When Republicans in the U.S. Senate minority threaten to filibuster or block a piece of legislation or judicial nomination from the Obama White House, they're labeled as obstructionist and exploitative.
When Minnesota Republicans used "parliamentary tactics" to block a gay marriage measure earlier this year, the folks at Think Progress scolded:
Anybody who wishes to vote against adopting marriage equality can vote to do so when given the opportunity. Resorting to such procedural maneuvers suggests fear that of the results of that vote, and desperation to block it.
When House Republicans rejected Democrats' call for hearings on climate change, Think Progress criticized the GOP for obstructing the debate. "The need for American lawmakers to come to grips with the reality of climate change and global warming is pressing," TP's Jeff Spross wrote in February. And if the GOP wouldn't bend to Democrats' wishes, Spross suggested bypassing Congress altogether:
Even without new laws from Congress, the executive branch has numerous regulatory tools with which it can combat climate change, including having the Environmental Protection Agency move to curb carbon emissions from both new and existing power plants.
When the GOP blocks increased funding for food stamps, "they hate the poor." Or when they block unnecessary stimulus funding, it's because they're waging a "war on the American worker."
Yet when Texas Sen. Wendy Davis' filibuster to block a pro-life measure, liberals took a very different view of such "obstructionism," praising it as heroic, “an incredible victory for Texas women and those who love them.” Liberal activists at the state capitol loudly demanded Davis' obstructionism be allowed to continue, Senate rules be damned:
Perhaps the most example of liberal hypocrisy came when I clicked over to the lefty site Daily Kos. It was there where an article about GOP obstructionism was pushed to the background by a pop-up fundraising ad commending Davis for her pro-choice filibuster:
And speaking of obstruction...
The Texas abortion bill will be back up for another vote next month and liberal activists are already mobilizing their efforts to block the vote.
