If you scan any daily paper in America you'll probably stumble across an article in which some Republican lawmaker is proposing to make abortion or birth control illegal, or at least harder to obtain. The GOP spends more time worrying about fetuses than your average OB-GYN. Kids who have actually been birthed? Not so much.
But someone needs to explain these debate audiences to me. Last night CNN's John King tried to ask the four remaining GOP presidential contenders a question about birth control, and no sooner had he brought the subject up for discussion the crowd began to boo and heckle.
Are they booing the mere mention of birth control? Or are they booing CNN's moderator for asking a question about the GOP candidates opinions on birth control? Hard to say...
The live audiences at previous Republican debates have booed a video of a gay active duty US serviceman asking about the possible repeal of Don't Ask/Don't Tell. They've cheered Rick Perry's oh-so-awesome record number of executions as Governator of Texas. And they've cheered a hypothetical scenario in which an uninsured patient is turned away from medical treatment and allowed to die.
The people who attend these forums must be directly related to the fictional characters of Dickens' "Scrooge" or Mr. Potter from "It's a Wonderful Life".
Should we assume that diehard Republicans are actually against birth control? Would an anti-birth control plank on the Republican Party platform actually rally the troops for the GOP? Or would it further isolate an already misogynistic collection of xenophobes, homophobes, and callous "I got mine, get yours, mother fucker!" zealots?
I have to say, if the GOP actually stands against the practice of birth control on religious grounds, and if the Party's leaders have to kowtow to THAT absurd litmus test in order to win that Party's nomination, things are going to get increasingly difficult for Republicans in America.
When your standard bearers parade across the nation trying to best one another in anti-immigration rhetoric, stand for denial of health services for women, and seem to despise even the most patriotic of America's youth if they dare to ask about gay rights, well, that Big Tent the Republicans talk about is going to have lots of elbow room under it for the true believers.
These mother fuckers are amazing!
22 comments:
On NPR this morning they said the audience was small and comprised entirely of white retirees. Of course they're booing contraception -- any women in the audience stopped worrying about getting knocked up decades ago. One guy they interviewed was 80 years old and, no surprise for a geezer in a conservative state, hates Obama so much he doesn't care who runs against him or what the candidate promises as long as Obama loses.
You know Trojan and Durex are lining their pockets to keep condom sales flowing... it's a conspiracy!
Oh wait, that's only Hollywood. And only Lou Dobbs can tell us what is rhetoric and what is the truth.
...my bad...
Squatlo and Nan,
The Republican Party has moved so far to the right that they no longer represent main street America. I constantly see polls on contraceptives and how many of us We The People approve if not use the things. Same for a woman's right to choose - 63% of those polled approved. These wingnuts and zealots do not speak for but a small faction of America.
But, the baggers and the thumpers have the GOP by the balls. That started with Karl Rove and GW. Rove
hijacked Jesus to get GW elected.
The neat thing about all of this is that the more obtuse the statements made the more alienation of moderate Republicans,
Red Dog Democrats, and independents occurs. And, yes! Let us not forget the women, gays, and above all - Hispanics out there who are getting shit on.
Lastly, did you ever notice the age of the baggers at rallys against ObamaCare? Everyone of the geezer prune juice fueled assholes is on Medicare. And, who is out to fuck with their Medicare?
It ain't Obama...
Ron
Nan, regardless of the age demographic of the crowd I simply can't imagine any group of Americans being anti-birth control to the point of booing the suggestion of a question on the topic! What would they prefer? That we be up to our asses in babies? Look at the GOP position on things: they want no public education (not the government's job to educate kids, it's their parents' responsibility) they want no health care that isn't supplied by a byzantine system of expensive insurance conglomerates and HMOs; they want an electrified fence, moat full of gators, and land mines along our southern border ('cept for Julio's Lawn Service, which does such an immaculate job on all the lawns inside their gated community); they would be fine if our energy policy was Drill Baby Drill (as long as the oil derrick and fracking operation wasn't in their backyard); and they'd prefer it greatly if gays, Muslims, Hispanics, Negroes, and environmentalists did the right thing and either left our shores voluntarily or took one anothers' lives in a mass suicide before the rapture occurs, 'cause the thought of those godless heathens getting the keys to their abandoned Mercedes just makes them wanna hurl.
I'm stunned by GOP debate audiences every single time.
Sarge, you got that right... watch for them to put Marco Rubio of Fla on the VP ticket to make a last ditch effort to steal Hispanic voters back under that GOP tent. Might even work if he makes a few speeches in Spanish and winks at the rightwingers as he does it.
Brandon, so it's a latex thing? I never thought of it like that.
The birth control issue is one of the main reasons I turned my back on the Catholic church so many years ago..that and about 1000 other things. (including being made to get up at 7 AM on a Sunday to go to mass in another town). I just couldn't understand that in a world where people are starving, the church encouraged (forced!)having more kids. I guess they wanted more 10% tithers.
Now the conservatives are trying to reverse Roe vs Wade and dictate what I can or cannot do with MY body.(such as it is..) I am well past child bearing age so my issue with this is generic. (geriatric??) :) I was VERY encouraged to see Komen have to reverse their stance on funding Planned Parenthood.
PT, that early morning shit made all my other questions about the Church seem pointless... hated getting up before dawn to go be miserable.
That and having to eat fish on Friday while everyone else at the barbecue was having hot dogs and hamburgers... and steak...
Shit, I look back on it now as child abuse, even though I wasn't, technically, abused.
Sure it was rowdy but at least the religious candidates agree on one thing,... if elected, or the leader of a coup d'état, to immediately approve stoning soldiers who have vaginas?
