Everything Republicans Are Mad About Is Entirely Imaginary

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

https://www.wonkette.com/republicans-mad-at-own-imaginations

Every once in a while it occurs to me that I am very frequently stuck writing the same thing over and over again. One of those things is "Republicans Mad At Thing They Made Up Themselves." In fact, it has occurred to me at this point that I cannot think of a single real thing that the Right has been truly mad about in the last decade at least. I can't even think of a policy they didn't like based on a thing it was actually going to do.

I'm not talking just the wacky conspiracy theories, the QAnon, the Pizzagate, the Great Replacement, Satanic Panic — I'm talking the regular-ass, mainstream (whatever can even be called mainstream these days) Republican crap. It's literally all made up. They do not have a single position on any issue that is not at least partly fiction.

The thing that just really made this click for me at this particular moment in time is the very casual nature with which they are now insisting that not only is "abortion up until the moment of birth" a thing, but that abortion after birth is a thing as well.

Right now there is a Fox News article up on Yahoo.com (which aggregates stories from various sources) that is literally titled "Arizona Dem gov nominee Katie Hobbs appears to support abortion up to birth." It is not labeled as an opinion article and in fact, beneath the article it even says The Associated Press contributed to this report. This is a lot more prominent than the tiny Fox News icon at the beginning of the article, by the way.

They are claiming Hobbs "appears to support abortion up to birth" because Hobbs said during an appearance on "Face the Nation" that abortion, like all medical decisions, is a choice that should be made between patient and doctor. Perhaps just to be clear, she should have said that no, she would not support it if someone were to go through nine months of pregnancy only for the doctor to just stab the baby in its head as it is coming down the birth canal, but given that this is not a problem that currently exists, that is not a place a normal person's mind is going to go. The Roe standard — what the Supreme Court said states had to allow, before the Supreme Court tooketh away — has always been abortion must be permitted until a fetus is "viable," or able to survive outside the womb, or after that if it is necessary save the life of the mother. Perhaps if they were so very worried about people going out en masse and having "day before birth abortions," they should have kept Roe on the books.

*snip*

[Wounded Bear]

1. Ah yes, let's reprise the old "late term abortion" "debate"...

[Hugh_Lebowski]

2. I've had arguments here on DU with women who literally want 0 restrictions at any point

Because 'bodily autonomy' must be wholly unfettered.

I suppose it's a position that can be argued for, but it's not one many people would agree with, nor do I.

And I don't even like babies

[Wounded Bear]

4. OK, I'll indulge a bit. Specifically, on late term abortions.

1. Getting one without strong medical reasons involving saving the mother's life will probably be difficult to do with any reputable doctor. I choose to rely on medical ethics rather than legal resttrictions.

2. By the time the fetus is "late term" one can assume that the mother has already made her decision to carry the fetus to term.

3. Outlawing abortion in Roe v Wade terms will probably lead to more women desiring late term abortions, especially those women who have been inseminated through rape or incest ("involuntary" pregnancies). I imagine the emotional pressures involved there would be really difficult to bear.

So, IMHO legal restrictions on "late term abortion" would be unnecessary and mostly onerous.

Wealthy folks will get what they want and are willing to pay for, those in the lower classes will suffer the consequences.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

5. I made the first point numerous times in these discussions (nt)

[Effete Snob]

6. .

[Effete Snob]

8. What is your problem?

You were probably talking to trolls.

There are people who adopt extreme and ridiculous positions simply to point at their posts elsewhere as examples of how far out there DUers are.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

9. I assumed you were calling me one, if not, my bad (nt)

[Farmer-Rick]

20. Yes, this: bodily autonomy must be wholly unfettered

Legally, Bodily Autonomy is completely unfettered for American men. Why should American women be forced to use their bodies against their will?

No wonder you get into arguments.

But I can understand why some people feel those fetuses are cute little babies because the forced birthers have been hard at work trying to make them look human; even the little fetuses that have weird fish tails, gill slits and webbed hands.

But what exactly is late term abortion? It is NOT a medical term. It's just simply a political construct, a religious inspired construct, with no medical science to support the term.

If a woman wants an abortion late into her pregnancy, then a doctor should be consulted not some rigid Holy Court rule book filled with religious and political nonsense. I bet if you asked most of those GOPers who want to control all wombs where exactly is the womb located they couldn't tell you. Yet, they could tell you what and how women should use them.

I really think we need to give women back ALL their bodily autonomy just like men get all theirs. And then if an issue about abortion pass the 25th week comes up, then let doctors, psychiatrists, the pregnant woman and her family make the decision. Don't pass arbitrary laws that have no real meaning in science, then expect rigid compliance come hell or high water.

What if there are deadly deformities that will kill the fetus if it's born? Should the fetus remain in the womb forever? To keep it from dying? What if the woman will die if forced to birth and a C section is impossible? What if, what if, what if.

