Republicans don’t like the fact that Democrats have them pegged as waging a war against women. So it’s baffling that Republicans haven’t unanimously extended the Violence Against Women Act. But Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn is accusing Democrats of playing political games with the Act.
In a rant written for the Houston Chronicle, Cornyn accused Democrats of using the Republican refusal to renew the Act for political gain.
“Since it became law in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has helped millions of victims break free from the terrible cycle of domestic violence – including hundreds of thousands of victims here in Texas – and it has always enjoyed broad bipartisan support. Yet some folks are now trying to use VAWA as a partisan football to score cheap political points and raise campaign funds. The law was enacted to protect and serve the interests of crime victims, not to help a political party fire up its base. Moreover, to argue that a minor policy disagreement indicates a lack of sensitivity toward battered women is simply beyond the pale.”
It sounds to me that John Cornyn is whining about a situation the Republicans put themselves into. Because Democrats want to expand protections to include Native American tribes, same-sex couples, and undocumented immigrants. And because Republicans apparently support violence against these groups, they are willing to let the law expire and eliminate crucial protections that according to Raw Story ”provides funding to local communities to improve their response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. The federal grants from the law support law enforcement training, victim services, transitional housing, and legal assistance.”
So Republicans are literally willing to throw women under the bus and give abusers more power to batter women just because they object to protecting more people from violence. This is just one big reason why Republicans are being accused of waging a war on women. I suggest that if John Cornyn really has a problem with Democrats making Republicans look like women haters he should just stop whining, meet with his Republican colleagues and get them to help renew the damn law with all the new protections to demonstrate that they actually care a little about women.
But Republicans won’t do that. They won’t do it because they’re the ones playing politics with people’s lives. Republicans object to this bill because they think people should be able to use violence against others. Across the country, Republicans have sought to eliminate a woman’s right to choose. They have fought to destroy women’s access to contraception. They have repealed equal pay laws. And they have even tried to repeal domestic violence laws. If Republicans really don’t hate women, how come they continually act like pricks toward them?
