Get ready for it. Come November 13, industry groups, corporations and the politicians that represent them will likely throw everything they’ve got into pushing the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act through the House.
Here’s why:
Congress is in recess right now. Lawmakers are back home baby kissin’ and getting ready for the November 7 general elections. They’ll come back on November 13, but some lawmakers will be coming back with their tails between their legs.
That could be bad news for industry groups hoping to get their “eco-terrorism” wish list in time for the holidays. Iraq, the Foley scandal, domestic spying, and a host of other issues have put Republicans on the defensive. For some of them, it looks grim.
On top of that, 2 of the 44 cosponsors for the House legislation have found themselves in Roll Call’s list of the top 10 most vulnerable House incumbents. Chris Chocola, from Indiana, and Curt Weldon, from Pennsylvania, are numbers five and six respectively on that list.
If the Democrats regain control of the House, it might help some of them find the courage to stand up to these corporate lobbyists and reject the labeling of activists as “terrorists.” I wouldn’t put too much faith in the Democrats, though. Not one spoke up against AETA in the Senate, and they’ve had no guts on any of the other civil liberties battles. But the prospects of defeating this bill in a Republican-controlled Congress are even more grim.
If the Dems take it, industry groups will have to kick the scare-mongering into overdrive: they’ll have the week of the 13th to push this legislation through, then Congress has two weeks off for Thanksgiving, and then lawmakers will have only a few weeks to wrap up remaining business. Newly elected officials would take office in January.
It’s going to take some sweet talking, or brute force, to get this bill through the lame duck. At this point the best strategy for defeating this legislation is not to defeat it, but to stall. There are many important issues pending before Congress in these last few weeks of the session. Labeling activists as “terrorists” to protect corporate profits and win cheap political points shouldn’t be one of them.