Over at "A Feather Adrift" (on Squatlo's blogroll), Sherry speculates that the audience was so elderly and addled that they didn't actually know what was going on and so hard of hearing they didn't understand most of what was being said. Funny. And as good a guess as any, I suppose...
I remember hearing a few weeks ago that the Noot was refusing to debate in any venue without an audience.
These are not debates, the questions are so soft ball, the answers are never challenged by the panel and then there is the peanut gallery hooting anything they think that they think they don't like. (hmm part of the problem,,,most of these folks only think that they actually think)
I just sat through 3 frikin hours of French political prime time TV with Marine LePen (The Front National Right Wing Political Party Presidential candidate) being grilled by a panel of experts, then having to debate with the Radical Left Rep and the pretty extreme right present Minister of The Interior.
Massive fail for Marine...of course, there is no audience in the studio to hoot and holler....this was the third presentation in a series of our rather truncated presidential process. The Race started at the end of January, the little annoying hyper president, Sarkozy only officially declared his candidacy last week end and the election, which is a two part elimination process is at the end of April. There are no TV ads and posters are not allowed. The candidates media time is strictly monitored. The amount of money spent on campaigning is supposedly equal...of course there are always ways for the determined cheater to get around these rules...but for the most part, they work.
That's why the Socialist candidate, Francois Hollande has a real chance here. He did his 3 hour qrilling and debate a few weeks ago and came off extremely well.
Luckily, religion is not a big deal here...well Sarko is trying to make it a deal and LePen has been going on about Halal Butchers...but it;s more of xenophobic deal than religion. Abortion came up for a few minutes and got laughed down...womens reproductive issues are not an issue here.Kids can get condoms from the school nurse, so teen pregnancies are not a big problem. Having a society that can actually rationally discuss sex and contraception is very healthy thing mentally and physically. But then again, the French are pretty happy with their health care system in general.
I know I am.
They booed a gay soldier last year, didn't they? These Neanderthals shouldn't be allowed to drag their knuckles into events like this.
microdot: whenever I hear descriptions of foreign election processes I get envious. And then I hear their leaders speak frankly about issues without resorting to a trip to the Pander Express, and I'm even MORE envious. Canadian politicians can openly admit that they believe in the theory of evolution without being pilloried by zealots carrying crosses and pitchforks, and it's okay for thinking people there to accept that we might be killing our planet with our cars and SUVs. Only in America is the thought of sex for fun an obscene concept. Only in America could a leader be considered who clings to 19th Century superstitious beliefs. And we're the ones with no nationalized health care, terrible schools, crumbling infrastructure, and all we hear about are condoms and abortions and whether or not someone can say a prayer at a football game.
I'm about over it... the stupid people are spawning faster than we can educate them, and only thinking people find contraception a viable alternative?
Got room in France for a disgruntled Tennessee Vol fan? I'll bring my own guitars...
perhaps it is the kool-aid they serve the audience during the debates...
I have a lot of dutch friends who send me news items from the dutch internet regarding Santorum and the shit he says about the Netherlands.
The Dutch have their own right wing problem, but it is based on the xenophobic economic nationalist sentiments that are destroying so much European political debate.
They constantly mock Santorum and he has become an almost mythic comic figure there and in the rest of the world. I'll have to send you some links, because the comments are pretty funny.
Music? I got involved in a Captain Beefheart festival with my buddy Mikeb302000, who has the best anti gun blog around. Mike's an ex US Marine who lives in Rome, but he has attracted a group of great writers who do battle with the Gun Nuts of America. Great stuff if you ever feel like checking him out.
I am going to post a long lost video of my band from the late 70's and early 80's...live on stage at Tompkins Square Park in The East Village in NYC, 1980....my wife is in the band and the songs we do are in english. It seriously rocks in a very punky way! The tape was discovered in a friends closet in Philly a few weeks ago.!
I am trying to post a link to a page of comments on Santorums ignorant gasbag pontificating on the subject of euthanasia in the Netherlands:
http://www.reddit.com/r/Netherlands/comments/pvn8n/rick_santorum_on_the_netherlands_and_its_abortions/c3sm3rm
Sorry, I can't seem to post the entire address here. I'll send it to you in an email.
I want to make two quick points:
1. Booing audience members weren't all elderly.
2. The women in the audience take birth control, for a variety of reasons, and some of the men in the audience know it. Their booing can be interpreted as anger over political impotence. They want contraception to be a black and white issue that they can win, and they're demonstrating their frustration with reality. If only lady parts weren't so confusing and scary...
Nice points, Anonymous! Wish you'd sign in and start leaving a trail like the other folks! We need your voice around here...
Just read an article saying researchers are on the verge of a male birth control pill, renders the guy sperm-less, completely safe and reversible. Would Republicans be in favor of male birth control? Absolutely not! That would encourage sex for fun, and that would make Reagan and Jesus cry...
Here are some of the questions I would have liked to have been asked:
“Mr. Santorum, why do you not follow the opinions of the Catholic bishops when they oppose pre-emptive war and capital punishment and support a living wage and the dignity of the worker?”
“Mr. Romney, how do you justify lowering tax rates when the rates actually paid by corporations and wealthy indivuals are far lower than the rates on the books?”
“Mr. Gingrich, your policies in the past have been to badmouth and smear your opponents. You favored calling Democratic politicians and voters ‘traitors’ and ‘cowards’. How do you reconcile those past actions with your current call for civility other than the fact that the smears are now directed at you?”
“Mr. Gingrich, if elected president how will you feel about having Callista referred to as the ‘Third Lady’?”
Nah. Never Happen.
Eric, I find your sarcastic tone caustic and abrasive, which makes you perfect for commenting on my site! Welcome to the Monkey House, don't bother cleaning up after yourself... (we outsource that job daily)
C'mon back, man!
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