Mitch McConnell and John Boehner: When all else fails, start a culture war (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
So strong is their hatred of President Obama, so deranged are they over the implementation of Mitt Romney's health care reform at the national level in the form of the Affordable Care Act, so steeped are they in tea party craziness, that the Republicans actually are relishing a
fight over birth control.
Buoyed by the support of the Catholic bishops, congressional Republicans say they’re going all out against President Barack Obama’s modified contraceptives policy, ensuring that the compromise hasn’t ended the controversy over the health care reform rule after all. [...]
“We to need to work out a strategy and that probably involves the House,” Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), one of the Republicans’ leaders on the issue, said Monday. “But the next step is to really get this thing done. This is a critical constitutional issue and I would like to see this get on a piece of legislation the president is obligated to sign.”
Noun, verb, unconstitutional. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has promised a vote as soon as possible. Over in the House, the totally predictable House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa is going to have a hearing: “Has the Obama Administration Trampled on Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Conscience?”
That's after scads of polling, even by Fox News showing very strong support for the new policy in the public. It's also when the majority of public still wants Congress to be working with the president on what really matters: jobs and the economy.
But hey, Republicans, by all means shore up your vote among the Catholic bishops. That's sure to be a winning strategy for November.