That Awful Moment when the House implicitly endorses violence against women

House Republicans have stooped low in their all-out war on women by turning an issue that has never been bipartisan–that violence against women is a bad thing–into a partisan one voting 222-206 in support of a ridiculous, callous and watered down version of the Violence Against Women Act. As Vanessa noted Tuesday, it was slated to be voted on Wednesday with the hope that they wouldn’t pass the watered down version the House produced–but we should only be so hopeful.

This bill denies protection of undocumented immigrants, Native/indigenous people and LGBT victims of violence. Distinguishing these populations that are actually highly vulnerable and susceptible to violence is uniquely callous. What could motivate such thinking? Well, Amanda looked through the list of lobbyists in support of this particular version of the bill and let’s just say–they are exactly the kind of people that would love to legalize violence against women.

She writes at Pandagon,

Prior to this year, even Republicans by and large felt that tacitly endorsing moderate levels of wife-beating was a bridge too far, but since their new motto is, “Bitches: Fuck ‘Em”, I suppose this sort of thing was inevitable. Right Wing Watch has a piece up about the lobbyists who influenced this vote. These lobbyists, led by the anti-victim group Concerned Women for America, is a real cadre of hateful people. The coalition released a letter supporting the watered-down bill, and it was signed by a rather notorious wife-beater who ran for office by claiming his ex-wife endorsed him, which she did not. There’s also a group that represents men who purchase mail order brides. They’re concerned that the bill would allow women who have been secured through their services to divorce husbands who beat them without being deported. (A favorite tactic of abusers is to marry immigrants, often secured through these services, and then terrorize them with the threat of deportation if they don’t take their beatings like good girls.) These are the people that the Republicans are listening to.

Only a party desperately clinging to any semblance of relevance would allow this kind of thinking to make it this far in the legislative process. You can’t give MRA’s the light of day–they are called trolls for a reason!

Twenty-three House Republicans voted against the bill, 6 democrats voted for it and the White House has said they will veto the house version if it makes it to the President’s desk. Via.