We're still hoping Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell will be a guest on our show, sometime, maybe, hopefully, please. Today, though, McDonnell did talk with Andrea Mitchell for her show. As you'll see from the transcript below, Andrea started right in with a question about Mitt Romney -- the candidate he supports -- and the Romney response to Rush Limbaugh's tirades against Sandra Fluke and birth control.
Shorter McDonnell: President Obama started this, please stop talking about my forced vaginal probe ultrasound bill, and seriously, please stop talking about my forced vaginal probe ultrasound bill.
Transcript's after the jump.
McDonnell says the left does wrong, too:
Andrea Mitchell: I wanted to talk about the campaign and this whole issue of women and how Mitt Romney did not come out and strongly criticize what Rush Limbaugh said. What is your position on what Rush Limbaugh said?
Bob McDonnell: Well, there's a lot of comments, I think, probably on the right and the left about important social issues that people probably say things that they shouldn't. I think Rush Limbaugh said things he probably shouldn't. He apologized for it. We see a lot of things in debates here in Richmond and in Washington where people on the left say things as well. So I think the issue in this campaign, though, Andrea, really it's about jobs and the economy and taxes and spending. So while these important issues about life and family and faith and marriage and religious freedom are important – people want to know where you stand – I think most importantly people want to know what are you going to do about getting us back to work, what are you going to do about getting us out of debt and how are you going to lead the nation into the next century. That's what people want.
McDonnell says President Obama started it:
Mitchell: But isn't that message getting lost precisely because the Republicans have detoured into some of the social debate? Rick Santorum certainly is the one who started it, but some are suggesting, and some women are suggesting – Republican women – that Mitt Romney's response was not strong and declarative enough.
McDonnell: I can't speak for all the candidates, I can only say that I think that those kinds of over-the-top condemnations have no place. I talk all the time in Richmond about having more civility. We need to be fighting for our principles on both sides, but we're all American. Let's do it in a civil way. I would say, Andrea, really, that this started probably a month ago when President Obama decided to have essentially an attack on religious freedom, and people in the Catholic church responded fairly negatively about some of these things that interfered with their religious freedom. Look, it's been a month, I think, where people have weighed in on these social issues. But that's not what's going to control this election. It's going to be about jobs and the economy, taxes, spending, energy and leadership. That's what American needs new leadership on and that's why I'm supporting Mitt Romney.
And if Governor McDonnell can't stop talking about the ultrasound bill, he'll try this:
Mitchell: As much as Mitt Romney, your campaign and Republicans in general want to frame it on the economy, again, our own polling, the NBC News/Wall Street Journal polling, indicates that women really are reacting and that there's been a big swing in suburban women. That's a big issue in Virginia, as to who should be supported in Congress, so that Republicans in Congress could in fact be affected, perhaps, by the debate that you all had in Richmond over what was basically legislation that would require invasive sonograms.
McDonnell: Well, Andrea, the bill you're talking about is an ultrasound bill that 23 states already have a bill that requires a woman to be offered the ability to see an ultrasound before making a life-changing decision. So when that bill goes into effect, it'll be, I think, in the mainstream of the states in that regard.
Note that Governor McDonnell talks about bills that require a woman to be offered an ultrasound, but Virginia's bill requires her to have one regardless of whether she wants to or her doctor recommends it. For further reference, the Guttmacher Institute keeps this list (pdf) of states that have some form of ultrasound legislation.
P.S. The NBC/WSJ poll Andrea references is here, with responses about who should control Congress on page 13 and responses about birth control on page 27.
Leave a Comment:
Hell Bobby-boy, We're not only going to continue talking about your new Virginia law you signed into law, we're gonna give you a new political moniker - Transvaginal Bob! -Kevo
I went to the salon and got my hair cut in a transvaginal bob a couple of weeks ago.
Or...call his new tool the G.O.Probe.
I'm big on using those 3 letters GOP.
Like this -> GOPeaBrain http://www.gopeabrain.com
Let's just shorten it to Trans-Bob
The Bobby "V" cut. LOL
It might offend a singer though...Didn't think of that.
Sorry Bobby V if you're out there.
Check out this pic ...http://www.gopeabrain.com/?p=8
How perverted must our Republican elected officials be if the only thing they can focus on after the election is government mandated female groin probing after they promised to drag our economy out of the toilet during the election?
Are religious organizations actually creating the problem by forcing members to study perversion?
Is perversion "in the name of the lord" the real problem?
Why didn't Andrea ask why McDonnell is being a girly boy about going on Maddow after he said he would?
Andrea plays to im-partial in an effort to always appear to be fair...many nuckleheads get to scream their talking points and never answer her questions....I like her but i think she allows herself to be bullied. Love ya Andrea.
