Rallying the Base

[bruorton]

Okay, I wasn't intending to post on politics this often, but several things really struck me regarding the shenanigans in the capitol this week.

As you may know, the Senate has spent the week debating Constitutional Amendments that would ban gay marriage and flag burning, as well as a repeal of the estate tax.  Given that everyone knew ahead of time that none of these would pass, and there was hardly any actual debate, these have generally been taken as an attempt by the Republican leadership to revive the enthusiasm of their social conservative base (or the -- I don't know what, family-fortune base? -- in the case of the estate tax) as they look ahead to dismal prospects in this November's mid-term elections.  Strangely, they're simultaneously trying to eliminate funding for PBS and NPR, Sesame Street and all.  Was the idea really to energize the progressive base as well?

But I laughed in disbelief when I read this quote in a CNN article on the gay marriage ban: "'I don't believe there's any issue that's more important than this one,' said Sen. David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican."  But, but... New Orleans is still mostly in ruins... I just don't get it.  And did he somehow miss the news fanfare last week about the start of the 2006 hurricane season, in which the National Weather Service predicted 8-10 hurricanes, half of which will be severe? Uh... wow.

As an aside on the whole marriage debate, I came across an interesting essay over on Slate with a brief re-cap of the legal history of marriage, and which suggests something that sounds like Republicans could go for: 'privatizing' marriage.  What the author means by that is a return to an older tradition where marriage is a private contract -- and religious ceremony/blessing is up to the church, while the government has nothing to do with it.  (Turns out, government stuck its head in about 250 years ago with a "Marriage Act" in England.)  I'm guessing it would take a re-writing of our tax code to make this work, but the idea certainly has something going for it.  If nothing else, we wouldn't be subjected every election season to moralizing from Capitol Hill... hardly the moral high ground these days.

 

Comments

[ellyane.livejournal.com]

is flag burning all that common at gay weddings?