Republicans Vote Against Motherhood (Apple Pie Next on Agenda)

This is just too good. The Republicans, led by the Congressman I have the privilege of voting against every two years, Todd Tiahrt, voted against mothers. Not only that, they also voted for it before they voted against it:

It was already shaping up to be a difficult year for congressional Republicans. Now, on the cusp of Mother's Day, comes this: A majority of the House GOP has voted against motherhood.

On Wednesday afternoon, the House had just voted, 412 to 0, to pass H. Res. 1113, "Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother's Day," when Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), rose in protest.

"Mr. Speaker, I move to reconsider the vote," he announced.

Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), who has two young daughters, moved to table Tiahrt's request, setting up a revote. This time, 178 Republicans cast their votes against mothers.

It has long been the custom to compare a popular piece of legislation to motherhood and apple pie. Evidently, that is no longer the standard.

Things are getting desperate down there in the Republican caucus, it seems, because people are losing it. And if voting against Mother's Day to stall for time wasn't enough, this is perhaps even more pathetic:

...after one of the motions to adjourn, 61 members lined up to change their votes, one by one. Forty-six went from aye to no, while 15 changed from no to aye. The maneuver ate up 28 minutes in all -- and caused an eruption by Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who accused the minority of a "filibuster by vote changing." 

Right now this sort of thing is an annoyance, sure, but in the long run it's a recipe for self-destruction. Todd Tiahrt faces a credible opponent in the 2008 election (one who I'll probably volunteer for this summer), and I don't think that this vote is going to help him any--not just the vote in itself, but the whole debacle gives Democrats an incredibly useful way to frame Republican obstructionism.