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Mitt Romney caused a stir this week when he told the NBC affiliate in St. Louis that he would "get rid of" Planned Parenthood if he's elected president. The candidate and his campaign are now pushing the context of the comment.
"Planned Parenthood is a private organization. What I want to get rid of is the federal funding of Planned Parenthood," he told Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times. [...]
His spokesperson, Eric Fehrnstrom, soon clarified that Romney did not mean to eliminate the organization altogether.
"It would not be getting rid of the organization," Fehrnstrom said. "They have other sources of funding besides government appropriations, but in order to achieve balance, we have to make some tough decisions about spending."
In fairness, there's some truth to the explanation. When Romney said he intends to "get rid of" Planned Parenthood, he was, in context, talking about federal funding.
But that doesn't make the pushback persuasive. For one thing, as a practical matter, if a Romney administration keeps its campaign promise and cuts off Planned Parenthood from all federal aid, it would very likely crush the health organization's ability to function.
For another, Romney prioritizing the elimination of Planned Parenthood support continues to be pretty ironic, since he's traditionally supported the group -- including having attended a Planned Parenthood fundraiser during his Senate campaign.
But it's Fehrnstrom's point that warrants special scrutiny. As far as the campaign's spokesperson is concerned, Planned Parenthood needs to be cut off due entirely to "tough decisions about spending."
To borrow a line, that's bullpucky -- and it's important to understand why.
Planned Parenthood receives a fairly small amount of money from Congress, and eliminating every penny of the aid would barely scratch the surface when it comes to deficit reduction.
Indeed, the larger budgetary context is extraordinary. Mitt Romney wants to increase spending on defense by billions of dollars, and slash taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars. How would he pay for this? So far, Romney hasn't been willing to answer that.
But look again at the Romney campaign's line: "We have to make some tough decisions about spending." The Republican, who claims to be a "numbers guy," seriously seems to believe he can take a $1.1 trillion deficit, increase spending on the Pentagon without comparable offsets and cut taxes for the wealthy without comparable offsets, but still bring the budget close to balance by blocking women from accessing contraception, family planning services, pap smears, cancer screenings, and tests for sexually-transmitted diseases.
In his much-derided speech to an empty football stadium a few weeks ago, Romney said his plan "calls for sacrifice." He added, "It requires a leader ... to call for sacrifice."
Perhaps, but in this case, Romney doesn't want shared sacrifice. The only folks Romney wants to suffer are women who rely on Planned Parenthood -- defense contractors and the former governor's millionaire friends wouldn't have to sacrifice anything.
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Typical Romney attempt at spin. When you make a statement, you don't get to come back later and design a context in which the statement fits neatly so that it upsets the minimum number of people.
Romney is stuck with the statement he made: that he wants an end to the organization itself. Let's see how far THAT gets him with moderates and independents.
Yes, but getting rid of Planned Parenthood is just his position while appealing to teabaggers to get the nomination. After he finishes buying the nomination, the next Mittens will metamorphosize. Just like the eggs turn into the larva which turn into the pupa which turn into the beautiful butterflies; Mittens will buy the image of the beautiful moderate to sell to independents. Too bad we cannot crush it into the ground during the larva stage.
Veteran ... Unfortunately for Romney, we have lots of video now. It's a lot harder to do this than it was a couple of decades ago, when politicians' statements had a shorter shelf life.
If the Dems are at all competent (sometimes an open question), running from extreme statements should be difficult for the Republican nominee.
Bullpucky? You can do much better snark than that Steve!
However, Mittens is correct. Even if it is only pennies compared to other expenditures, it is pennies that could be redirected to billionaires! Every cent counts.
Just Wow.. The GOP is really out to "Rock the Female Vote"! Although I'm certain there will be at least 10 stupid Democrat blunders between now and November, this is really helpful for the party as a whole.
so, if the criteria for judging which programs get cut is who has other sources of funding, doesn't that open the door to all kinds of proposals by Democrats to cut the funding of those that receive government funding through tax exemptions, subsidies, and federal contracts? Let's get a list going...let's see, oil companies - check; utility companies - check; defense contractors - check. Someone with more knowledge than I can come up with specific names and amounts...
If you'd stop asking Mitt all of these damned questions, he would not have to lie so much. It is his personal don't ask, don't tell policy.
