dick and want to keep my job) Scott has had a change of heart

TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Rick Scott (r) said Wednesday he supports expanding Medicaid and funneling billions of federal dollars to Florida, a significant policy reversal that could bring health care coverage to 1 million additional Floridians.

“While the federal government is committed to pay 100 percent of the cost, I cannot, in good conscience, deny Floridians the needed access to health care,” Scott said at a hastily called news conference at the Governor’s Mansion.

Scott, a former hospital executive, spoke with unusual directness about helping the “poorest and weakest” Floridians — a stunning about-face for a small-government Republican who was one of the loudest voices in an aggressive, and ultimately unsuccessful, legal strategy to kill a law he derided as “Obamacare.”

Throughout his 2010 campaign for governor, as Scott sought support from tea party members, he called the law a “job-killer” that would hurt Florida.

On Wednesday, he called the proposed Medicaid expansion, at least for an initial period, “common sense.”

Tea party activists bitterly criticized Scott’s declaration.