Gee, I wonder why

Skippy posted this yesterday over at Skippy the Bush Kangaroo:

It turns out people hate it when you vote in favor of rapists

Thanks to c&l videocafe, we find the Rachel Maddow show pointing out how the repubbblican vote against Senator Franken's amendment was very bad publicity for the GOP.

The amendment in question is to the sept. of defense appropriations bill that would prevent the government from contracting w/Halliburton if Halliburton required employees to sign away their rights to sue if something nasty happens to them. Something nasty like, say, oh...rape.

Rachel enlightens us as to how bad this negative vote is for the repubbbs:

Maddow: one specific vote on one specific part of the giant legislation that funds the defense department is turning into a real political problem for 30 republican senators.

In Idaho, the "Lewiston Morning Tribune" called out its two senators in an editorial titled, "Senators Crapo and Risch cast an inexplicable vote."

In Mississippi, "The Clarion Ledger" editorialized, quote, "Senators Cochran and Wicker voted to protect corporations, not victims, and they should own up to that."

An opinion piece in the "Osawatomie Graphic" was titled simply, "Kansas senators are disappointing." In Tennessee, a "Crossville Chronicle" writers asked, "Whose side are our senators on?"

The "Athens Banner Herald" in Georgia headlined a letter quote, "Georgia senators embarrass state." and in Louisiana, a "Shreveport Times" writer asks, quote, "What exactly is sen. David Vitter's problem with women."

When republicans are getting called out in Mississippi, Kansas, Louisiana, Tennessee and Georgia, something big is going on politically. This all began when 30 senate republicans voted against an amendment by Democratic Senator Al Franken of Minnesota.

The amendment said that the government shouldn't give defense contracts to companies if those companies prevent their employees who have been raped or discriminated against from suing in court.

Here's even more stories depicting the bad press the GOP has heaped upon itself.

c&lvideo cafe shows the Maddow clip which interviews Jamie Leigh Jones, the contractor who was drugged and gang-raped by her Halliburton co-workers, upon whose sad story the Franken amendment was based.

Unfortunately at this juncture, it looks like senator Dan Inouye will gut Senator Franken's amendement out of the bill:

Multiple sources have told the Huffington post that senator Dan Inouye, a longtime democrat from Hawaii, is considering removing or altering the provision, which was offered by Senator Al Franken (Democrat-Minnesota) and passed by the senate several weeks ago.

Inouye's office, sources say, has been lobbied by defense contractors adamant that the language of the Franken amendment would leave them overly exposed to lawsuits and at constant risk of having contracts dry up. The senate is considering taking out a provision known as the Title VII claim, which (if removed) would allow victims of assault or rape to bring suit against the individual perpetrator but not the contractor who employed him or her.

"The defense contractors have been storming his office," said a source with knowledge of the situation. "Inouye either will get the amendment taken out altogether, or water it down significantly. If they water it down, they will take out the Title VII claims. This means that in discrimination cases, they will still force you into a secret forced arbitration on KBR's (or other contractors') own terms -- with your chances of prevailing practically zero. The house seems to be very supportive of the original Franken amendment and all in line, but their hands are tied since it originated in the senate. And since Inouye runs the show on this bill, he can easily take it out to get republicans and the defense contractors off his back, which looks increasingly likely."

Bet senator Inouye's not gonna be popular in the islands (insert "lei" joke here).

Addendum: some commentors @ huffpo suggest:

Call senator Inouye's office tell him not to strip sen. Franken's anti-rape amendment! 202-224-3934/6747

*****

It should go without saying or need for such an amendment - the fact that such an amendment is being considered (and some are trying to remove it) is proof that such an amendment is needed.

This is the sorry state we have been dragged down to by the repugican wingnuts. And they want to drag us down even further!

Call Inouye's office and all senator's offices and let them know we won't be drug any further down into the cesspool - LEAVE THE AMENDMENT ALONE!