Last week President Barack Obama gave a bomb State of the Union. People could not stop talking, or tweeting, about it. For those who missed it, some highlights included Obama speaking about the need to raise the minimum wage, calling out the need for a bipartisan sustainable energy plan rather that the Keystone Pipeline (totally partisan and not at all sustainable), talking about Ferguson, and touching on the fact that voter suppression is a big problem that needs to be addressed. It was arguably his boldest State of the Union to date.
Unfortunately, in what should have been a celebratory week to follow, a select few Republicans went wild with WTF moments. Here are a few of jaw dropping things the elephant crusaders have done since last Monday.
Unfortunately, in what should have been a celebratory week to follow, a select few Republicans went wild with WTF moments. Here are a few of jaw dropping things the elephant crusaders have done since last Monday.
1. Boehner invites Netanyahu over for dinner without telling the White House:
The morning after the State of the Union Congressman John Boehner announced that he’s inviting Israeli Prime Minister to address Congress …without letting the White House know beforehand (this is unprecedented). It’s one thousand times worse than when your roommate shows up with an unannounced guest. Aside from the fact that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a controversial leader, the visit is scheduled for two weeks prior to Israeli elections. The surprised White House announced that President Obama will keep with the longstanding principle that the United States President does not meet with heads of state or candidates close to elections.
2. Huckabee disses Beyonce:
Former Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, anointed himself the moral policeman for the Obama family. He wrote in his book, God, Guns, Grits, and Gravy, “Jay-Z and Beyonce have been to the White House numerous times, but how can it be that the Obamas let Sasha and Malia listen to that trash?” Over the past two weeks he has been on multiple talk shows defending the comments he made in his book, which also included referring to Jay-Z as a pimp for his wife. While Beyonce, like everyone else in the world, is not without criticism, shouldn’t he be focusing on political issues at hand? And his referring to Beyonce as a “sex object” completely ignored her accomplishments.
As if the Beyonce commentary wasn’t enough, Huckabee then took on every woman at Fox News by saying, “In New York, not only do the men [curse in the workplace], but the women do it! This is worse than locker room talk. This would be considered totally inappropriate to say these things in front of a woman, but for a woman to say them in a professional setting… that’s just trashy.” So first of all, major double standard alert. Second, it seems that, from Beyonce to Fox News, Huckabee has named himself the judge of what is and isn’t okay for women’s behavior. I think I’ll decide that for myself, Mr. Huckabee.
As if the Beyonce commentary wasn’t enough, Huckabee then took on every woman at Fox News by saying, “In New York, not only do the men [curse in the workplace], but the women do it! This is worse than locker room talk. This would be considered totally inappropriate to say these things in front of a woman, but for a woman to say them in a professional setting… that’s just trashy.” So first of all, major double standard alert. Second, it seems that, from Beyonce to Fox News, Huckabee has named himself the judge of what is and isn’t okay for women’s behavior. I think I’ll decide that for myself, Mr. Huckabee.
3. Republican men get mad at Republican women for no good reason:
An anti-abortion bill was pulled from the House when it did not receive backing from Republican women who felt the bill provided too narrow of a provision for rape victims. Allegedly, these Republican women had been working to get the language changed, but others were unwilling to work with them. Then some Republican men got annoyed that these women did not back the bill. For example, Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ) called the decision, “one of the most disappointing moments of my life.” Maybe he should have been more concerned for women’s health to avoid such “disappointment.”
Image from: www.freep.com
Image from: www.freep.com
Guest Post by: Edie Wilson. Edie studied Anthropology, Economics, and Government with a small dose of Marxism at Hamilton College. She's been keeping busy after graduation with blogging. She likes to imagine that when her work is famous this will be known as Edie Wilson's funployment artistic period, not any less notable than Picasso's blue period. Other work by Edie can be found at https://medium.com/@ediewilson. Do not forget to follow her on twitter at @EdieWilson5. |