Are conservatives the Republican’s gays? I’m serious. Just this week the Dems introduced legislation in the House and the Senate to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. They know that this has absolutely no chance of passing. None. But they’re doing it because they have to appease the homosexual activists in order to mobilize them for the 2012 election.

But this kind of pandering isn’t just a Dem thing. The Republicans are treating conservatives just like the Dems are treating the gays.

The Republicans in the House voted recently to defund Planned Parenthood knowing that there was no chance it would pass the Senate. But they thought that would ameliorate us. They’d point to the bill’s failure in the Senate as evidence you need to vote Republican so they can take back the Senate. But here’s the thing -if the Republicans were serious about defunding Planned Parenthood they would’ve included it in the continuing resolution. And then it’s up to Obama to sign it or the government shuts down. But the Republicans didn’t do it because they aren’t yet serious about defunding Planned Parenthood.

In a similar way, the Republicans voted today to prohibit federal funds going to National Public Radio. This was completely a show with no substance. And believe it or not it’s even more a slap in the face of conservatives because it would’ve been so easily accomplished. Let’s face it, if they included the defunding of NPR in the continuing resolution do you honestly believe there’s a chance that Obama would refuse to sign it and shut down the government over NPR funding? There’s no way. It would’ve been an easy almost risk-free push.

I applaud those Republicans who are standing against this milquetoast approach but much of the GOP is treating conservatives just like the Dems are treating the gays. They’re pretending to push on the issues we care about but in reality little has changed from past years where they placated us. They need us for 2012 and are intent on doing just enough to ensure that we show up in 2012. And until they believe we won’t show up in 2012 they’re going to continue doing the same thing over and over and over.