A House that’s stuck in the 1950’s

The House of Representatives doesn’t represent America as it really is today, said Timothy Egan. The Republican-controlled House governs a “fantasy nation created in talk-radio land,” where black and gay people don’t exist, women remain subservient, and all gun-safety legislation is a step toward tyranny. Thanks to strategic redrawing of districts, Republicans managed to maintain a 33-seat advantage in the House in the 2012 elections, despite collectively getting 1.4 million fewer votes than Democrats. As America becomes more diverse, House Republicans barricade themselves in homogenous red-state districts where extremism is no vice. Of 41 blacks in the House, zero are Republicans. Of 34 Latinos, just seven are Republicans. Of seven openly gay and bisexual members, none are from the GOP Just 8 percent of Republican members are women. This retrograde GOP boys’ club is “comically out of step,” emphatically opposing commonsense legislation supported by a large majority of Americans, from universal background checks for gun sales to immigration reform. In their parallel universe, democracy is dangerous, and obstruction is the only goal.