Pity the wingnut these days. It looks like the conservative right's loony agenda can't gain any traction even in the loony Republican-controlled legislature in Florida, as noted in today's St. Petersburg Times. When Tallahassee says "Thanks but no thanks" to the social conservatives, you know something's going on: FAIL.
Conservative Republicans' hallmark legislation, some from sessions past, is stagnating this session, victim of the all-consuming state budget deficit and the political realities of a Senate that is Republican, but moderately so.
Wingnut detritus is scattered all over Tallahassee:
Abortion Ultrasound Bill: DOA
Sen. Don Gaetz, who chairs the Senate health regulation committee, has sponsored a draconian bill that would require doctors providing first-trimester abortions to perform ultrasounds and give women the option of seeing the image unless they sign a waiver opting out. Gaetz said he hasn't scheduled the bill for consideration by his own Republican-controlled committee because "the feeling is, the votes aren't there."
"Absolutely, we're disappointed," (said Mike McCarron, executive director of the Florida Catholic Conference). "Occasionally, you'll get the attitude of statesmen being willing to move a bill out of committee so that it can at least be considered and heard. But when you're dealing with legislation that is controversial, they're more inclined to keep bills they don't like from going forward."
Um, since when was right-wing social conservatives' legislation considered "controversial" in Florida??? Since 2009, I guess.
School Prayer Bill: DOA
Sen. Ronda Storms, the most infamous homophobe in Florida since Anita Bryant, sponsored a bill this year to allow for "inspirational messages," including student-led prayer, at public school events.
(Storms) pulled the school prayer bill before it could be heard in its first Senate committee last month, and the House companion hasn't been heard at all.
Gaetz said he "let it be known" to Storms that he had "problems" with the bill, including concerns over its constitutionality.
Um, since when were social conservatives ever concerned about the constitutionality of their wingnutty ideas??? Since 2009, I guess.
Other social conservative bills that have been declared dead in the Florida Legislature this year include an anti-evolution bill that would require public school instructors to teach a "thorough presentation and critical analysis of the scientific theory of evolution" and a bill that would raise the marriage license fee by $100 unless the couple completes a premarital preparation course.
The sad (or funny?) thing is that the right-wingers are trying to blame the legislative failure of their conservative agenda on the economic recession, because the legislators have to spend a lot of time dealing with pesky little things like Florida's massive $3 billion budget deficit. What they refuse to understand, or refuse to admit publicly, is that the country has moved on. We all saw what happened to the economy when the Repugs tried to distract the public with their "hot button" social issues while they ran off with all of our money. And we're not falling for it again, not even in Florida.