Thirteen million people are unemployed and yet here we are talking about abortion and contraception. But don’t worry, the conversation will soon turn to gay rights.
The GOP likes to be called the “party of business and small government.” Yet they can’t seem to turn down an opportunity to talk about how the government should be telling women and the LGBTQ community how to live their lives. But that doesn’t count as government intrusion into people’s lives, right?
Despite its incessant ideological hypocrisy, the GOP is consistent on one front: social issues.
Still, its consistency comes not from its beliefs or stances on said issues. It comes from the GOP’s unrelenting idle jabber about what should instinctively be trivial out-of-date matters, when it should be focusing on jobs and little else.
The problem for the GOP is that this delusional fascination with social issues could begin to take its toll with voters soon. Take former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani speaking to CNN on the GOP’s obsession with social issues — “I think beyond all the religious and social parts, it makes the party look like it isn’t a modern party, it doesn’t understand the modern world we live in.”
“ … Doesn’t understand the modern world we live in.” Someone should tell new GOP presidential co-front-runner Rick Santorum that. Ask yourself what you know about Santorum. Do you know more about his social stances, his attacks on gays, women and contraception, or more about his ideas to create jobs? Chances are more people know about his fixation with sweater vests than his economic policies.
Why is this? According to Bill Maher, this shift to social issues by Republicans is just a shrewd facade. He tweets, “Unemployment is down, confidence is up, DOW 5,000 above Bush — or as Republicans put it, let’s talk about gay people and abortion!” When Republicans have nothing substantial to talk about, they indulge in social issues.
That tweet and the idea behind it might seem biased, but look at the facts. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports that unemployment fell again in January, while MSNBC reports the DOW being at its highest since the Bush disaster of 2008. The respected newspaper The Economist changed its stance, saying in retrospect the auto-bailout was the right decision. Those statistics can be coupled with a recent Chicago Booth poll stating that 80 percent of economists agreed Obama’s stimulus created jobs, with 46 percent agreeing the long-term benefits of the stimulus will outweigh the long-term costs. Only 12 percent said the costs will outweigh the benefits.
What do the current GOP candidates have to say about these statistics? Most people don’t know because more time was spent on contraception in their Feb. 22 debate in Arizona. This is precisely the point Maher was trying to make.
Call it media bias. Blame the liberal, elitist, east coast, high society, out of touch, “lame-stream” media. But it is impossible to say the media directs the attention to these social issues when Mitt Romney says things like this quip he spit at CNN debate moderator John King, “You know, you get to ask the questions you want, I get to give the answers I want,” Romney said. King’s response, “Fair enough.” Yes, fair enough Mitt, if you don’t want to spend more time on contraception than on the economy, jobs and the tax code, then don’t.
At least Romney is trying outside of the debates. Romney and President Barack Obama both released tax plans Wednesday. The problem for Romney is that Obama doesn’t have three paltry political featherweights pulling him down with each step.
As for Santorum, the co-leader in the polls, he countered the nonsense about jobs and the economy Wednesday with a speech in Arizona. He was quoted by the Washington Post as saying, “We see a president who is systematically trying to crush the traditional Judeo-Christian values of America. We saw it with Obamacare and the implementation of Obamacare.” Another solid performance by Santorum. What more could 13 million unemployed Americans ask for than inconsequential religious pandering? Plus, would Jesus ever endorse us giving strangers health-care? (Hint: Luke 10:25-37)
Intolerance and hypocrisy is one thing, finger-pointing and name-calling another, but this continuous over-inflation of social issue pandering by the GOP is inexcusable. If Santorum and others can’t step off the social issues soapbox and step up on the economy, they should get out of the way. America needs jobs and it needs politicians who can support that.
