If the recent actions of the House of Representatives are a clue, the Republican Party has not learned a single thing from the 2012 election.

How did the 113th Congress kick off the festivities in 2013? With Representative Michele Bachmann introducing a bill to repeal Obamacare, making this the 34th time the House has voted to repeal (a portion or the entirety of) healthcare reform.

Leading up to this, the House was incredibly busy doing… well, nothing helpful.

When House Speaker Boehner wasn’t acting like a castmate on The Jersey Shore, House Republicans blocked a vote for a $60 billion dollar relief package for Hurricane Sandy victims, bringing the fury of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. “It’s seven times longer than they had to wait after Hurricane Katrina that we’ve had to wait for significant federal aid.” A frustrated Governor Christie explained to a group of local residents.

House Republicans took issue with extra spending attached to the $60 billion dollar package. Including funding for fishery disaster relief, which was requested by Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski… a Republican.

The GOP eventually passed a version of the relief bill for $9 billion dollars, which 67 Republicans voted against. What kind of soulless cretin do you have to be to not support relief for hurricane victims? The same kind that would fail to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act.

The VAWA:

• Strengthened federal penalties against repeat sex offenders.
• Introduced the “Rape Shield Law,” which was intended to prohibit offenders from using the victims’ past sexual conduct against them during trial.
• Insured a victim’s protection order was recognized and enforced in all tribal, state, and territorial jurisdictions within the United States.
• Provided funds for training over 500,000 law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges and other personnel.
• Established the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

The House Republicans clearly took issue with the fact the Senate-approved version of the VAWA extended protections to women on tribal reservations, of immigrant status and members of the LGBT community. In May, the House version of the Act stripped all of these groups of the protections provided by the VAWA.

In one of the 112th Congress’ final inactions, the House Republicans allowed the Act to expire for the first time since it was enacted in 1994. The GOP is going a long way to gain back the female vote.

The Congressional Republicans are on a roll, considering it was just last month the Senate Republicans blocked the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The lack of empathy by the GOP is no longer surprising; it’s dangerous. The majority of Republicans, blinded by their discrimination for the LGBT community, has now lessened protective laws for all of the nation’s women.

Democratic Senator Patty Murray has vowed to bring the Act before Congress again this year.

By the way, this is what a soulless cretin looks like:

The former GOP Vice Presidential candidate voted against the $9 billion dollar Sandy relief bill and failed to reauthorize the VAWA.

Good luck in 2016, chucklehead.