WTF? Now Defending DOMA is part of the Budget Fight?
Posted: April 18, 2011 Filed under: Republican presidential politics, right wing hate grouups | Tags: DOMA, John Boehner 30 Comments
Republican overreach is epic. It helped Bill Clinton. It probably will help Barrack Obama. There’s two recent moves by Speaker Boehner that are nearly tailor-made to drive voter segments to the polls for Dems. The first really stupid move by Boehner is pointed out by Digby. The Republicans just seem to want to insult every one these days that’s not white, christian, straight, and strictly conforming to ‘proper’ gender roles. Digby points out that Boehner’s declined to host the capital’s annual Cinco de Mayo celebration. This is the fastest growing voter populace in the country and many hold social values in keeping with religious beliefs. That seems tailor-made for Republicans. Way to drive folks towards the Democratic Party! Digby also mentions that the Hispanic community has noticed the xenophobia too.
The second Boehner Boner is this letter to Nancy Pelosi that’s sure to drive log cabin Republicans nuts. The GLBT community write huge checks and they are a very active voter segment. Check this one out from the Hill. Boehner wants to play lets make a deal to get funds to support a defense of DOMA. DOMA is not only anathema to the GLBT, increasing numbers of young people find all these homophobic laws silly. This is bound to take out two voting segments. (Need I mention the attacks on social security and medicare aren’t going to help with seniors?)
Speaker John Boehner asked House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi’s for her support to cut funds for the Department of Justice and use them to defend the Defense of Marriage Act.
In a letter sent to Pelosi (D-Calif.) Monday, Boehner (R-Ohio) wrote that the funds Justice would have used to protect the law should be used by the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG) to protect the act.
“The burden of defending DOMA, and the resulting costs associated with any litigation that would have otherwise been born by DoJ, has fallen to the House,” Boehner wrote. “Obviously, DoJ’s decision results in DoJ no longer needing the funds it would have otherwise expended defending the constitutionality of DOMA. It is my intent that those funds be diverted to the House for reimbursement of any costs incurred by and associated with the House, and not DoJ, defending DOMA.”
The speaker also argued the funds Justice would have used to defend DOMA should be used by BLAG so that taxpayers aren’t burdened with the additional expenses.
Boehner’s letter comes roughly a month after Pelosi sent one to Boehner asking how much it would cost to defend challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act, which blocks the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages. A few days before Pelosi sent her letter, the House Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group authorized the House general counsel to retain outside counsel to defend DOMA. That authorization came after President Obama called DOMA unconstitutional and announced the Department of Justice would no longer defend it.
The speaker noted in his letter that Justice is better equipped to defend the law, but since the administration decided not to defend it, the House has to.
I’m not sure if it’s his new tea party cohorts that are driving this agenda or just a very active xtian extremist base. Not only does he want congress to appropriate the money, he wants to hire a Bush crony to the tune of $5 million to defend what is probably unconstitutional law. How’s that for being fiscally responsible and bipartisan?
Boehner’s office has thus far refused to release its engagement letter with this big-dollar attorney. He brushed off a five week-old request by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D) to disclose how much it would cost for the House to hire outside counsel to defend DOMA in court. Nevertheless, a letter from Boehner to Pelosi confirms that Clement is charging the American people for his work. Clement’s firm, King and Spalding, typically charges $900 an hour for its top attorneys.
Of course, it wasn’t so long ago that Boehner brought the nation within inches of a government shutdown because of his alleged fears that the United States is spending too much money. Apparently, Boehner’s commitment to fiscal responsibility isn’t nearly as strong as his need to ensure that no gay American receives their constitutional right to “equal protection of the laws.”
Congressional Republicans are proposing things that defy logic. One moment they’re concerned about the budget, the next minute they’re hiring top guns to do what the Justice Department is supposed to do and none of it seems in keeping with the constitution. Just where does it say the word marriage in the original constitution any way? They’re also offending a heckuva lot of people with these actions. So, what’s your thought? Is it the alcohol or the tea that’s leading to such craziness?
peej
Carissa
bostonboomer
ecocatwoman
grayslady
mablue2
JJ Lopez aka Minkoff Minx
NW Luna
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
I am going with ergot poisoning.
It is the only plausible explanation that I can come up with.
I was thinking too much spray on tan combined with alcohol poisoning.
I thought about radiation poisoning from those tanning beds.
Just a bit more evidence that there is only one political party. The pushback of the GOP against their current frontrunner, adopting these wild policies, making Michelle Bachman one of their national spokespersons just highlights the fact that the political class as a whole is clueless.
Asshats.
Hillary 2012
somebody needs to fumigate Washington DC
Can I quote you on that? 😉
Hillary 2012
It is incomprehensible to me the degree of cynical incompetence of the people we elect go represent us in this country.
More good economic news….
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_senior_jobs_cuts
Hillary 2012
asshats
The Republicans believe in privatization of all government services. This should be no exeption. If the wingnuts want to defend their religious agendas, they should raise money privately for their projects. Let the Koch brothers pay for it.
The Republicans believe in privatization of all government services
hey maybe we can hire and fire congresspeople with a faster turn around then every two years via cooked elections…have a job fair /snark
Tom in Paine has a GREAT post today that sums up a newly defined obt syndrome that I will do my best to inform affected Dems so that they can get help….
http://tominpaine.blogspot.com/2011/04/battered-obama-syndrome-strikes-again.html
Hillary 2012
He looks like he’s smashed.
He probably is … he’s a notorious lush.
I can’t read the entire thing because i don’t subscribe to the WSJ but look at this lead-in:
Big U.S. Firms Shift Hiring Abroad
Work Forces Shrink at Home, Sharpening Debate on Economic Impact of Globalization
cnnbrk CNN Breaking News
#Arizona governor vetoes presidential ‘birther bill’ http://on.cnn.com/dEFw9P
wow … she does have at least one live brain cell
to be a us citizen all you need in one parent to be a US citizen so no matter how you look at it BOs a legit POTUS
DK good Job with this blog keep up the good work
boogie: it’s a team effort! it’s not just me or mine!!!!!
i think its this wing-nut tea party that are driving this insanity to answer your question of this post
My hypothesis is that they’re worried the religious right will stay home like they did on McCain so they’re pandering away to the base and driving other folks into the arms of the Democratic Party.
Kat, yes, that does appear to be the case. GOP panders to the batshit class, and Democrats pander to the clueless class.
@ Wonk,
That could be a t-shirt…lol.
Gee… the Pulitzers were announced and not one of them has been given to the WSJ since Murdoch took over. Surprise!! NOT!
Lol. The way things are going, any day now the Onion should be getting a Pulitzer.
I would think this did not bode well for the Repubs and birthers but you never know.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2011/04/17/2011-04-17_republican_official_in_california_didnt_think_obama_as_chimp_email_was_racist.html
The Cinco de Maya thing is merely symbolic…my understanding is that this was really reinvented to benefit the party establishment. It’s not a big deal in Mexico…merely an excuse for everyone to party hard here.
The rest is ridiculous and so not worth the time, energy, and ultimately my tax dollars. The entire political landscape is completely depressing…there simply are no candidates worthy of my vote, time and dollars. And once again, the biggest problem with our system comes back to the dollars. If the candidates didn’t have to worry about MONEY and kissing every big time donor’s butt, we might actually get someone who gives a crap – about us!
The Cinco de Mayo is a big deal in Mexico. Mexico still takes its independence from European colonial powers very seriously.