I wonder if McDonnell yet realizes that his vaginal probe bill is how he is going to be remembered from now on. The vaginal probe bill is his legacy. He will be hated by women in perpetuity. Asking Andrea Mitchell not to talk about it isn't going to change a thing. That bill is what he will be remembered for by his children and grandchildren, forever.
Yep - that's his legacy. When he ran for Gov he duped many Virginians into voting for him by saying his personal religious views would not play into his policies, and he was all about jobs, jobs, jobs. Between his vaginal bill and his adoption discrimination bill we can see where his priorities really are. So I am not fooled when he tries to steer the conversation to jobs in Andrea's interview.
I went to Richmond and all I got was this stupid t-shirt...
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...and a trans-vaginal probe!
I have in my hot little hands a press release from Jack the Ripper. He says that he is a complex individual with many and varied interests, and would appreciate it greatly if people would please stop characterizing him as a one-dimensional sociopath who is only interested in brutally knifing prostitutes. He also blames the press of distorting his legacy by unfairly dwelling on the more sensationalistic aspects of his public life, and he would prefer it if more attention would be paid to his work with homeless puppies.
@MeddlingMonk, that was/is priceless.
@SpiralT, if what you said there is true [and I have NO REASON to doubt it], he is just 1 more stealth candidate who won recently saying "jobs, jobs, jobs" and then did nothing about jobs while doing a lot about [to reduce] the legal rights of various groups of Americans [workers, women, immigrants, gays, etc.].
I hope that American members of all these various groups remember this in November. We MUST NOT be fooled again by these liars. Whatever group you are in, your rights are on the line this time around.
Priceless, @wvng! Is he afraid of Rachel's PROBING questions??
I am fascinated by the fact that republicans generally are terrified of Rachel. They go on O'Donnell all the time, same floor, same building, one hour later. Perhaps it is the problem of her probing questions. Why, you can see DC from her probes.
They avoid Rachel because she is smarter than any of them, thinks faster, and clings to her line of questioning like stink on s**t. They're as scared of her as they are of Rush L.
Conservatives avoid RM's show because they're sheep. Sheep will follow a leader such as an alpha ewe OR they'll allow themselves to be herded by an aggressive sheepdog. Short of those two leadership models, sheep will only stand in a circle and bleat.
The conservatives at the national level have little to gain by going on RM's show. By not going on the show they're in the herd of conservatives who have achieved reverse-ignominy; they get to wear the TRMS ask and their subsequent decline as a badge of honor.
In addition to being sheep, they're also wusses.
Keep dreaming Bob. You and your trans vaginal rape bill have awoken a sleeping giant. We will not be silent in this election, as you so fervently hope, the women of my generation have fought this battle before, and we are more than prepared to do it again come election day!
wimp response...."we all say things on both sides (both parties)." Keep dreaming buddy, you've just lost a huge portion of the population: women. Don't tell me what this campaign is really about, what "drives this election," that wasn't the question. Tell me how you denounce what Rush said. Answer MY question. Bye-bye Bob!
Indeed -- he has pretty effectively offended 51.5% of the population for sure, and I would imagine some percentage of the male population....
Obama started it, nice.
What, is Trans-vaginal Bob in THIRD grade again?!?!?
Again? He never left, it seems. Still pathologically curious about what the girls keep up their skirts.
This interview, as well as Gov. McDonnell's recent interview with the National Review, inspired me to write this essay. In short, his uninformed perspective is really what this "kerfuffle" is all about.
http://www.bluevirginia.us/diary/6162/what-the-kerfuffle-is-really-about-an-open-letter-to-the-governor
One more thing, He is such a Probehead!
Once the corn is popped you just can't stuff it back into a kernal. Sorry but your far right is showing and it just took on a glow of its own.
Be a decider, stand proudly by your principles of doing unto others what they better not accuse you of doing and of kissing the rear end of the god chosen theocrats !(didn't know the devil was a god)
Watching this guy, you can see the GOP rhetoric and its really fake sounding. he's just saying the sound points that he's supposed to.
Doesn't have a thought of his own in his little probe head.
There's something terribly inauthentic about this man. He sidled away from the outrageous plans he had for the women of Virginia as if they weren't the issue at all, and then blamed President Obama for the whole thing. In other words, he lied. If this governor is the Christian he says he is, perhaps he should note that, in the Christian circles in which he runs, a lie is supposedly as great a sin as a murder: In other words, Governor McDonnell is going to hell unless he hits his knees.
And as for this "religious freedom" bit that's hitting the spin machine right now, when was it religious freedom to deny freedom? Perhaps they should be accusing the Catholic Church (and other sects, cults or whatever) of "sexual totalitarianism" and battle them with as much resolve as America battled Soviet totalitarianism.
Vaginal Probe Bobby...that should be his tag for all time!!
He is the worst excuse for a statesman and is equally bad at being a politician!! he is just another Rebublican who is bad at his job!!
