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As Steve Benen noted, when politicians get caught accidentally telling the truth the "unexpected candor can be revealing." I'd say that's putting it lightly in this case. Here's more from Blue Girl that sent him the tip on this. They are setting up tragedies and they know it, but they Just. Don't. Care.:
I can not, for the life of me, figure out why any lawmaker gleefully pursues legislation that will, if enacted, most certainly result in suffering, death and heartache for someone who lives in their district -- unless they are just so craven and venal that human life is expendable if it is lost in the service of pissing off liberals. I am honestly starting to believe that today's republicans have devolved that far, to the point that "pissing off liberals" is the only stimulus to which they can muster a response.
Go read the rest but here's more from the Des Moines Register -- House Republican, caught on tape, jokes of ‘give a handgun to a schizophrenic bill’:
A snafu during a legislative debate where a microphone was turned on captured banter between two Iowa GOP leaders, who also joked about a “give-a-handgun-to-a-schizophrenic bill.”
Republicans this week revived a proposal that would allow Iowans to carry weapons in public without permission from a sheriff, without background checks and without training requirements.
The legislation, House Study bill 219, is known as “Alaska carry,” which is law in Alaska, Arizona, Vermont and Wyoming. Rep. Erik Helland, R-Johnston, is listed as one of the three legislators on a subcommittee assigned the bill.
Helland is the House majority whip. Rep. Jeff Kaufmann, R-Wilton, who made the schizophrenic remark, is the speaker pro tem. Also in the conversation is Rep. Steve Lukan, R-New Vienna who is also an assistant majority leader.
The conversation begins with jokes between the members that they’re going to pull Rep. Ron Jorgenson, R-Sioux City, from leading debate on House File 525, a controversial union collective bargaining bill. Debate halted for more than two hours because of a technical issue that the representatives joked was Jorgenson’s fault. [...]
Here’s the conversation: The audio can be found here at around the 1 hour and 1 minute mark:
Rep. Dave Deyoe, R-Nevada, explains the problem.
Rep. Jeff Kaufmann, R-Wilton: I bet nobody’s told poor Jorgenson.
Rep. Steve Lukan, R-New Vienna: I told him this is all his own fault.
Kaufmann: Tell him it’s his fault and we don’t appreciate anything that he’s done up to this point.
Lukan: Damnit, Ron, we’re going to yank you off this bill.
Kaufmann: Ya, the hell with you. You haven’t been doing jack s—.
Rep. Erik Helland, R-Johnston: What?
Kaufmann: Jorgenson, we’re yanking him off the bill. The hell with him. He hasn’t been doing anything.
Lukan: He should have seen this coming.
Helland: You know what that means? It means I’m going to end up stuck with the bill?
Kaufmann: Sounds like you’re getting out of the Alaska bill.
Helland: Oh yeah, I’m getting out of it after I end up on a blog.
Lukan: The Alaska bill – what’s the Alaska bill?
Helland. I’m the dirty hatchet man for the caucus. Something nobody wants to do. Some dirty, nasty job. I’m the one who gets dropped in you know why, ’cause I’m expendable.
Kaufmann: The crazy, give-a-handgun-to-a-schizophrenic bill.
Off camera: His microphone is on.
Microphone goes dead.
