Humorist Tom Lehrer once said that political satire became obsolete when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
What would Lehrer say about Rep. Joe Walsh winning a “True Blue” member of Congress award from the Family Research Council Action Committee?
“We thank Cong. Walsh who has voted consistently to defend faith, family and freedom,” FRCA President Tony Perkins told the Sun-Times. “Cong. Walsh and other ‘True Blue Members’ have voted to repeal Obamacare, de-fund Planned Parenthood, end government funding for abortion within the health care law, uphold the Defense of Marriage Act, and continue support for school choice. I applaud their commitment to uphold the institutions of marriage and family.”
Walsh, of course, was honored and humbled: “I am proud and honored to be recognized by the Family Research Council as the only member from Illinois with a 100 percent pro-family voting record,” he said in a press release. “Defending American values have always been one of my top priorities, and this reward reaffirms my dedication to that fight.”
Walsh, of course, is being sued by his ex-wife for $117,343 in unpaid child support. He has responded to the allegations by calling the woman a liar.
Anyone who finds irony in a deadbeat dad being named a pro-family congressman does not understand the use of the world “family” as a political euphemism. “Family” is a right-wing code words that is synonymous with “white fundamentalist Christianity.” The Family Research Council was founded in 1981 by Rev. James Dobson, to further the religious right’s takeover of the Republican Party. Dobson read the Bible from cover to cover and concluded it is a sex manual. Walsh wasn’t honored for being a family man, he was honored for being a “family” politician, which means he votes against abortion, homosexuality, and anything else that prevents Americans from being fruitful and multiplying.
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