GOP loses its appetite for contraception fight (updated)

[ProSense]

Last edited Wed Mar 7, 2012, 05:11 PM - Edit history (1)

GOP loses its appetite for contraception fight

By Steve Benen

After the Senate narrowly defeated the anti-contraception Blunt Amendment last week, Republicans said they weren't prepared to give up the fight. On the contrary, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) vowed to keep pushing restrictions, eyeing "a couple" of possible legislative remedies. The Senate GOP made similar noises, with Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) declaring, "This issue will not go away."

A week later, Republicans are ready to see the issue go away.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who regrets her vote for the Blunt Amendment, is now willing to say on the record her party is badly off track by even "having a conversation" about contraception access. Even Blunt himself told Sahil Kapur yesterday that the upper chamber is likely to shift its attention elsewhere.

<...>

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) added that it seems Republicans realize the contraception fight "hasn't served them well."

Immediately after the vote on his measure, Blunt told reporters the fight "is not over," but six days and a Rush Limbaugh scandal later, that vow is looking pretty shaky.

http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/07/10600448-gop-loses-its-appetite-for-contraception-fight

Updated to add:

Third Republican Woman Comes Out Against Blunt Amendment

By Alex Seitz-Wald

Former Republican Hawaii governor Linda Lingle, who is running for Senate in the state, said this morning that she opposes an amendment pushed by Senate Republicans last week that would allow any employer to drop health insurance coverage for contraception and other health services on moral grounds.

In a statement, Lingle’s campaign manager said she shares the position of her Democratic opponent, opposing the amendment sponsored by Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO). “Governor Lingle and (Democrat) Mazie Hirono share the same position on the Blunt amendment,” the statement said. “(N)either supports the broadly crafted language of the amendment.”

<...>

Lingle joins Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), who voted against the Blunt amendment, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), who said yesterday that she regrets her vote for the measure, in publicly criticizing the Blunt legislation. It was narrowly defeated on a near party-line vote last week.

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/03/07/439650/linda-lingle-blunt-amendment/

The Republican Party is having a meltdown
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002377092

[liberal N proud]

1. They are aborting the effort to block birth control measures.

[democrat_patriot]

2. Too late. You own it. Choke it down.

The Republican party does not help women. Ever.

I always ask Republicans - name one SPECIFIC instance where Republicans helped women. Just one. Crickets every time....

[peace frog]

5. Right on

Forget, HELL! It doesn't end here, we'll take our fury to the ballot box and beyond. WE WILL NEVER LET THEM FORGET.

[sinkingfeeling]

3. OK, but women will still remember it come November.

[IndyJones]

7. It should be front and center in the next debate. And I'd like to hear them justify their limp

balls responses to what Rush said. I'd also like to hear them talk about how they would vote on the Blunt-Rubio Amendment - Gingrich, Romney, and Paul.

[Bake]

4. Come the fall they'll swear they were never against it.

Typical.

Bake

[MineralMan]

6. What's the next moronic thing we can get them to push?

I know...let's get them to try to make masturbation illegal, with heavy prison sentences.

[IndyJones]

8. That is a male issue so they will not do that. They only go after women.

[MineralMan]

9. It's a male issue? Really?

A little education appears to be in order, I'd say.

[IndyJones]

12. LOL...I was thinking of the "Personhood" Laws being introduced.

[MineralMan]

17. Nah. We'll get them to go after masturbation on "moral" grounds.

Get the bible a'bangin' away, and fire up the old myths about it. Masturbation makes you feeble-minded, you know. All that hairy palms stuff. It would go like this, I think:

The innocence of our youth is being destroyed by filthy self-abuse. Even our daughters are falling under the Satan-inspired evils of this scourge on humanity. It must end, my fellow Americans, and it must end now! Join me in the fight to preserve the purity and sanctity of our God-given sexuality and reserve that for the procreative purposes for which it was intended.

Let me tell you: I've been doing extensive research into the subject of masturbation. I've actually seen hundreds of videos of young women in the throes of captivity to this evil practice. I've seen the expressions on their faces. I'm sure there are videos of young men doing the same thing, but I'd never lower myself to view such filth. I can imagine it, and deplore it without having to watch such things.

[hifiguy]

13. IIRC, FrothyMix actually said that this would be a good thing

but that it would, sadly, be unenforceable.

[Skidmore]

10. Meaning that its is shelved until they can bamboozle people into voting

whack job religious fanatics into office to pass the bill or to nibble at the edges in the states.

[Arugula Latte]

11. Were they really that f@#$ing stupid to originally think this was a good battle to wage?

Really?

[hifiguy]

14. As for the theocrats and their appeasers,

hell, yes, they thought this was a brilliant idea.

[Arugula Latte]

15. I guess that's it. They thought they'd ride a wave of religious nutcase indignation.

It never quite materialized. Did you hear how loudly Jon Stewart's audience cheered when he basically told the Catholic Church to STFU because it didn't pay taxes anyway?

[JHB]

16. For now, that is...

It's become much too public for them to sustain, but if they get the chance to do it quietly, they'll be back at it.

Nothing short of being repeatedly crushed in elections thanks to that wing will get them off it.

[deacon]

18. Yo, Gop. Can you do something to create even 1 job? Something. Anything? n/t

[ProSense]

19. Kick! n/t

[Ship of Fools]

20. Dear GOP: NOT going away. This is yours.

[Dawson Leery]

21. This will be an issue during the fall election.

The Republican party is the vehicle of religious fundamentalists who reject progress.
The entire Republican party owns this one.

[Kalidurga]

22. I am a bit shocked

that there isn't more outrage over this. Most women know how bad it is. The ones I have talked to are ticked off. Men not so much. This effects them as well. If nothing else it effects their wallet if they have a bunch of kids to support because their partner can't get adaquate and inexpensive child care so that she can go to work.