Kay Granger tries to explain House GOP political backpedal

Fort Worth Republican Congresswoman Kay Granger valiantly but unsuccessfully tries to explain to pull the wool over the eyes of voters why the GOP agenda is vegetarian this year.

Where is the missing (so far) red meat of guns, God, flag-burnings and abortion? Heck, the GOP hasn’t (so far) even jumped on the California Supreme Court gay marriage ruling.

Here’s Texas’ Little Kay (as opposed to LaPorte’s Cheerleader Kay):

“This may not be the family agenda you expected from Republicans,’’ said Rep. Kay Granger , R-Texas, who was in charge of formulating the “American Families Agenda,’’ the first part of the party’s “Change You Deserve’’ 2008 platform. “It is a change. In the past, the Republican agenda for families was about social issues. This is more straight-forward, talking to families where they are, not where you want them to be.’’

To the degree this is a real shift, rather than eye candy, or bait-and-switch, it’s true that it’s made more difficult by social conservatives diffidence, skepticism or worse toward John McCain.

Speaking of that, not all of Texas’ GOP Congressional delegation is down with the soft shoe. Jeb Hensarling wants some artery-clogging USDA Prime red meat on his plate:

Hensarling , leader of the conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC), said there’s no concern about where Republican leaders stand. “We are the family party, for heavens’ sake. I have no fear on that score,’’ said Hensarling, whose group of more than 100 conservatives is the largest bloc in the House GOP caucus.

Hensarling has called a special meeting of the RSC for midday Tuesday to discuss “how best to go forward and define House Republicans’’ and keep conservative issues center stage. On Friday, he sent out a memo appealing to members to return from their districts in time to attend the session.

Will Granger, if she crashes the party, and Hensarling get into it? Could be fun to be a fly on that wall.