In Case You Missed This... 'Dems Twist Knife In Birth Control Fight - Greg Sargent/WaPo

[WillyT]

Dems twist knife in birth control fight
By Greg Sargent - WaPo
Posted at 02:58 PM ET, 03/08/2012

<snip>

Senate Democrats believe they have Republicans boxed in. They think the push for the Blunt amendment and Rush Limbaugh’s attacks on Sandra Fluke are damaging Republicans among key swing constituencies — women and independents — and that Republicans would like this whole battle to go away.

But Republicans can’t put this behind them, Dems believe, because the conservative base is still itching for this fight to continue.

Today, in an effort to exacerbate this dynamic, all dozen female Democratic Senators will call on House Republicans to drop this battle once and for all.

In a letter to Speaker John Boehner — which was sent my way by a source — the 12 female Senate Dems, led by Patty Murray, are demanding that he drop his promise to hold a vote on the House version of the Blunt amendment, which has over 200 Republicans co-sponsors.

The letter from the female Senators — which is timed to International Women’s Day — asks Boehner to pledge not to move any more birth-control-related legislation in the House.

...

Here’s the letter:

<snip>

More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/dems-twist-knife-in-birth-control-fight/2012/03/08/gIQANWVazR_blog.html#pagebreak

[Quantess]

1. If republicans are smart, they will lay off the contraception fight.

Are republicans smart? No more like, how dumb are they? If they keep it up they are really dumb.

They don't take women seriously, so they have been underestimating the backlash.

[annabanana]

17. They CAN'T!.. That's the beauty of it!. . . . .n/t

[rhett o rick]

20. "If the republicans were smart" they might do a lot of sensible things.

Their minds are too narrow.

[11 Bravo]

24. "If Republicans are smart?" Yup, and if your aunt had balls, she'd be your uncle.

[Kalidurga]

2. We need to take this issue and run with it.

I would rather it be other issues, because this issue of whether we should be fair or not shouldn't even be on the table. But, since it is and since it is a huge distraction from other problems lets run with it. Then maybe just maybe we can focus on the economy, national security (removing troops from the 100 plus countries they are in so they can protect us here), foreign policy(we should stop letting corporations use slave labor), and making the world a fairer place.

[calimary]

13. Agreed, but this issue is SO personal. To more than 50% of the planet if I'm not mistaken.

I'd rather it be other issues too because dammit, this was settled! We've already been through this! WHY are we having to defend it yet again?

But it's more than simply a wedge issue. To women everywhere, it's absolutely vital! It intrudes into only just THE most personal and private and intimate parts of the female human's body. What most of this legislation supports and demands is in many cases a LITERAL assault on one's physical person forcryingoutloud! For me, this is an absolute, flat-out non-negotiable. MY rights, MY right to have the last word on what happens to MY body, is an absolute. To some it's a side issue. To me, I'm afraid everything starts from that. It's the first level of "Sorting Hat" for me. If they're pro-choice, then we proceed. If they're anti-choice, they're automatically eliminated. Yes, unemployment and poverty are priorities. No debate there. Yes, eliminating war and changing course away from our long history of predatory international imperialism and aggression. Yes, if we're talking morals we damn well better walk the walk, and that means moral business practices domestically AND overseas. Major, high-priority issues all! No debate there, either. But for me, it all starts and ends with the candidate's stand on a woman's right to choose. If a woman is not master of her own body forcryingoutloud, how can she possibly be master of her future - for herself and her family if she has one?

At least in this climate, what's being talked about most is how outrageously disgraceful and offensive the republi-CON policy hard-on is, and how - IRRELEVANT how religious they are - we will NOT be dragged back to the 1950s, or as santorum recently mentioned, 1860. Or farther back than even that. They will NOT turn time back. That isn't possible, and not even an option. I am comforted to see what a huge backlash has been created - against the GOP and in support of the positions Democrats have taken on this issue. It's nice to know the whole country hasn't gone frickin pre-Cambrian on us. Just 30 - 40 %, it appears. The majority REMAINS on our side, though, and has been with us for a long time.

[Quantess]

18. Men who think that women need to listen to *their* wisdom on this issue

are THE most clueless, arrogant fuckwads on the planet.

It gets a visceral reaction from women, the same as if an unwanted hand is reaching into your crotch.

[calimary]

22. Yeah, but this is worse. It's an unwanted GOVERNMENT reaching into your crotch.

How many hands is THAT? Dear God!!!

Damn straight it's visceral!

It's a freakin' OUTRAGE!!!

