House GOP In A Bind On Violence Against Women Act

Once again, House Republicans are in a predicament on the Violence Against Women Act. The legislation, aimed at combating domestic abuse, is political dynamite with women voters, and for that reason GOP leaders desperately want the issue off the table. But they can’t figure out how to make that happen now any more than they could last year, during an election.

House GOP leaders find themselves unable to appease simultaneously House conservatives and advocates against domestic violence. The two factions are at an impasse on new protections for gays, illegal immigrants and Native American women who suffer from domestic abuse. Anything that placates one side seems to aggravate the other. The legislation House Republicans unveiled Friday came after weeks of trying to resolve that tension, but fell short of the goal.