Monday, February 13, 2012
The Ladies Painting the Republican Party Line Right Off a Cliff
Posted by Cienna Madrid on Mon, Feb 13, 2012 at 11:32 AM
Republicans don't seem willing to accept that birth control is not the dividing social issue that it was 50 or even 20 years ago. And when you make your party line impossible to walk for everyone but white, dogmatic males—or, say, paint it off a cliff—it stands to reason that your party is only going to get smaller and smaller:
While GOP senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has pledged to fight the Obama’s administration’s modified regulation requiring health insurers and businesses to offer contraception coverage without additional cost sharing, the revised rule “appears to have won over” two of the five Republican women senators.
Sens. Olympia Snowe (ME) and Susan Collins (ME) — both of whom have sponsored legislation requiring insurers to offer contraception benefits in all health plans — are in favor of the new compromise, which would allow religiously affiliated colleges, universities, and hospitals to avoid providing birth control. Their employees will still receive contraception coverage at no additional cost sharing directly from the insurer.
Case in point: Rick Santorum doesn't think birth control should be covered by insurance because it's not a "critical economic need" (like Viagra) and also because it "just costs a few dollars" for women.
Hat tip to the always-impeccably-dressed Sergio.
3
Wonder how many of those dogmatic males helped their girlfriends pay for birth control.... Oh, they're those kinds of guys, huh?
5
the point is not birth control.
you stupid cunt.
it is government telling religion what it must do.
many people who think catholics are whacked still resent this.
you stupid cunt.
it is government telling religion what it must do.
many people who think catholics are whacked still resent this.
6
I think this is only true to the extent that we confuse ourselves into believing that Federal Politics are national. If that was true, Texas-1 (Gohmert), New York-3 (King), Iowa-5 (King) and possibly places like Ohio-10 (Kucinich) would not manage to keep putting in representatives so far off from the center politically.
7
Hey how about this: let the Catholics do what they want and yank every dollar they receive from the feds. They don't want government telling them what to do let's see how they do without government largesse.
9
The only thing that I can conclude from Santorum's comments is that his wife uses birth control.
If you have good insurance, as U.S. Senators most certainly do, your birth control copay would be $10. Therefore, Rick Santorum has seen his wife pay only $10 for her birth control and concluded that birth control is cheap.
If you have good insurance, as U.S. Senators most certainly do, your birth control copay would be $10. Therefore, Rick Santorum has seen his wife pay only $10 for her birth control and concluded that birth control is cheap.
10
The government can tell religion what to do in other cases, when the public need is greater, and has done so for a long time. Why birth control? Why now? Almost everybody uses birth control. Almost every single sexually active catholic uses birth control. I'm no political savant, but I'm genuinely baffled by their hatred of birth control.
Until I realized it's not about birth control, or religious freedom. It's about Obama. I decided this when I read that the GOP picked it up as a rallying cry. It's their Komen Foundation. At least, that's what they want it to be. That's my take on this shameful kerfuffle.
Until I realized it's not about birth control, or religious freedom. It's about Obama. I decided this when I read that the GOP picked it up as a rallying cry. It's their Komen Foundation. At least, that's what they want it to be. That's my take on this shameful kerfuffle.
11
@5 While I do believe that there is something to the argument that the implied argument that Catholic Hospitals, Catholic Universities, etc., were not religious institutions, as they did not qualify for that exemption being problematic, the simple truth is that for many of the loudest and most vitriolic voices it was totally about birth control, and the way our national conversation works, it is almost impossible to tease out moderate or reasonable positions that happen to align with batshit insane ones.
Naturally, your post clearly elucidated this.
For myself, I think that the correct response to the reasonable objection would to change the parameters such that this reasonable objection is addressed. Obama's compromise seems to work, but I had thought that they should simply remove the exemption, such that all health plans have to provide contraception, but suggest that "religious objection" pools are set up, such that these employers can pretend that since their staff would never choose contraception, abortion (medically recommended), death-with-dignity, etc., they would not end up paying for it. Naturally, depending on how reasonable this assumption ends up being, this may drive up costs.
Naturally, your post clearly elucidated this.
For myself, I think that the correct response to the reasonable objection would to change the parameters such that this reasonable objection is addressed. Obama's compromise seems to work, but I had thought that they should simply remove the exemption, such that all health plans have to provide contraception, but suggest that "religious objection" pools are set up, such that these employers can pretend that since their staff would never choose contraception, abortion (medically recommended), death-with-dignity, etc., they would not end up paying for it. Naturally, depending on how reasonable this assumption ends up being, this may drive up costs.
13
If you're gonna draw a line in the sand, it's usually a good idea to make sure more than 50% of the people are on your side of the line.
16
I like how Santorum doesn't think the Federal Government should dictate policy for the Catholic Church what to do, but doesn't mind letting the Catholic Church dictate policy for the private lives of its non-Catholic employees by keeping them from having a health benefit any other employee in any other industry will get.
Of course, part of the problem is that people still overwhelmingly depend upon their employers for health insurance, and the Republicans would like to do away with that proviso, but then want to see an unfettered, unregulated "market" decide who gets health care and who doesn't.
Of course, part of the problem is that people still overwhelmingly depend upon their employers for health insurance, and the Republicans would like to do away with that proviso, but then want to see an unfettered, unregulated "market" decide who gets health care and who doesn't.
17
You know who actually put Santorum's ideas into practice? Nicolai Ceausescu, the dictator of Romania. Great model for success, Rick.
18
Rick Santorum has said that states should be allowed to outlaw ALL birth control if they choose. But he is against big intrusive government.
19
Does the law require health insurance to cover Viagra? It may well be that most health insurance does, but as far as I know the law is neutral on the matter.
20
Why do women vote Republican? I don't get it. How is a party that wants to control how many children you have the party of liberty?
21
@5: The point of the compromise is that the government ISN'T telling religious organizations what to do. Remember, there's nothing in the Constitution about the Separation of Insurance Company and State.
22
Someone should ask Romney if outlawing polygamy was a war on the Mormon church. To be consistent with his outrage over forcing the Catholics to cover contraception, he'd have to say yes. But surely he'd dodge the question.
It's tricky when a religion holds a tenet that is bad for society as a whole. Sorry, Catholics, but you cede the moral ground by condemning the use of condoms in this age of AIDS. (Not that the rampant little-boy fucking helps their case much, either.)
It's tricky when a religion holds a tenet that is bad for society as a whole. Sorry, Catholics, but you cede the moral ground by condemning the use of condoms in this age of AIDS. (Not that the rampant little-boy fucking helps their case much, either.)
23
I guess it's no surprise that many Republicans don't understand the constitution. The government can force a religious organization to follow laws they disagree with else as long as the law is applied equally to everyone. For example: a church that believes in marrying young girls off to adult men doesn't get a pass on laws relating to sex with minors or minimum age for marriage.
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