A Missed Opportunity On McCain's Position On Birth Control

[slinkerwink]

There's been virtually no discussion of whether John McCain himself opposes birth control, i.e. contraception. The subheadline on this ABC article on Carly Fiorina is rather interesting for it reads, "Carly Fiorina Argues She Didn't Mean to Suggest a McCain Reversal on Birth Control or Abortion."

Is John McCain just pro-life on abortion? Or is he also pro-life on BOTH abortion AND birth control? As was reported, Carly Fiorina, his surrogate, stepped in the mud when she suggested that health insurance plans should cover birth control:

"A real, live example, which I've been hearing a lot about from women: There are many health insurance plans that will cover Viagra but won't cover birth-control medication. Those women would like a choice," Fiorina told reporters at a breakfast talk Monday hosted by the Christian Science Monitor, adding, "Those women would like a choice."

The problem for Carly Fiorina was that John McCain voted twice against requiring health insurance companies to cover birth control, while Senator Obama voted in favor to require insurance companies to cover birth control. When the remark came out, there was the classic video of John McCain caught between a rock and a hard place in trying to answer this question because as we all know, he would lose a HUGE portion of the women's votes if he said he opposes birth control.

Carly Fiorina tried to pass it off as a completely different issue she was addressing here:

Attempting to clarify her remarks today on National Public Radio, Fiorina argued she had been responding to a question posed by a reporter about how much choice Americans want in selecting their health care plan.

"The reporter basically said people don't want a choice in their health insurance, they just want to be told what their health insurance plan is," Fiorina said today. "And I just reject that. I wasn't trying to make a veiled reference to the issue of pro-life or pro-choice."

And she said that John McCain has a very strong pro-life record, and that he wouldn't walk away from that, and that "women who are single-issue voters on the subject of abortion, McCain won't get their vote, and I accept that."

Excuse me. Abortion wasn't what was being discussed here. It was birth control. There are many women who are pro-life and use birth control. Only the strongly religious right sees birth control as an abortificant in that it has the "potential" to prevent life. I would love for someone to ask the question to John McCain, "Do you support birth control? Will you work to ban birth control?"

As we've seen, John McCain knows he'd get buried alive electorally if he gives a honest answer. Instead, he dances around the issue and says stuff like:

When asked about Fiorina's initial comments on Viagra and birth control, McCain said Wednesday, "I certainly do not want to discuss that issue."

Appearing speechless, McCain paused for eight seconds before answering, "I don't know enough about it to give you an informed answer because I don't recall the vote, I've cast thousands of votes in the Senate, but I will respond to you," he said. "It's a choice -- I hadn't thought much about it but I did hear her response, but I hadn't thought much about it."

And the McCain campaign campaign tried to cover it up as an opposition to "health care mandates" here:

The McCain campaign told ABC News today that Fiorina's comments did not indicate a reversal of the Arizona senator's opposition to mandates on health insurance companies.

The McCain campaign said that as a proponent of free-market principles, McCain opposes any legislation mandating health insurance coverage.

We already know that John McCain opposes health insurance reform. What we don't know and really haven't heard is whether John McCain opposes birth control, and thinks of birth control as abortificants. If a honest answer comes, look for a huge electoral landslide in Obama's favor.

And that's the crux of this post right here.

[slinkerwink]

1. What do you think, guys?

[Diamonique]

3. I think you're right.

And that's why McCain fell back on his stupid response when asked his opinion about the Viagara/birth control thing: "I'll have to check my voting record and get back to you." Why should he have to check his voting record in order to state his honest opinion?

He didn't need to check his record. He knew his opinion and he knew it would kill his campaign to say it.

[slinkerwink]

5. exactly.

[slinkerwink]

2. Is this not an important issue to discuss?

[Diamonique]

4. Give folks time. It's Saturday. :-)

[slinkerwink]

6. ok :-)

[Doctor_J]

7. Big media is campaigning for McSame

If he were caught on tape raping a 5-year-old, they would say nothing until a dem complained, and then bash the dem for questioning McSame's integrity.

[jenmito]

8. I started a couple threads on this topic. The media's ignoring the fact that he claimed to "not

recall" his vote, but he DID vote AGAINST mandating insurance companies to cover birth control-twice. While Carly Fiorina's going around trying to steal Dem. women voters from us by lying about McCain's positions, the media is once again giving McCain a pass on his convenient "failing memory" in order to avoid answering about his TRUE position on these issues.

[slinkerwink]

10. exactly.

[ErinBerin84]

9. and not only could he "not remember it"

he said "I haven't thought much about it". Uh, comforting, Senator. It's outrageous, and the question was NOT SPECIFICALLY ABOUT VIAGRA, stupid networks. Viagra was mentioned, but the question was on his record/stance on birth control coverage..his reaction is visually arresting.

[slinkerwink]

11. And it certainly was virtually arresting--a made-for-TV political ad on women's networks

like Lifetime, Oxygen, E!, and Soap.

[jenmito]

12. From your fingers to Obama's eyes! I wish they'd use it for ads!