"The GOP’s Phantom Menace"

[applegrove]

The GOP’s Phantom Menace

By Jamelle Bouie at Slate

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2014/09/scott_walker_wants_to_drug_test_the_poor_the_gop_s_agenda_is_about_solving.html

"SNIP..................


Then there is the fake problem of bad abortion clinic design. In states like Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi, lawmakers have passed targeted regulations of abortion providers (“TRAP” laws), which—as my colleague Amanda Marcotte described—“single out abortion clinics for medical regulations no other clinics that provide similarly low-risk services need to obey.” Examples include hospital-admitting privileges for clinics that perform first trimester abortions—which have minimal risk of major complications—and onerous building requirements that have little to do with safety; in 2013, Virginia required clinics performing first trimester abortions to expand their parking lots.

Now, tens of millions of Americans oppose abortion, and it’s clear these laws are meant to reduce its availability. On paper, at least, the goal is to—in the words of one Republican lawmaker—“protect the right of women having an abortion to have it in a healthy, safe environment.” But there’s no epidemic of unhealthy, unsafe clinics, either in Alabama or nationwide; a House Republican investigation of abortion clinics—following the Kermit Gosnell trial—uncovered little in the way of misconduct. Overwhelmingly, authorities already heavily monitored abortion providers, long before this new wave of targeted regulation.

If this were just rhetoric—if Republicans were just talking about voter fraud, addicts on welfare, and out-of-control abortion clinics—it would be tolerable. But on each score, the GOP has pushed policies that, over the past four years, have discouraged voting, stripped benefits from low-income Americans, and limited abortion access.

In other words, the GOP might be fighting fake problems, but they provide real excuses for the most draconian parts of the Republican agenda.


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[elleng]

1. That's.what.they.do,

'pushed policies that, over the past four years, have discouraged voting, stripped benefits from low-income Americans, and limited abortion access.

provide real excuses for the most draconian parts of the Republican agenda.'

[Wellstone ruled]

2. It's called a

Theocracy. Look at Utah Idaho Wyoming Arizona.

[applegrove]

3. That is it exactly. Ezra Klein called Republicans idealogues. But it is a religion

in fact. It is not based on fact but the myth of smaller government and no taxes being a nirvanna.