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I gotta say, I understood his original comment to mean he was going to end the federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
I'm a PP supporter, and would like to see more federal funding for it, but I think this is a non-issue and muddies the water on more important threats to reproductive freedom out there. It's just gotchaism.
I do not agree that this is just gotchaism when Mittens is using phrases in front of theocratic and teabagger audiences which they can hear as being to completely get rid of PP.
As the famous philosopher, pollster, group focuser, and word meister says It is not what you say, but what people hear. (Frank Luntz)
Not gotcha-ism at all. Just another case of Mr. Romney trying to have his cake and eat it too.
The man is a contortionist. He is desperate to be president. He will say literally anything to advance that goal, which of course disqualifies him as a man of principle.
Mr. Romney said what he meant, and meant what he said. His statement in St. Louis was a clear pander to the lunatic right that controls the Republican Party these days - and who happen to vote in GOP primaries. My hunch is that what Planned Parenthood receives each year from Congress is a fraction of what State Dept. diplomats and officials bill the government for official lunches and receptions every month.
What numbskull strategist came up with the idea that the way to win an election was to anger women across the country, regardless of their political leanings, and make their health a political football? Regardless of who the GOP eventually nominates, the candidate will have a hard time walking away from the pandering remarks they are making during the primaries. For one thing, Democrats won't let them.
Democrats won't let them??? This assumes evidence not submitted. Please provide examples of spine and fortitude among leaders of the democratic party.
"...increase spending on the Pentagon without comparable offsets and cut taxes for the wealthy without comparable offsets, but still bring the budget close to balance..."
For at least 30+ years blathering about spending and cutting taxes for the wealthy, any way you look at it "trickle down" has enabled the "peeing on Americans by the Oligarchy"! The Vulture Capitalist" Mittens isn't saying anything different than the last guy that helped lead US into the "Great RECESSION" of the 21st century!!
Please y'all stop falling for the okey-doke!! Keep the GOP unemployed in November!!
Romney is in a hole and he cannot dig it fast enough. If he can't control his mouth in friendly interviews and election stops, he will fare even worse during the elections and the debates. Dems won't have to go very far to find material for negative ads. Romney is handing it to the Dems.
Romney is not an articulate man and this poorly stated comment is just another attempt at pandering to the GOP base. What Romney doesn't understand is the base doesn't believe a word he says and he gives them a new reason not to just about every day.
Dear Mr. Romney,
Let me be the first to congratulate you on your conversion to the progressive side! Finally you realize that healthcare cannot be reliably provided for by the private sector. You want to stop paying private organizations to provide crucial women's health services because you want the government to pay for all that based on a system of universal, state-provided healthcare!
Surely there's no other way to understand your plan to eliminate funding to Planned Parenthood. I mean, surely you didn't just plan for women not to get this sort of healthcare at all, or only very expensively in private clinics? That would be inhumane. Don't put women's health on top of the car.
Finding Mr Romney's true position is like asking what day of the week it is.
The answer changes every day
His Planned Parenthood stance is just another single bullet fired in the War on Women
It is hard to figure out what he really thinks. His actions in the past were reasonable. What he is spewing now is unbelievable, literally.
Poor Mitt. He is having a hard time talking to his far right fanatic base. Could it be that he is having a little fit of conscience? Could it be that even he sees how wrong they are? Eh, could be but that will not deter him from selling out any principles he may have in order to get elected--well nominated anyway.
Here's my question, I had trouble sleeping at night when a squirrel ran under my tires so just how do these people manage to sleep at all?
This is what happens when religion becomes your politics. The republicans can't get out of bed with the religious right long enough to realize that they're attacking and harming organizations and people who truly care about the people of this country. Planned Parenthood should be celebrated, not worry that their funds will be cut. When your political party starts attacking the good guys, what does that make your party?
Boy Romeny has really aged in the last year. Changing ones core convictions every other day is hard stuff, not to mention how scrutinized todays politicians are by the media on every little detail. I bet someone out there has his diet on record. That said, Romney will have to pull one serious magic trick out of his negative, floppy campaign to become electable come November. Lets hope the dems try to capitalize on this. Or is that asking too much? They're so fragile. sigh.
All,
Gotta check out the Doonsebury cartoon today on the young Texas woman about to undergo a vaginal ultrasound.