They Just Aren’t That Into You…

Shannon Colavecchio, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau, says that the GOP agenda loses traction in Florida Senate. Given that the GOP has 65% of the Senate seats, and 65% of the seats in the Florida House, the reality is that this is the agenda of the Christianists, and the GOP has been stringing them along to maintain power. There is nothing preventing the Republicans from doing anything they want – they “own” the legislature and the governor’s chair, so if it isn’t getting done, the Republicans just don’t want to do it.

This is what the GOP doesn’t want to do:

Conservative legislation going nowhere

SB 2396: Evolution — Requires that public school instructors teach a “thorough presentation and critical analysis of the scientific theory of evolution.”

SB 1360/HB 533: Inspirational messages — Gives school districts authority to allow for an “inspirational message,” including prayer or invocation, at noncompulsory high school events as long as a majority of students participating request the message and select a student to deliver it.

SB1854/HB983: Abortion — Would require all women seeking a first-trimester abortion to get an ultrasound exam. Doctors must allow the woman a chance to see the scan, unless she signs an opt-out waiver. Doctors also would be required to provide information on fetal development.

SB2310/HB1185: Premarital education — Raises the marriage license fee by $100, unless the couple completes a premarital preparation course.

A few individuals are pushing things:

Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Valrico, sponsored the ultrasound bill last year, along with a controversial measure against the teaching of evolution in schools. This year, she is proposing legislation that promotes a premarital education course. Like the evolution bill last year, it is backed by the conservative Florida Family Policy Council. Storms also is sponsoring a bill to allow for “inspirational messages,” including student-led prayer, at public school events.

Senator Storms is a whacko who hopes to one day join her apparent idol, Michelle Bachman, in Congress, and is just practicing in the Florida legislature. She definitely doesn’t want to have the Religious Reich figure out that they are being used to raise money and GOTV efforts.

We have term limits in Florida, so this isn’t a few entrenched people blocking these laws, it is the party. The concern seems to be that if they go ahead and pass the agenda, the whackos will have no reason to come out or donate money.