McDonnell is a perfect example of republican deflecting a social issue to the economy. Here in Virginia, McDonnell hasn't passed hardly a damn thing towards any of those "economic" jobs, jobs, jobs related things he talks about what should be focused on, and instead he himself focuses on social issues like this and eliminating Planned Parenthood (which is a source of economic revenue).
McDonnell, you wouldn't be having this problem if you followed your own damn advice!
His answers are evasive and full of Palin word salad at best.
Really?? Bob's for Jobs again? News to me. We held a small, silent protest in front of Bob's polling place this morning but he dodged us by showing up an hour early. The press, however, showed up when Governor McDonnell said he would be there and got to talk to us instead.
Wow, now that Governor McDonnell explained that women will be offered a chance to view an ultrasound before a life changing decision it is all clear to me. Here I thought he was going to sign into law a mandate that a woman seeking a legal procedure (which the Supreme Court decided would be left to her and her physician's judgment due to her Right to Privacy) would be forced to pay for and undergo a completely useless procedure 24 hours before her actual appointment and be forced to sign a statement that she was given the opportunity to view it which would then remain in her permanent record for 7 years. Thanks for clarifying that, Governor!
My comment is off-topic but I want to post it anyway. I always learn from the Rachel Maddow Show. She presents the issues with facts that can be proven and not just opinion. She treats her guests with respect and actually listens to their answers. I watch her almost every day. I wish that she hosted a Sunday morning talk show on a major network. Also, I probably should not comment on her appearance, but she is one of the few people on television who looks just as good with or without make up. (I am green with envy!)
He probably went on AM because it is a connection w/her spouse that he craves ;)
I am certain that there is an ultrasound video available that would show exactly what the VA GrOPe say they are trying to show these unfortunate women. Thus the truth is obvious. Humiliation and intimidation are the goals of this idiotic. cruel policy.
Andrea Mitchell says Gingrich isn't on the Virginia ballot because he failed to turn in the proper paper work on time?
He's not on the ballot in his HOME state of Virginia today because his campaign committed Election Fraud.
Thank you Chris Hayes & the Rachel Maddow Show for pointing out GOP hypocrisy: "Fraudulently getting Newt Gingrich on the Virginia primary ballot, apparently, is just a 'mistake'.”
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/acorn-holed-chris-hayes-calls-out-newt-gingrichs-voter-fraud-hypocrisy/
I wonder if Mitt will pick Bobby to fill out the ticket, knowing that VP will never stand for Vice anything, but will instead be a campaign with Vaginal Probe Bob.
I wasn't aware the people who are being interviewed by journalists were allowed to pick and choose what subject matter they wanted to discuss.
It's not the Tonight Show!
Wow. McDonnell found Jim Bakker's hair.
#IWinForMostNonSubstantiveComment
You might want to check out the WI answer to single motherhood:
http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/wisconsin-bill-claims-single-moms-cause-child-abuse-011200419.html
Great. Take birth control and you're a slut. (We should probably reframe that. It's not birth control that made Ms. Fluke a slut. It was her audacity to take a stand and stand up for what she believes to be right and just. And not just because of her own, selfish beliefs, but because she was affected by what was happening to women all around her. Shame on her for caring about other people.)
And now, if you are a single mother, you just might be a contributing to child abuse.
I just can't wait to see the next rabbit out of this top hat. I just can't believe it.
The GOP wackos (of which Mullah Santorum is at the helm) are on a WAR AGAINST WOMEN .... and have spent the past few years on their agenda to limit women's rights and eventually overturn Roe v Wade ... defunding Planned Parenthood and spreading LIES about their mission ... declaring embryonic 'personhood' .... and working to outlaw birth control .... how many dots on the graph do you need before you realize that it is a war against Women's Rights?
as for Santorum:
This Catholic would institute a war on our rights as Americans and replace them with his Catholic beliefs .... they have run the tape where he says that contraception is wrong .... and states should be able to outlaw contraception...he would also work to repeal a woman's right to choose .... does anyone remember Terry Schiavo???? would you like him to step into your family's rights and continue the suffering of one of your relatives against your wishes???..... could this possibly be the government sticking their nose into your private matters???? .... he would repeal DADT and continue his hatred for gay Americans .... and just look at how many people are right there with him..... this is indeed scary .... I do not believe we have ever had a candidate so hell bent on making his religion part of the laws of our land ... I don't know which is worse - infusing his religion into our laws or the ignorance and hatred he continues to spread across our country ....
Women need to UNITE and make sure this man and others like him who would put women back in the middle ages are VOTED OUT OF OFFICE .... YOUR VOTES COUNT and it is the future of OUR RIGHTS as Wives - Mothers - Daughters - and Sisters on the line!!!!
WE NEED TO TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK ..... FROM THE RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS!!!!!!