If all you do is look backward, it probably starts to seem like forward

All of South Carolina's Republican US House members voted not to re-authorize the Violence Against Women Act.

It's easy to fall for the cable news channel next step: imply, or allege outright, that the vote means these members condone- or even get a sick thrill- from the idea of violence against women. Theirs are the ideological arguments that captivate the House GOP Caucus these days.

But the indisputable fact is that VAWA works. It has reduced the levels of violence against women, and given them recourse where before they had little or none.

Some ideas aren't conservative or liberal- they are just ideas that work. Those deserve more support, and improvement.

It's just disappointing, time and time again, seeing South Carolina's elected reps line up in lockstep behind the most retrograde positions possible.