When they say they want their country "back," how far back is that? How far back is enough? The 1950s? santorum mentioned the year 1860 recently (as in - "this is the most critical election for America since the year 1860"!). Or maybe that's not far back enough - how 'bout the 1600s, when the boat people from Europe started landing here, many of them Puritans whose curse we bear to this day? Or maybe that's even a little too soon for ol' rick sanctimonium. Maybe he's shooting for the 1200s or 1300s. Certainly before the Age of Enlightenment. Or perhaps back to the late Bronze Age where many of the Old Testament stories were originated? Gee - I'd love to be forced, in this day and age, to follow the dictates of an ancient game of "Telephone." Oral traditions handed down from a bunch of illliterate nomads and sheep herders. Like Leviticus and company. Yes, I'd sure love to find out how and when it's proper to sell my daughter into slavery. Yeah, that's the ticket!!!


http://www.bibleorigins.net/leviticusarchaeoanomalies.html

http://www.bibleorigins.net/ExodusTimnaSerabitelKhadim.html

[JDPriestly]

3. I drove through the heart of Los Angeles and westward this morning,

and I asked myself as I looked out over neighborhoods that once had grassy lawns and clean air and quiet streets and thought about what overpopulation has brought to our sprawling city: acres of cement, dusty, dirty, polluted air and so much noise that it shakes your bones.

Then I asked myself, "Do these anti-abortion, anti-birth-control neanderthals living in the Midwest and in the South know how they will live if their campaign to overpopulate the earth with humans succeeds?"

Many areas of LA are still quite livable including, thus far, my own. But the density and sprawl and all the bad stuff that accompanies those things is spreading. It could become almost unlivable in just a matter of years if the population grows without check.

And quite frankly, the earth cannot feed an unlimited number of humans.

I was thinking this morning about the fact that the earth does not really belong to humans. It belongs to a lot of living beings. We have to share it. The Fundamentalists do not seem to understand that basic fact of nature. We cannot live on this earth all by ourselves. We have to leave some room for other creatures.

[Moonwalk]

7. They're not going to overpopulate! They've got promise rings to keep them....

...chaste before marriage, and aspirins between the knees to keep them chaste after marriage

[Quantess]

8. But they're not worried. Rapture will carry them to Jesus soon.

Armageddon is coming anyway, so screw the earth.

[madrchsod]

9. every state in this country has anti-abortion-birth control neanderthals....

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. The ones in my state are transplants from California!!

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

21. They simply don't care about overpopulation.

To them each mouth is another business opportunity.
Unsustainable is not in their vocabulary.
I fear that the earth might be in a slow downward spiral, with humans becoming a failed species.
Unwilling or unable to change for our own good.

[HockeyMom]

4. The more states Pope Richardus wins

the LESS the Republicans can make the issue go away. The POPE OF THE USA!!!!!!

[Downtown Hound]

5. Good for the Dems

Too often in the past, they've let opportunities like this slip by.

Take that knife, twist it, turn it, kick 'em in the knee, put 'em down, and then pummel the living hell out of 'em. It's war. Make 'em feel it. Send 'em home with their faces bloodied and bruised and broken, and holding their teeth in their hands.

I mean all this metaphorically speaking, of course.

[WillyT]

6. Well Of Course...

[alfredo]

14. Make them eat quiche.

[longship]

10. Prospect for front page?

R&K

[Vogon_Glory]

11. What? Democrats Aren't Playing Bi-partisan Patty-cake With The Rethuglies?

What? Democrats aren't playing bipartisan patty-cake with the Rethuglies?

Good! Not only good, but excellent! It's high time that members of the Democratic Party stand up to the right-wing extremists who control the GOP and the politicians that pander to them.

I see no reason to apologize for "twisting the knife," either. I remember one Rethugly in particular--Grover Norqist--claiming that bipartisanship is an invitation to date rape. If that's the way the Rethuglies want to play the game, I have no objection to Democratic women responding to such GOP stuff by going Lorena Bobbett on them.

The Rethuglies set up the game, they threw out the rule-book, and now they (and the chumps in the lame-stream corporate media) are whining that Democrats aren't playing nice with them. It's their situation, they co-created it, and now they get to deal with it!

[alfredo]

15. Give em enough rope...

[socialindependocrat]

16. If they aren't going to be productive for the rest of the year

Then we may as well push their faces in a lot of enbarassing stuff between now and the election.

Push them until the repugs with common sense kneel down and beg the teabaggers to stop. Make them so scared they cry for help.

[saras]

19. One of the stupidest, most offensive titles I've seen since someone last quoted Limbaugh

How about "Dems rape and plunder innocent Republican women in birth control battle"?

[hifiguy]

23. The pukes decided to run with this issue

and now can't get away from it. They have picked up, metaphorically speaking, a revolver with all the chambers loaded, and now they have to play Russian Roulette with it. Either they piss off millions of women or their religulously psychotic base. The perfect definition of a lose-lose.