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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Thursday, May 17, 2012

How the Hell Can Dent Stand Congress?

LV Congressman Charlie Dent is pretty good about sending out news releases, explaining his votes on various issues. Last night, his office forwarded a news release in which he explains his vote in support of a House bill to reauthorize a law protecting women from domestic violence.
“Reauthorization of the Violence Against Woman Act will undoubtedly improve our nation’s ability to combat domestic violence and protect its victims. While the version of this legislation passed earlier this year by the U.S. Senate is worthy of support, I voted for H.R. 4970 because its passage in the House brings Congress a step closer to completing work on this important matter. Now, the two chambers must work together to reconcile differences in their approaches to VAWA reauthorization.”
Sounds like pretty basic stuff, right? Not in Congress, where up is down and left is right.

This bill, which has breezed through Congress in previous years, largely went along party lines this time. Democrats claim Republicans hate women, even though some of them are even married. Republicans accuse Dems of playing politics.

The Christian Science Monitor sifts through the political rhetoric and explains the difference between the House and Senate versions.
* The Senate adds language that explicitly mentions gay and transgender Americans for protection, while the House version is gender neutral. Republicans contend that their measure allows all Americans to receive protection because it does not specify who qualifies for various programs. Democrats, however, say that local law enforcement could use the lack of specificity to discriminate against gay or transgender people.

* The House bill does not include a Senate provision that would allow Native American women to take American citizens who abuse them to court within the tribal legal system. Republicans say that the Senate measure is unconstitutional and replace it with a proposal that allows Native American women to apply for protection orders from local US courts. Democrats contend that without the Senate’s proposals, Native American women abused on an Indian reservation are often left without legal recourse.

* The House bill does not allow for a path to citizenship for illegal women who have been abused and agree to cooperate with the police investigation of the crime. Moreover, it holds the cap on temporary visas offered to women cooperating in legal investigations to 10,000, below the Senate’s increased 15,000 level. Republicans say the citizenship provision is akin to amnesty for illegal immigrants. Democrats, on the other hand, say that women fearing deportation may never come forward to take abusers off the street under the House bill.
Dent has no strong objection to the Senate version, according to his statement. Conciliatory by nature, this type of political rancor has to drive him nuts.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Singling out particular groups for special protection is discrimination and really shitty law making.

Jon Geeting said...

This is hardly the first time Dent has voted for one of the House GOP's anti-woman bills. If he didn't like what the House GOP is doing, he would switch parties. The fact that he is still in the Republican Party tells you that he is too extreme.

For those keeping score, all women's groups and LGBT groups are opposing the House bill, and so is actual moderate Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski. The National Coalition for Men supports it though LOL

Bernie O'Hare said...

Oh brother. Your partisan comments are just as predictable as the gridlock.

Anonymous said...

Why is any of this a federal issue?

Anonymous said...

Why did Dent and his cronies block the Senate version? Why did he not speak out to keep the Senate version? Because he's a partisan just like the rest of the do-nothing Republicans.

Anonymous said...

Oh brother. Your partisan comments are just as predictable as the gridlock.

But would there be gridlock if the House Repubs just voted on the Senate bill? No. They need to inject their anti-gay agenda into it.

Anonymous said...

How about the Senate pass a budget, one of its most basic responsibilities, before doing a single other thing? Three years without a budget is outrageous.

Anonymous said...

Why did Dent oppose stricter banking regulation?

Even a reputable firm like JPMorgan caught up in high-risky trades that resulted in multi-billion dollar losses.

Anonymous said...

If the Keystone Pipleline is about our Energy Independece, why is the House sitting on a Resolution that would require most of the product flowing through the Keystone XL Pipeline to stay in US interest unless a waiver is granted?

Is the Keystone XL about getting it to a point of export where it could be sold to the highest bidder?

Anonymous said...

Why did the GOP house vote for the double of low interest college loans in the Cantor Budget. But then found the only way to continue to program was to take funding from preventative healthcare? Are they still representing the 1 percenters in America?

Anonymous said...

If both parties agree the majority of jobs are created by small business, why did the GOP vote to give tax breaks to the top 1% claiming they create jobs but voted against the Administrations plan to give incentives directly to small business who are the true job creators?

Anonymous said...

Who gives a shit about Dent anyway? Cartwright will be our Congressman before long.

Anonymous said...

Because locals think it is ok to abuse people that are different than them. Elderly,mental people, and anyone that doesn't play by the rules they make up.

Anonymous said...

3.5 years and still waiting for Harry Reid to propose a budget. 3.5 years.

Oh yeah. Lisa Murkowski a moderate? Yeah, and Geeting is straight.

Anonymous said...

"Why is any of this a federal issue?"

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) provides grants to states to provide services to women.

Anonymous said...

Hey Bernie, I just caught part of something on the news. is Cntroller Barron demanding Stoffa turn over bills from the Gracedale sale regarding you and Angle? I didn't really hear much but saw you and the Ccontroller on the screen with a dialogue box

Bernie O'Hare said...

You are OT.Barron is asking for what he already has and has had for a year.

Anonymous said...

What's homophobic about the remark? It's akin to "Yeah, and Bernie's tall and handsome." You're projecting. See a shrink.

Quizzical said...

It seems as though the inmates are having trouble staying on point this morning. Who precisely is deprived of any protections (other than those not in the country legally)by the House version?

Alan Earnshaw said...

Jon Geeting said, "The fact that he is still in the Republican Party tells you that he is too extreme."

Being a member of the Republican party automatically makes one an extremist? That's quite a stretch of logic.

Anonymous said...

You know there is domestic violence against men too. Where is the Violence Against Men act? Oh that would be sexist I guess.