Oopsie... 'House G.O.P. Hesitates on Birth Control Fight' - NYT

[WillyT]

House G.O.P. Hesitates on Birth Control Fight
By ROBERT PEAR - NYT
Published: March 16, 2012

<snip>

WASHINGTON — House Republicans, unsure how to proceed, have slowed their efforts to overturn a federal rule requiring employers, including religious institutions, to provide female employees with free health insurance coverage for contraceptives. While most House Republicans still support legislation to broaden the exemption for religious employers, House Republican leaders are carefully reviewing their options on the issue, which Democrats used to political advantage in the Senate.

The goal of House Republicans has not changed, they said, but they worry about further alienating women in this year’s elections. In a speech on the House floor on Feb. 8, Speaker John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio, vowed to block the Obama administration rule because, he said, it would force many religious employers to violate their religious beliefs and moral convictions.

“This attack by the federal government on religious freedom in our country must not stand and will not stand,” Mr. Boehner said then. The Energy and Commerce Committee is “taking the lead” in writing legislation to overturn the president’s policy, Mr. Boehner said then.

On the same day, Representative Fred Upton, Republican of Michigan and chairman of the committee, said, “I plan to move quickly” on legislation. But five weeks later, no legislation is in sight. Aides to Mr. Upton said the decision about how to proceed was in the hands of the speaker. “It’s been kicked up to the leadership,” a committee member said. “They want a cooling-off period.”

<snip>

More: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/16/us/politics/house-republicans-hesitate-on-birth-control-mandate.html?_r=1&ref=us

[Xipe Totec]

1. It seems they want to roll forward but the don't have enough balls to roll smoothly... nt

[DippyDem]

2. Could it be that GOP is nervous about losing control to Dems in Nov?

[Luminous Animal]

3. Time to send them permanently to the dark side...

I suggest we all send them hand written notes and urge them, vehemently, to remain true to their God, the Country, and moral anti-contraceptive agenda. The cultural war depends on their steadfast opposition.

Put their feet to the fire to be as crazy as they want to be.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. They admit their goal is to alienate women; but they don't want to do it in an election year

It's unbelievable. Are they just hoping that if they can do it in 2013, everyone will be too demoralised by 2014 to remember what they did? Or are they going to further alienate women by taking away their vote, too?

[CrispyQ]

5. They thought religious women would roll over & let their rights be trampled on by men,

in the name of religion. They didn't realize how essential birth control has become in moden women's lives. Yes, gasp, even religious ones!

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. No I am not surprised

[kestrel91316]

7. They mistook women for Dems. WE have spines.

[Lil Missy]

8. C'mon. Do it. I dare you.

[Monk06]

9. This is the payback for letting Rush Limbaugh dictate GOP policy. They've lost the women's vote

and they're hoping if they keep their mouths shut for the next few weeks women are going to forget this attack on their fundamental civil and legal rights.

Too late boy's you blew it. Without women and minorities you are going down, hard in Nov.

[Canuckistanian]

10. They're blinking

But the important thing here is to NOT give them "cooling off time". Keep the pressure up.

[nolabear]

11. "they worry about alienating women"

You mean, more? That cooling off period they're talking about? They better find a way to freeze hell.

[Aerows]

12. "they worry about further alienating women"

It's a little too late to worry about that now, because they've already alienated women in droves. Not one of them stood up to Rush Limbaugh and his horrible comments, so in my opinion, silence equals consent.

The damage has already been done.