Sunday Roundup

This week, as Linsanity continued to grip the NBA, the old fashioned kind of madness dominated the political debate as the GOP continued to press its self-destructive battle over birth control. Who could have predicted that Republicans would want to make the 2012 election about uteruses instead of the economy? So we got the spectacle of a GOP-led House hearing on contraception that didn't have any women on the panel, and were treated to Santorum supporter Foster Friess' nostalgic longing for the days when "gals" used to put Bayer aspirin between their knees for contraception. In 2008, Obama and McCain basically split the male vote. But Obama got 56 percent of the women's vote, and 70 percent of unmarried women. Now maybe the GOP knows something the rest of us don't, but I'm guessing that a war against women's sexual and reproductive freedom is not a winning 2012 strategy. Could President Obama -- still presiding over high unemployment and millions of foreclosures -- be the luckiest man on earth?

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Comments

[Robert J. Feldman]

12:07 AM on 02/20/2012

MEN TALKING ABOUT UTERUSES!

Isn't it high time we had some input from Leaders on the Distaff side?

That is why we urge Arianna for President in 2016!

[mazzo]

11:05 PM on 02/19/2012

Never mind jobs. What economy? The housing bubble what?

According to the GOP, the biggest issue in this nation is either gay marriage or my uterus.

And what does their message say to ME specifically? They're saying I shouldn't be covered for birth control pills even though I use it for my endometriosis and NOT for the prevention of pregnancy. They're telling me that because it's against THEIR religion (not mine), they will impose their own will and make it more difficult to get the much needed medication to help my disorder. They're telling me that my gay friends and sister-in-law don't deserve the happiness of marrying their partners.

Yes, the GOP is VERY busy telling me what's important. Too bad most of us are still worried about REAL issues, you know, the ones the GOP refuse to discuss and instead divert attention away from...

JOBS and the ECONOMY!

[mazzo]

10:50 PM on 02/19/2012

There are more women than men (51%), so when you opt to NOT invite a SINGLE woman to the table to discuss a FEMALE issue, ya, I'd say that's not winning you any female votes.

But heh, let the dumb-get-dumber with this kind of mentality. Go ahead GOPartiers, and make the election ALL about our uterus', and we'll just see how that works out for you!

Good thing the GOP hasn't shown themselves to be too bright in math.

[akakman2001]

11:30 PM on 02/19/2012

Again, this is not a FEMALE issue. It is a religion issue. Whether or not the government can compel a religion to provide something at odds with that religion's long standing moral beliefs. This is not about whether or not women have the right to take birth control. This is about whether or not the Catholic Church must be forced to provide that birth control. Last time I checked, the Church was not the sole provider of birth control pills. It is people like you who are trying to take a RELIGION issue and turn it into a FEMALE issue and that simply is not the case.

[roadtripp]

09:16 PM on 02/19/2012

The Republicans didn't start this. It was George Stephanopolous who first brought up the birth control issue when he asked Romney, apropos of nothing, if Romney would outlaw contraceptives. Followed,right on cue, by Obama and HHS pushing a mandate that would force Catholic-run organizations to offer their employees health insurance that includes "free" contraceptives (and morning-after drugs), in direct contradiction of Catholic teachings. This was a carefully orchestrated campaign strategy on the part of Obama's re-election team, aided by their cronies in the MSM, to draw Republicans into a debate about a hot-button social issue. It's also a red herring in that the real issue isn't contraception, it's First Amendment rights and freedom of religion. I think Obama views it as a killing several birds with one stone: it allows him to obfuscate his anti-religion agenda, it distracts from his economic failures and dishonestly paints Republican candidates as anti-contraception and therefore anti-woman.

[RitaSeiber]

09:37 PM on 02/19/2012

You should open a palm reading business. If Republican candidates are so easily manipulated by Obama organization, then they are dumber than I thought.

[Bridgett Bell]

10:30 PM on 02/19/2012

You said it Rita. How funny! Every time they get into a jam, of their own making they blame Pres. Obama. He really is miles ahead of them in the game. The current GOP reps in office now are just not that smart. And saying that hurts me. I am a firm believer that great things happen when great thinkers meet and work together. Trouble is, the GOP has no great thinkers.

