Yesterday, the House passed the Matthew Shepard Act as part of the ($680 billion!) Defense Department spending bill. In a 281-146 vote, some 131 Republicans and 15 Democrats opposed the measure. But as one Republican in particular explains, he voted against it not because he doesn’t want American troops to have the equipment and supplies they need to fight seventeen wars at once, but because he doesn’t want the gays to have laws that protect them. His name is John Boehner, and he’s the Republican Minority Leader.
“Radical social policy” is what Ohio’s Rep. Boehner calls the hate crimes legislation, faulting Democrats for attaching LGBT protections to a military issue. It’s the only way they could get it through, Boehner claims, snidely.
And maybe he’s right. (We like to think not.)
But Boehner’s “OMG this is an abuse of power” shtick is so tired, because it’s just another round of he-said-she-said in an arena where Democrats and Republicans alike attach “pet” measures to larger legislation. Rather than help give our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, and fathers and mothers the money they need to stay safe and fight wars overseas, he’d prefer to let queers be attacked as usual. This is partisan politics at its worst.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Brian
The powerful Boehner represents Ohio, the state that was just (wrongfully) awarded the 2014 Gay Games.
hyhybt
Isn’t admitting he wants to screw the troops a violation of DADT? See, you ask for honest politicians, and you get “I like you, but I hate them more.”
Wait, doesn’t this mean it’s passed both sides of Congress? So it’s off to the Nobel laureate’s desk for a signature, or is there yet more first?
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
Always drunk Boehner has yet another boner! What’s up with the fecal colored face?
terrwill
Another rightwing-nutbag spewing vile poo from his oral orafice………Lets take a pool being that he is a Repugnatican in a leadership position is he going to be:
A> Caught cheating on his wife with a prostitute?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~OR~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
B> Caught cheating on his wife with boy he met online?
It is so pathetic these subhuman scumbags can no longer paint the Jews, Blacks, or Hispanics as the boogeyman. We are the only target they can get away with hating………
Jack
Boehner = Evil.
He personifies all that is hateful and hypocritical about Republicans.
dvlaries
There’s no end of nicely-dressed cowards in government is there…?
BJ
Bigot
Boehner
Chuck
Boehner is a Nazi from northern Cincinnati suburbs. Mike Pence represents western Cincinnati suburbs in Indiana. Pence virtually said that beating up or even killing the gays was protected as freedom of speech and that he was against the bill because it was against the very freedom of speech that the troops were fighting for.
Boehner is evil, but Mike Pence is the worst of the worst. And what the hell is wrong in Cincinnati?
kevin57
This is disgusting. Hate crime legislation already protects minorities of many sorts! But now that it’s coming for gays, well, that will never do!
Aaron
LOL!!!!! Its wrong. It’s offensive. It’s just bad sad mad.
He didn’t explain anything. The reporters must have been giggling inside.
McShane
Boehner could not be more of an ass for saying that . Hopefully the military won’t get any money to continue the rash of illegal warfare we have been fighting. 50% of U.S. expenditures is 20 times more than it needs to be.
At least Obama pledged to get DADT trashed at his speach.
jessi
I don’t know why he’s so offended and pissed about it. The republicans used to do the same thing to pass unpopular bills when they were in control. Its ok for them to do it, but GOD forbid the democrats do it. I’m glad to see the dems are finally wising up and doing the same thing.
McShane
@Jessi .The process of attaching ridders to bills is a long standing process in Congess- a way of forcing compormises. Boehner’s just pissed because he isn’t getting his god awefully stupid way all the way. The Republicans have the most invested in making wars continuously so it irritates them that they might have to compromise.
So really the Democrats have as much invested in keeping the war machine going just with what is real ly a small difference; but one that keeps the religious right happy.