Oh, It's Just a Little Philosophical Difference

Virginia's House of Delegates Republicans--led by the unconscionable Morgan Griffith of Salem--continue to define themselves in the most unmistakable of terms and for Virginians. That's both a good thing and a bad thing: good for clearing up whether they deserve to hold their seats, bad for Virginians' health, prosperity, hope and safety.

The latest outrage is their blocking of $120 million in federal money for expanded unemployment benefits in one of the worst economies since the 1930s--an economy they created and that their loyal opposition is desperately trying to solve, in spite of the Republicans' halting tactics at every turn ... like this one.

This piles on top of opposition to anti-smoking legislation (public health be damned), opposition to any kind of limits on the number and types of guns its dick-measuring adherents espouse, expansion of crimes for which the death penalty is imposed, opposition to abortion for any reason in a direct affront to the world's most imposing and urgent problem (population), opposition to environmental cleanup, opposition to taxing the very wealthy, opposition to creating a new economy based on solving all their previous screw-ups.

I would like it very much if each of these people, who seem completely lacking in anything that could be mistaken for human feeling, was asked to sit in a room with people who have been laid off or seen their jobs eliminated because of Republican policies and asked to explain exactly why these Republicans are in the mood to make life even more difficult for many of the very people who voted them into office in the first place.

Republicans say it's a philosophical difference. Let's give them a plate of philosophical difference and ask them to feed their families with it for a while. Compassionate conservativism my ass.