[akakman2001]

10:18 PM on 02/19/2012

Whether or not it was part of some broader liberal strategy, there is no doubt that the Obama administration knew they had a potential winner on this issue. They issue a mandate to the Catholic Church to provide access to something that they have had a long standing moral objection to. Then all they have to do is spin it as a battle against women's rights and the feminists will take up arms. Exactly what has happened.

I wonder what the fallout would have been if the mandate to the Church would be to provide free and unfettered access to condoms to all male students at Catholic institutions. It's exactly the same issue, but because it would involve males instead of females...the story would probably have been covered as it actually was and debated on the proper merits. Nope, all we get is spin and obfuscation.

[ResearchGirl]

01:00 AM on 02/20/2012

You don't know the facts or the law.

[taylor5]

09:11 PM on 02/19/2012

Paying for vasectomies and viagra is fine. But prenatal vitamins and other medical necessities can be declined at the whim of a religious body.

[akakman2001]

10:21 PM on 02/19/2012

Get your facts straight. Catholic institutions won't even perform a vasectomy, much less pay for one. Nor is anyone trying to deny prenatal care. And it would be a serious stretch to infer that contraception qualified as a medical necessity. Yes, I realize that there are few medical conditions that can be treated with birth control hormones but they generally involve quality of life and therefore are not medically "necessary".

[Bloggerrogr]

09:05 PM on 02/19/2012

Arianna~
The Republicans have got NOTHING when it comes to the economy. All of their obstructionism has been for naught; our economy is struggling to right itself, but trends are moving in the right direction and that is key. By the time the elections roll around, our unemployment rate will be back below 8% and still moving downward.
The ONLY thing that the republicans can do is try to deflect attention to the social issues, abortion, LGBT rights, that kind of stuff. Unfortunately for them, as you so aptly pointed out, that means women, gays, blacks, latinos will vote for President Obama. This may not be as big a rout as 2008, but, if the President continues to play it smart, he will be re-elected by a comfortable margin.

FWIW

[DanORants]

11:28 PM on 02/19/2012

Obama accomplished NOTHING in his first two years of presidency. Why is this relevant? The democrats had a majority in congress since 2006. Why is that relevant? Shortly after the republicans took a majority in the house things start to turn around... Coincidence? I bet you think so.

[Grace Engler]

01:33 AM on 02/20/2012

They also had a Repub president who issued more vetoes than any other, hence blocking any good the Democrats tried to do since 2006.

[Klarsonent]

10:22 AM on 02/20/2012

I strongly disagree with your first sentence. President Obama’s Accomplishments:

http://www.thepoliticalcarnival.net/2010/03/president-obamas-accomplishments/

Obama Reduces Deficit By 103.6 Billion . . .

http://www.pensitoreview.com/2010/09/14/obama-reduced-federal-deficit-by-103-6-bil-down-13-from-2009/

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/

Jobs created under Bush Vs. Obama:

http://politicalirony.com/2010/02/06/jobs-lost-bush-v-obama/

[Kevin Harville]

08:43 PM on 02/19/2012

Bill Maher said on Leno the other night that Rick Santorum believes that life begins at erection. I almost fell out of my chair laughing.

[Dave Dave]

07:56 PM on 02/19/2012

So much for jobs, jobs, jobs... and next week we are going to hear how Obama has failed to use big government to control the free market price of gasoline.

[MrJoyboy]

07:11 PM on 02/19/2012

The GOP in Virginia wants to literally get government inside a woman's vagina with an ultrasound probe. Talk about small government!

[akakman2001]

10:08 PM on 02/19/2012

Lies, lies and more lies. Fact of the matter is the Virginia bill has no requirement for a transvaginal ultrasound as you imply. Yes they do want to require women seeking abortion to undergo an ultrasound and both see the fetus and hear the heartbeat. All of the requirements of that bill can be met with a standard trans-ABDOMINAL ultrasound.

But good job with the scare tactics anyway.

[ResearchGirl]

01:02 AM on 02/20/2012

Again, you are simply incorrect.

