| Yesterday, we noted that Magic Frank was using yesterday's excuse for why Lisa Brown and Barb Byrum were barred from speaking last week. Today, we note that someone else hasn't caught up even that far, as far as excuses go. It's Hillsdale College's finest mind, Gary Wolfram. Suppose House Republican leader Jase Bolger had said: "I'm flattered that the rest of you are interested in my penis, but no means no." Having spent many years on the floor of the Michigan Senate in the 1980s and '90s, I am quite familiar with the legislative body's decorum standards - and I think such a statement was clearly out of bounds. Nevertheless, it's interesting how much publicity it has generated. ...
You have to ask yourself about context here. Why would Jase Bolger talk about his penis? If he's pulled a Craig DeRoche, post-Speaker, and gotten his-own-self three sheets to the wind before he lets fly with talk about what's behind his fly, that's one thing. But, we're not talking about that here. What he's saying is that it's always been very appropriate for men to talk about regulating women's reproductive systems, but it's never been appropriate for women to talk about it. Also, that considering the history of violence on the floor of the House, for which no one was sanctioned, that it's more appropriate to use fisticuffs in the House than it was for a woman to say, "Vagina." Anyway, please note that the third iteration of their excuse never gets mentioned. It's not about "temper tantrums," it's about "vagina." A week later, House Republicans can't even count on their allies in the media to get their story straight. When's the last time that happened? |
