GOP and National Problems: Few Solutions But Great at Sustaining Turmoil

 

Hard to deny the factual data and reality

(But the GOP keeps trying)

A must-read AP article with this headline:

“House passes domestic terrorism bill after Buffalo shooting”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed legislation late Wednesday night that would bolster federal resources to prevent domestic terrorism in response to the racist mass shooting in Buffalo, New York.

Note: Boxed off portion with my emphasis.

The 222-203, nearly party-line vote was an answer to the growing pressure Congress faces to address gun violence and white supremacist attacks — a crisis that escalated following two mass shootings over the weekend.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), and a member of the congressional January 6 committee was the lone Republican to vote in favor of the measure.

But the legislative effort by Democrats is not new. 

The House passed a similar measure in 2020 only to have it languish in the Senate. Since lawmakers lack the support in the Senate to move forward with any sort of gun-control legislation they see as necessary to stop mass shootings, Democrats are instead putting their efforts into a broader federal focus on domestic terrorism.

The above point is discussed in this short video:

Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) who first introduced the measure in 2017, said on the House floor: “We in Congress can’t stop the likes of Fox News host like Tucker Carlson from spewing hateful, dangerous replacement theory ideology across the airwaves. Congress hasn’t been able to ban the sale of assault weapons. The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act is what Congress can do this week to try to prevent future Buffalo shootings.”

Senate Democrats are pledging to bring up the bill for a vote next week. But its prospects are uncertain for these weak GOP reasons:

They are opposed to bolstering the power of the DOJ in domestic surveillance. 

Republican lawmakers assert that the DOJ abused its power to conduct more domestic surveillance when AG Merrick Garland issued a memo in October aimed at combating threats against school officials nationwide.

They labeled the Garland memo as targeting concerned parents.

They say the bill doesn’t place enough emphasis on combatting domestic terrorism committed by groups on the far left.

Under the bill, agencies would be required to produce a joint report every six months that assesses and quantifies domestic terrorism threats nationally, including threats posed by white supremacists and neo-Nazi groups.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) said:  “This bill glaringly ignores the persistent domestic terrorism threat from the radical left in this country and instead makes the assumption that it is all on the white and the right.”

My Note: That GOP phrase focuses on the “white and right” is catchy and it is purposely used to keep the GOP base angry and fired up and on high alert with that “replacement theory” emphasis – that is: White America is being replaced by immigrants illegally pouring in and who will become DEM voters. 

That to me and for many others is total disinformation – spread for harm and chaos and it seems to work, too.  

FYI: I am white and I don’t buy one iota of that GOP load of crap.

The divergence on this bill further highlights the stubborn gap between Democrats and Republicans over domestic terrorism in the U.S. and how it should be defined and prosecuted.

For decades, terrorism has been consistently tied with attacks from foreign actors, but as homegrown terrorism, often perpetrated by white men (and others as well – just more white that others, refer to the above chart and data here.

That kind of domestic violence has flourished over the past two decades, all the while Democratic lawmakers have sought to clarify it in federal statute.

Sen. Durbin (D-IL) went on to say: “We’ve seen it before in American history. The only thing missing between these organizations and the past are the white robes. But the message is still the same hateful, divisive message that sets off people to do outrageously extreme things, and violent things, to innocent people across America. It’s time for us to take a stand.”

Related article here and here. 

My 2 Cents: Key to this article is that the DEMS offer a way to ID the causes, and way to try to fix the problem.

The GOP tosses up roadblocks while professing things not even related and simply for political gain by keep the hype alive to fit their narrow agenda.

That the worst part of trying to solve this growing problem over the last 40 years (again refer the chart and data here).

This “new” GOP will only cooperate with the DEMS when they get everything they want in their way and for their benefit. 

That is not just my view and opinion but it is based on facts of the division in Congress today – where is seems critical issues like this never get resolved – and that does not benefit the who, but it sure gives one side strong talking points to keep their hype alive and growing on serious issues like this one.

Thanks for stopping by.