Congress will be on vacation for the entire month of August. On vacation from what?! It can’t be from work because in order to take a vacation from work you first have to be doing some work! They have not been doing anything and that is probably why their rating, which is single digit, is at an all-time low. But a small thing like that doesn’t bother them; instead it is hi-ho, hi-ho it’s off to vacation we go.

Or maybe I am being too harsh and speaking without having all of my ducks in a row. Maybe there are those who feel that, even if you never do it, all you need to do to be able to go on vacation from work is to have a job; Congress obviously feels that way.

But I am straying from the text of the intended article before I even write the first word of it. The article that I have in mind and will share with you has to do with the highway bill, the effort to defund Planned Parenthood, and what appears to have become a regularly employed tactic in the Republican strategy to regain the Whitehouse in 2016. Even if this tactic has long been among those in the Republican arsenal, it has been used extensively since the election of President Obama.

As congress prepares to go on vacation – and you already know how I feel about that, they kicked the can down the road by passing a 3-month highway bill. Although they have not passed a long-term bill since 2005 they just could not find time to get that done because they have been too busy for a long time now with other things like considering another vote on repealing Obamacare and defunding Planned Parenthood. They have also been busy with other stuff like slamming the Obama Administrations Nuclear deal with Iran and working to figure out a strategy as to how they can block it.

Since I have now mentioned the word strategy I will talk about this strategy that is being used by elected Republicans throughout the country that is unworthy of its place in the Party and among conservative Republicans everywhere. It is an underhanded, sleazy and unnecessary tactic that would leave the Republican Party better off if they excised and destroyed it immediately.

The tactic that I am referring to has been used in the past and is still being used in an effort to get Republicans elected over Democrats. And now, it is being used in an effort to defund Planned Parenthood. This tactic has to do with how the Republican Party is going about getting their way with the American people and, thereby, in American politics.

For example, in their effort to assure that as many Republicans as possible will be elected in 2016 Republicans have resorted to working to either obstruct or block the ability to vote of those who statistically normally vote for Democrats. They have chosen to do this instead of taking their message of how they believe the country should be run, which they believe would make it better off now and in the future, to the American people. Perhaps they have chosen this approach because they are concerned that to do things the right way would take too long and would, therefore, put America in imminent danger.

They are doing the same thing where Planned Parenthood is concerned. It is obvious that they are pro-life and there is nothing wrong with that. But instead of taking their message to the American people and working to convince them that abortion should be outlawed in American society, in order to get their way, Republicans have resorted to siding with those who would use underhanded methods and scare tactics.

Those who produced the videos that prompted congress to submit a bill to defund Planned Parenthood are not just trying to prevent Planned Parenthood from assisting in any way with abortions; they are trying to destroy this organization. Allegedly, the people who produced these videos are some of the same people who played a major role in the destruction of ACORN.

Come on Republican Party and Republican leaders, you are better than this. You have entirely too much to offer this country to allow this kind of approach to governance to destroy your Party! America needs you! Sure, it might take longer to get your message across, once again become a worthy opponent to Democrats and make a comeback but you can do it. There is no doubt that you will have to build a bigger and more inclusive tent but you can do that too.

Why don’t you get back to the good old days when you were truly the Grand Ole Party and honestly gave the Democrats a run for their Money? I must admit that back then, Republicans had some real good ideas; some of which were even better than those of Democrats: Republicans, don’t tell any Democrats that I said that.

But those were times when America was really thriving. Sure, we had our spats but everything usually worked out in the best interest of America. So come on Republicans, get rid of this cancerous tactic, get it together and put up your dukes! I think we (Democrats) can take you.

Eulus Dennis