What’s the Difference?

September 13, 2012

What’s the Difference?

There are two Republican Members of Congress, let’s call them Congressman A and Congressman B.  Both are far-right conservatives, members of the Tea Party Caucus, the Values Action Team (a right-wing group coordinating legislative efforts with religious organizations), and the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus (which supports the radical Arizona racial profiling law). Both have 100% scores on the latest round of the Family Research Council Congressional Scorecards. Both will appear at the Family Research Council’s annual Value Voter Summit, a conference so extreme Ann Romney declined to participate. Both have similar views on a number of other issues including:

The Voting Rights Act
Congressman A believes that the Voting Rights Act should be revisited because he believes states should be able to set the rules when it comes to voting.
Congressman B voted against the most recent reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act.

Aid to Katrina Victims
Congressman A called it “the New Deal on steroids.”
Congressman B said “the best vote that I cast, was my “no” vote to the $51.5 billion to [Hurricane] Katrina."

Student Loans
Congressman A called student loans the “stage 3 cancer of socialism.”
Congressman B voted to cut funding for federal student loans and Pell grants.

Both voted to re-privatize federal student loans and allow banks to profit off student financial aid packages.

LGBT Equality
Congressman A said, "anybody who knows something about the history of the human race knows that there is no civilization which has condoned homosexual marriage widely and openly that has long survived."
Congressman B said, “one of the goals they have to go to is same-sex marriage because it has to plow through marriage in order to get to their goal. They want public affirmation. They want access to public funds and resources. Eventually all those resources will be pooled because that's the direction we're going. And not only is it a radical social idea, it is a purely socialist concept in the final analysis.”

Both opposed the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and support allowing employers to discriminate against employees who publicly identify as LGBT.

On conception via non-consensual sex:
Congressman A said, “It seems to me, from what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work or something: I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be of the rapist, and not attacking the child.”
Congressman B (when asked about pregnant victims of statutory rape or incest) said, “Well, I just haven’t heard of that being a circumstance that’s been brought to me in any personal way.”


What’s the big difference between Congressman A and Congressman B?

Governor Christie called upon Congressman A (Todd Akin) to not only end his campaign, but “drop out of public life,” saying “I’m offended by what he thinks,” not just what Akin said. Christie even said of Akin, “When somebody makes a statement that is so blatantly absurd like that I’ve said I wouldn’t campaign for [him].”

Congressman B? That’s Iowa Congressman Steve King, who Governor Christie will fly to Iowa to campaign for next week. 

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