Thune

Ironic Johnny Shocked that people (women) are mad at him for protecting rapists (H/T – Helga)

l3wis November 13, 2009 6Comments

And yet our local MSM has yet to cover this story . . .

Last month, 30 Republican senators voted against Sen. Al Franken’s (D-MN) amendment that would punish defense contractors “if they restrict their employees from taking workplace sexual assault, battery and discrimination cases to court.” His amendment was inspired by Jamie Leigh Jones, who was gang-raped by her co-workerswhile working for Halliburton/KBR in Baghdad in 2005, and then had to fight her employer for justice.

The GOP senators who sided with defense contractors at the expense of women — such as John Thune (SD) — have been facing an intense backlash. David Vitter (LA) refused to give a rape victim a straight answer when she confronted him about his vote, claiming that he is “absolutely supportive of any [rape] case like that being prosecuted criminally to the full extent of the law.”

Politico reports that Republicans are now scratching their heads at why the public is so incensed about their “no” votes:

Privately, GOP sources acknowledge that they failed to anticipate the political consequences of a “no” vote on the amendment. And several aides said that Republicans are engaged in an internal blame game about why they agreed to a roll-call vote on the measure, rather than a simple voice vote that would have allowed the opposing senators to duck criticism.

As BarbinMD writes, “Seriously? They voted against an amendment that was prompted by the brutal gang-rape of a young woman by her co-workers while she was working for a company under contract for the United States government, after which she was locked in a shipping container without food or water, threatened if she left to seek medical treatment, and was then prevented from bringing criminal charges against her assailants. And they failed to anticipate the political consequences?”

Thune is also claiming that Franken doesn’t really care about Jones and other rape victims whose employers have blocked them from seeking justice; he and other Democrats just wanted to “create a vote which they could use to attack Republicans.”

So basically, the only lesson they learned is that next time, they have to hide their votes when they decide to screw over women’s rights. That way, they can support their allies in the contracting business and the public will never find out.

Ironic Johnny is one hot commodity (H/T – Helga)

l3wis November 11, 2009 22Comments

Hubba, Hubba!

Republicans say the Democratic proposals fail to address the problem of rising medical costs. Sen. John Thune (R., S.D.) said the Democrats’ legislation will cripple the economy by increasing taxes. “It’s going to fall on a lot of average middle-class Americans,” Mr. Thune said.

You obviously are misleading the public, again. First off, where is your concern about the middle-class over the billions wasted in the Iraq & Afghan wars? Or GW’s TARP funding? Or the fact that 50% of bankruptcies are due to medical bills? As for your tax concerns, I don’t know too many ‘middle-class’ Americans making $500,000 a year, that may be in your world John, but not in mine (those will be the individuals taxed to pay for health reform).

‘Regular guy’ Thune is hot commodity in GOP circles

Will Ironic Johnny’s ‘C’ Street ties sway race? (H/T – Helga)

l3wis October 29, 2009 8Comments

There are a variety of reasons why, but for several of the senators there was a more personal component to their decision to wade into a contested primary between two GOP House colleagues: a C Street connection.

Moran is a resident of the three-floor, red brick town house at 133 C St. S.E. that functions as a group home for 10 lawmakers and a sanctuary for prayer and Bible study. Tiahrt only occasionally attended events there.

While none of Moran’s C Street housemates, Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), nor C Street frequenter Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) says the C Street bond was the driving force behind their endorsements, Thune and DeMint acknowledge that the relationships forged there played a role in their decision-making process.

“You have an opportunity when you’re around other people to get to know them, and, obviously, I think it makes a difference,” said Thune. “I think Jerry has cultivated a lot of relationships with senators, and it’s paid off.”