Yes, this really is what the Republican Party has become
by David Atkins
Hendrik Hertzberg took on the insanity that is the Texas Republican Party last week. Charles Pierce has some great commentary as well, as does Ed Kilgore. Just a reminder of what's actually in the Texas GOP platform:
That the Texas Legislature should nullify—indeed, “ignore, oppose, refuse, and nullify”—federal laws it doesn’t like. (Unmentioned is the fact that, beginning in 1809, the Supreme Court has steadfastedly rejected state nullification of federal laws.)
• That when it comes to “unelected bureaucrats”—i.e., pretty much the entire federal work force above the janitorial level—Congress should “defund and abolish these positions.”
• That the Seventeenth Amendment, which was adopted in 1913, be repealed, so that “the appointment of United States Senators” can again be made by state legislators, not by voters. (Admittedly, the Texas Legislature could hardly do worse.)
• That all federal “enforcement activities” within the borders of Texas—including, presumably, the activities of F.B.I. agents, Justice Department prosecutors, air marshals, immigration officers, agricultural inspectors, and tax auditors—“must be conducted under the auspices of the county sheriff with jurisdiction in that county.”
...
We urge that the Voter Rights Act of 1965, codified and updated in 1973, be repealed and not reauthorized.
Quoting straight from Hertzberg:
The pro-choice plank:
We strongly support a woman’s right to choose to devote her life to her family and children.
The on-the-one-hand plank:
We revere the sanctity of human life and therefore oppose genocide, euthanasia, and assisted suicide.
The on-the-other-hand plank:
Properly applied capital punishment is legitimate, is an effective deterrent, and should be swift and unencumbered.
Another on-the-one-hand plank:
We strongly oppose any constitutional convention to rewrite the United States Constitution.
Another on-the-other-hand plank:
We urge the Texas State Legislators to take the lead in calling for an Article V Amending Convention of States, for the specific purpose of reigning in the power of the federal government.
The Carole King-Aretha Franklin plank:
We support the definition of marriage as a God-ordained, legal and moral commitment only between a natural man and a natural woman.
And, for good measure:
We oppose the recognition of and granting of benefits to people who represent themselves as domestic partners without being legally married.
The Republicans of Texas are preoccupied with sex and its consequences, intended and unintended alike. Naturally, they devote hundreds of words to ideas for restricting access to abortion—pending the achievement of “our final goal of total constitutional rights for the unborn child”—and contraception. And their views regarding their gay fellow-citizens? Don’t ask:
Homosexuality is a chosen behavior that is contrary to the fundamental unchanging truths that have been ordained by God in the Bible, recognized by our nation’s founders, and shared by the majority of Texans. Homosexuality must not be presented as an acceptable alternative lifestyle, in public policy, nor should family be redefined to include homosexual couples. We believe there should be no granting of special legal entitlements or creation of special status for homosexual behavior, regardless of state of origin.
Furthermore:
We recognize the legitimacy and efficacy of counseling, which offers reparative therapy and treatment for those patients seeking healing and wholeness from their homosexual lifestyle. No laws or executive orders shall be imposed to limit or restrict access to this type of therapy.
This is not an aberration. It's what these people really believe, in the biggest and most powerful Republican state, the one that regularly contests with California to be the nation's moral and political waypoint. It's the biggest reason we can't make forward progress as a country.
.