It seems that as this year moves on, the more reactionary the Republican party becomes. I used to call it home, but in the last year or so, it has gradually pushed me away - a moderate college educated male.
We've seen a bill in my home state of Virginia requiring invasive ultra-sound for women before abortion. The amendment swapped it to "jelly on the belly", but it still requires an ultra-sound before an abortion. Purportedly to gauge the age of the fetus.
We've read about the attack on contraceptives, last week led by Rush Limbaugh's calling a law student from Georgetown a "slut" because she wants access to birth control pills through her medical insurance. Never mind the numerous medical reasons why a woman would want them or perfectly valid reasons a married couple may use them.
We've seen Wisconsin also working to repeal a law that requires equal pay for women.
It seems that Romney is particularly out of touch with most Americans, coming from a very wealthy background that has taught him not to worry about the less privileged. Let's not forget, either, who his top campaign contributors are: Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse Group, & Citigroup. It is hard for me to expect someone backed by big banks to want to fix the campaign financing situation.
Then there's Santorum's comments about wanting to "throw up" while reading a JFK speech regarding the separation of church & state. Mind you, JFK was just echoing the Constitution.
There's wide denial inside the party regarding climate change, despite what the non-cherry-picked data shows.
There was the bill introduced in the Senate which would give health care providers great lee-way in denying contraceptives, or other elements of care, because of a moral contradiction. Thankfully the Senate defeated this.
Now this: a law proposed in Wisconsin which would say that being a single parent is child abuse.
Once upon a time, 45% of scientists claimed to be conservative and/or Republican. Now a mere 6% do.
Why is that? The party is fading & will vanish if it doesn't find a way to embrace the social & scientific progress that has happened in the last 50 years. It's time to put religion back in the church & leave it out of the government. It's time to be rational. It's time to work on the real issues in front of the nation: dependence on foreign oil, the concentration of wealth to a very few people, a shrinking middle class, over flowing jails, government & campaign corruption, a sustainable economy, green technology, & perhaps most important: education.
Education is not the enemy of a democracy, it is its greatest ally. It does not make people snobs, it shows one's desire for self-improvement. These bills and statements have alienated me, a conservative leaning college educated male. The Republican party is seemingly out to discredit science, rewind the social clock for women, and is willing to gamble with the the world, through the denial of climate change, in order to maintain a status quo for a small, very rich group of lobbyists and campaign fundraisers.
While I don't think the President is a great choice, either, I cannot stomach putting someone into the White House who is willing to rewind the social clock, willing to ignore science, & who will put their own religious values ahead of others. This is our nation's future, and the world's, which is at stake. Why are we talking about abortion, contraceptives, gay-marriage, and college education when we have sky-rocketing oil, a lagging economic recovery, potential war with Iran, and a degrading climate?
If the party doesn't switch its focus & find people to champion true conservative approaches to issues, then the Republican party will be irrelevant in a much shorter time frame than I think they realize.
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