Duck! Here comes the "American Values Agenda"

By Lee Russ

Saturday, July 08, 2006 at 06:22 PM

Having already used up the concept of a "Contract with America," what would a group of unscrupulous, politically ambitious but intellectually bankrupt far right politicians come up with to try to preserve their elected butts?

If you hadn't already heard, the Repub members of the House of Representatives have already trotted out their new, already bankrupt, concept of an American Values Agenda.  This piece of transparent pandering to the right is:

a package of bills...aimed at energizing social conservatives five months before the midterm elections.

Billed as the "American Values Agenda," the measures range from legislation that would "protect the Pledge of Allegiance from attacks by activist federal judges seeking to rule it unconstitutional" to a constitutional amendment "declaring marriage to be between a man and a woman."

"Through this agenda, we will work to protect the faith of our people, the sanctity of life and freedoms outlined by our founding fathers," House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois) said in a statement released by his office.
...
The GOP's "American Values Agenda" includes: Pledge Protection Act, HR 2389; Freedom to Display the American Flag Act, HR 42; The Public Expression of Religion Act, HR 2679; Marriage Amendment, HJ Res 88; Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act, HR 356; Human Cloning Prohibition Act, HR 1357; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (BATFE) Reform, 5092; Internet Gambling Prohibition; Permanent Tax Relief for Families; Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act, HR 5013.

Apart from being absurd, and obviously so, at a time when the country is bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan, with Iran and North Korea pulling onto the runway, and American workers having a damn hard time keeping up with inflation, this latest "idea" from the "party of ideas" has a rather large built-in political problem.  As a Friday NY Times piece says:

Moderate Republicans say a planned summer push by the House leadership on conservative causes like gun rights and new abortion restrictions threatens the re-election prospects of embattled centrists, who are key to the party's drive to hold Congress.

One more giant step to the right for the GOP.  One more incentive for the less crazy members of the party to distance themselves from it.

One more reason to hope that we're nearing the end of this delusional period in American politics.  Unless, of course, Herr Karl is right in his obvious assessment that the Propaganda Ministry is so powerful that it can sell anything.