[number09]

07:04 PM on 02/19/2012

My first thought of SP was VP was that if couldn’t get what he wanted (Lieberman) he would find the worst alternative. He didn’t count on his falling in love with her. The longer this farce goes on, I believe they knew how much the shrub damaged the country. They shot themselves in the foot in 08 and will do it again in 2012. We’ll have the Ds to clean up the mess . . . again.

Let us learn from this folks, until the Rs are on this planet again, let's not reelect them.

[Mac Howard]

06:22 PM on 02/19/2012

You may have noticed, Arianna, there isn't a great deal of intellect in the current GOP debate. Pin-pointing the most effective case against Obama is something of a "pin the tail on the donkey" process.

[rantall]

06:16 PM on 02/19/2012

Oppose and obstruct has been the GOP mantra since 2008! Most of these obstruction efforts have been ludicrous; this is disastrous for the right-wing. You reap what you sow.

[markb3699]

06:48 PM on 02/19/2012

Yep. The right's strategy has been to oppose anything Obama proposes. So he should just continue to propose things that are sane. What then would be the Republican alternative? To propose all things insane.

[tfblack]

05:06 PM on 02/19/2012

Hard to "conceive," but the GOP appears on a course virtually certain to reelect Obama. Given that the languishing economy is the obvious no-brainer issue Republicans should be addressing, one wonders who the geniuses are who call the shots on marketing strategy, historically a strength of the party. Almost four decades since Roe v. Wade decision, and still there are millions in this country -- probably the majority of whom are registered Republicans or right-leaning -- who would deny women control over their own bodies. Maybe we need to re-energize the "feminist movement" in a manner the Occupiers have -- take to the streets.

[ArtLvr911]

04:54 PM on 02/19/2012

ArtLvr -
Santorum is becoming more unhinged by the hour. In one of his more recent rants he declared that President Obama's purpose in providing free prenatal care for all women was to increase the number of abortions, according to a "theology" which he doubts is Christian. In the first place, the enhanced coverage in pregnancy will result in greatly lowered costs to the health system, both in less prolonged hospitalization of premature infants and in reducing hospitalization of mothers with eclampsia. A huge national study by Dartmouth shows that these savings far outweigh the costs of care by 25% or more in health plans with free prenatal care already in place. The second point about the same rant was that Rick Santorum is resorting to the worst of T-party tactics (that's T for Taliban) in implying that Obama is somehow an alien if he does not subscribe to the far right's extremist views including immorality of contraception, personhood of fetuses, etc. As one political observer noted, only one of the hundreds of Santorum's former colleagues has endorsed his candidacy! This is rather striking at this point in his race for the nomination...

[WVGALE]

09:04 PM on 02/19/2012

What the heck ever happened to the "separation of church and state" if Santorum gets in (what a scary thought) they will be one and the same. We're electing a president here, not a pope.

[Klarsonent]

10:30 AM on 02/20/2012

I was thinking the same thing.

[Bridgett Bell]

10:16 PM on 02/19/2012

Hi ArtLvr911,
These GOP candidates are really scary huh?

[Bridgett Bell]

04:44 PM on 02/19/2012

Gosh Arriana, you got it right here. The GOP has the strangest strategies ever. It's very clear that legislative they are no match for President Obama. They have not offered a jobs bill, they didn't want to extend the payroll tax cuts, until they had to, they don't want the rich to pay higher taxes, they have provided no answers to solve the woes of our troubled education system, they have no worthwhile foriegn policy thoughts, but they jump whole hardly on the contraception issue, and mess that up royally. What are they thinking? Their only goal seems to be to ensure that Pres Obama fails. And they can't get that right. My question isn't if President Obama is the luckiest man on earth? My question is, what intelligent person can be a supporter of the GOP?

[Kevin Harville]

08:41 PM on 02/19/2012

Hey Bridgett: Their answer to everything has been "tax cuts for the job creators,' and 'privatise' everything.

[Bridgett Bell]

10:09 PM on 02/19/2012

Hi Kevin. You are right and look where that has gotten them. Thank goodness that Pres Obama and the democrats have fought them hard on that. I find it really troubling that the GOP doesn't seem to have any answers for how to run the country.