Most reasonable American humans not somehow involved in real, non-envelope-stuffing way (stuffing envelopes is the bullshittiest campaign volunteering anyone can do) with the current political proceedings would probably agree that the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act is at the very least a step in the right direction when it comes to pay equity. That should be a bare minimum concession that stumping members of the GOP should either make quietly or try very adroitly to dodge, but desperation can breed ugly recklessness in people, people like sincere social conservative politicians, athletes named Michael Vick, drivers who’ve watched one too many of the Fast and Furious iterations and seriously consider fleeing a state trooper that threatens to pull them over for speeding, and, as of this morning, Marco Rubio.
Rubio, acting in his capacity as a surrogate for the twelve cats named Mittens running for president in an occasionally-malfunctioning human suit, told anyone who wakes up to watch Meet the Press Sunday morning that the Lilly Ledbetter Act is, like, whatever. After a big eye roll, Rubio further explained why he is no lover of the legislation:
I think anyone who is working out there any making a living – if you’re the most qualified person for the job, you should be able to get paid, you should get paid as much as your male counterpart. Everyone agrees with that principle. But just because they call a piece of legislation an equal pay bill doesn’t make it so. In fact, much of this legislation is, in many respects, nothing but an effort to help trial lawyers collect their fees and file lawsuits, which may not contribute at all whatsoever to increasing pay equity in the workplace.
Salon accuses Rubio of performing the old conservative dodge of dismissing anti-discrimination lawsuits merely as legal slop dumped into the trough that trial attorneys feed from. Rubio may have accidentally made a good point, however, which is that we still haven’t closed the gender pay gap, and, helpful as a piece of legislation like Lilly Ledbetter may be, we can nevertheless do better. Maybe that’s what Rubio was really trying to say…then again, maybe the Mittens Dozen wouldn’t immediately decree that all dogs be sent to Canada and give each home a four-pound monthly stipend of smoked salmon, much to the bemusement of Republican voters.
Sunday best: Marco Rubio blasts the Lilly Ledbetter fair pay act [Salon]