All those "what ifs" is why you don't set rigid legal controls on women's wombs inspired by religious nonsense as your go to guide during pregnancy.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

22. Going back to Roe, with it's 24-week limit absent danger to life of mother

or terrible deformities is a political WINNER. Most people agree.

Advocating for not only that, but ALSO abortion-at-will until 8 months 29 days?

That's a political loser. Most people don't agree.

That's my counter-argument in a nutshell.

If it were up to me, fact is, I don't even like babies. Terminate them at will prior to actual birth.

Similarly, mine is also not a politically-winning position

[Farmer-Rick]

23. Yea, most people are so use to seeing women as these baby vessels and not adult humans

That they don't realize the failure of even Roe to address women's bodily autonomy issues. People who are abused are thrilled when given just a little less pain and suffering. Some even embrace the pain and suffering and internalize the misogyny.

It's just so crazy that we think we should tell women when to birth, what to birth and how to birth. It's just a sad statement on how women are 2nd class citizens in 2022. We can't trust you with that womb so we are going to pass laws about it.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

24. I suppose it has something to do with the idea that a 'viable fetus' is actually a human being

an idea that, it seems, a majority of people hold.

Again personally I don't give a crap about fetuses. I'd like to see a mandatory 15 year GLOBAL moratorium on 'giving birth', I think it'd be the most genius thing humanity has ever done. And I'd like to see women leading this charge to save the planet from overpopulation, pollution, ocean degradation, climate change, and all the other problems this world faces because there's too many of us.

Kind of a Handmaid's Tale, but exactly reversed

[MagickMuffin]

3. Sorry but that ISN'T a late term abortion, but instead a Live BIRTH

Can’t even begin to believe this morons are pushing this manufactured outrage. But they cater to stupid people so I’m almost certain they believe this nonsense!

[Gaugamela]

10. This article makes an excellent point (and it's not about late term abortions).

As the title states, everything republicans get mad about or use as arguments against policy are entirely made up by them.

In my opinion, the reason is this: Republicans are anarchists and nihilists. They literally believe in nothing except the accumulation of wealth, power, and status. Consequently, everything they do is an attempt to disrupt the working of government. The only thing they do is seek to dismantle government programs and institutions, either directly, or by massive tax cuts which have the purpose of “starving the beast”.

Why? Because Republicans think the world should be run by oligarchic crime lords and mob bosses, who should be allowed to get away with anything, at least until another crime lord shoves him out the window. They think King of the Hill is how their god designed the universe.

[elleng]

11. LIE LIE LIE LIE LIE

[LymphocyteLover]

12. Why I use the hashtag #GOPLiesAboutEverything on twitter a LOT

[McKim]

13. Chaos, Upset, Anger, Drama!

Chaos, upset, anger and drama are exciting. Rationality, good government are not. Republican’s goal is to destroy government and public education and to cut taxes and regulations on the privileged corporations and to use our army to keep the world safe for international business and resource extraction. People don’t matter except as consumers and worker bees.

[Jimvanhise]

14. TRUMP MADE THIS SAME CLAIM

On camera, Trump would claim that a baby could be aborted even moments after it was born. No matter how many times this was disputed, he kept saying it.

[mike_c]

15. the GOP has become the party of permanent grievance, disaffection, and culture war.

An entire American sub-population is irredeemably so attached to their grievances and disaffection that nothing can shake their attachment. No amount of appeasement is sufficient to overcome their disaffection, which has come to define them. Without it they are rudderless. Contrary truths will never sway them because they dismiss them out of hand. Only their grievances are important, they define their community and sense of tribalism.

[wnylib]

19. In other words, they are a party of whiners.

[Snackshack]

16. That's because...

The GOPs method of government requires that there must be a boogie man somewhere that the gop needs to smite. The people must be afraid of something to be controlled. It was for decades that Russia was the big bad bear then Russia failed and it became the big bad terrorist that train in caves that we needed to fear. That fucking color code bullshit system after 9/11 was pure molly for the gop. Today is “orange” possibly turning to “red” based on no real threat but we sure fell for it. Can’t remember how many people taped their windows up after that disaster press conference with Tom ridge that day…

Fear is ALL the GOP has. 1st they make you afraid of something and once that is done they can pretty much do as they please because if you do speak up and push back then you are labeled unpatriotic or a traitor. Niccoló Machiavelli would be pleased with the gop.

[CaptainTruth]

17. But there are woke caravans of antifa immigrants at the border armed with WMDs from Iraq...

...who want to groom our children!

It's all real, Fox News told me so!!!

[CaptainTruth]

18. The rich & powerful right-wing propaganda machine invents these "threats"...

...& then uses them to manipulate & control their target audience.

It's all about using the fear of imaginary "threats" to emotionally manipulate gullible people.

Sadly, those being fooled & used & manipulated usually seem to be unable to see how they're being fooled & used & manipulated, & they fall for it over & over again.

[LiberalLovinLug]

21. Bookmarking this! Great article. Sums up Republican duplicity in a nutshell

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