Republicans Don't Care About Our Veterans

 

55-42: Senate BLOCKS the House-passed bill expanding access to VA healthcare and disability benefits for veterans exposed to toxins during their military service (PACT Act) from advancing to final passage. 60 votes were needed. pic.twitter.com/JEn6hOZMs5

— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) July 27, 2022

It really looks like Senate Republicans blocked a bill expanding health care coverage to veterans sickened by toxins they were exposed to in the course of their service as a part of a nasty snit-fit because Democrats worked out a climate bill. And I mean, they can cite any other "concern" they pretend to have, but frankly, I think it boils to they are hopping mad Democrats ever have the nerve to be effective. And to be even more frank, this isn't the first time the GOP has screwed vets over. They like the uniforms and the flags and the pomp and the circumstance, but they do not like the accountability of what happens to our soldiers during or after the wars.

I put this in the same category as Republicans not supporting our families or Republicans not supporting women and children.  Republicans have no sense that they should be doing the right thing because it's right, they will easily not do right if they think there is a political benefit in it. They will simply obstruct doing the right thing to "own the libs". 

That's a very suspect way to use one's time in office, and I think it should mean Republicans should not be in any office. That's right--every single Republican needs to be understood as part of the problem because they actively reject responsibility for being part of the solution. 

They would not for all the world reject a photo op involving folks in uniform to be seen as patriotic, but right here, they went out of their way to say sick vets are not their concern, because what about the damn Democrats, trying to do something about the environment on the planet we all share. The nerve of them!

Also, maybe they will decide LGBT folks have less rights because still owning libs due to a case of the mads. Exactly how mature adults who are responsible for the laws of a country would work--on Bizzarro world. 

It looks bad because Republicans are bad. Not a single one should stay in office. Not a single one. 

The Exception that Proves the Rule, or Something

 

So, I think the takeaway from the 49-51 vote that failed to codify Roe has to be taken with a grain of salt--did you expect something else? It's a failure, but in the classic silver-linings sense, it's just demonstrative of one way to not succeed. What we have is only one out of 50 Democratic senators voting against your right to bodily autonomy, and every single one of the Republicans voting against it.

Manchin is an exception. The rule is: absolutely don't rely on a situation when only Joe Manchin doing the right thing stands between you and success. The only answer I get solving for that is--more not-Manchin Democrats in office. 

This also means: don't vote for a Republican unless you actually want a country where one's body is policed (Fugitive Uterus Act, anyone?) for unsanctioned reproductive activity (or inactivity, as the case may be). If people will just take very seriously the implications of this vote, it signals something bad for the GOP--a chalk outline, perhaps.