New York Times Editorial: Prurience and Politics

New York Times Editorial: Prurience and Politics
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: May 19, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/20/opinion/20thu4.html?th&emc=th


A show of hands for lawmakers favoring pornography was requested in the House last week. “C’mon, raise your hand!” cried Representative Bart Gordon, furious that a major $85 billion measure to renew national science research financing had run afoul of a mischievous Republican amendment against federal bureaucrats watching pornography on the job.

“Nobody? Nobody is for pornography? Well, I’m shocked,” said Mr. Gordon. He was crestfallen at having to pull back the bill when fellow Democrats dared not risk a “no” vote on an antipornography motion, however extraneous, that could be used as a cheap shot against them in the coming elections.

This is how things are now in Congress as partisans propose mousetrap amendments aimed more at campaign smears than doing good. The pornography stunt was the window dressing on language that would cut the bill’s spending on the National Science Foundation and other agencies. Mr. Gordon properly rejected that, and he retreated to figure out a way to frame the all-important porn passage without sacrificing scientific research.

A week earlier, a comparable stunt tied up a bill devoted to home energy efficiency when Republicans proposed an amendment barring contractors covered by the bill from hiring convicted child molesters. (As if contractors were waiting to rush out and hire child molesters.)

To win the necessary votes for the heart of the bill, sponsors included some antimolester language.

Such is the prurient state of sausage-making. It’s bad enough when a “family values” hypocrite like Representative Mark Souder violates his own ballyhooed sexual abstinence plank with a staff member. Mr. Souder tearfully resigned, trying to contain election-year damage to fellow Republicans. That will hardly affect the “family values” gamesmanship currently undermining sound lawmaking in the Capitol.