On "Meet the Press" yesterday, host David Gregory asked Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), "Do you think that there is something of a war on women among Republicans?" Instead of saying, "No, of course not," the senator seemed to implicitly concede the reality of the situation, responding, "I think we have to fix that."
McCain added that Republicans "need to get off" the contraception issue altogether, adding, "I think we ought to respect the right of women to make choices in their lives."
This is a reversal for McCain, who voted for the anti-contraception Blunt Amendment a few weeks ago, and never expressed concerns about the effort until yesterday. What's more, the sweeping nature of his response -- "respect the right of women to make choices in their lives" -- suggests the Republican effort to make this fight about religious liberty is effectively over. The GOP message simply failed.
But there was something else McCain said on the issue that's worth acknowledging. Gregory brought up a proposal pending in the senator's home state of Arizona, which as Rachel explained on Friday, "would permit employers to ask their employees for proof of medical prescription if the employee seeks contraceptives for non-reproductive purposes. So, Arizona Republicans are going to make you tell your boss if you are having sex but you're taking precautions not to get pregnant."
Asked about the measure, McCain said he's "confident" it will not become law, adding that the proposal "certainly doesn't reflect, in my view, the majority view of the people of Arizona."
Here's a little tidbit McCain may not know: the bill has already passed the Arizona state House, thanks to the strong support of his own party. Perhaps without realizing it, the senator told a national television audience that Republicans in Arizona are pushing an agenda that's at odds with what Arizona's mainstream wants.
In other words, Democrats in the Grand Canyon State have a new and unexpected ally in pushing back against the GOP's culture-war proposals: John McCain.
Postscript: This was, by the way, McCain's 64th appearance on "Meet the Press." He's been a guest more than anyone else in the show's 65 year history.
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The Republican Party is tone deaf to what voters are demanding from their lawmakers and their candidates this election season. The agitated GOP base is clinging to brutal culture warfare as the only issue they can run on. The economy is improving, can't run on that. Obama killed bin Laden and got us out of Iraq as promised; can't run on foreign policy. So the right is forced to manufacture controversies over issues settled in the 19th century, like birth control and the rights of women. http://www.sunstateactivist.org
Good points---Thanks--
Don''t forget big oil and Obama's temporary refusal of the Keystone pipeline. Why people would want to extract toxic chemicals along with the oil and gas is beyond me. It has been procven that this causes cancer clusters.
The anti-women agenda does not play well on the big stage, where coverage denies them the stealth they enjoy in state politics. I heard from VA residents last week regarding the lack of mainstream media coverage there. I imagine it is similar in the other states that have pushed through this legislation or are trying to. Even trying an amendment on the ballot failed in Miss. so the less discussion, the happier the GOP.
In other words, Democrats in the Grand Canyon State have a new and unexpected ally in pushing back against the GOP's culture-war proposals: John McCain.
Are you kidding? He's no ally. John McCain was speaking to the camera to confuse the issue.
He'll flip flop when his masters tell him to, which should be any second now.
Are there jobs in our wombs ? Are there economic solutions in our wombs ? is there a solution to mortgage, wall street and military financing fraud in our wombs ?
So why are these misogynistic, racist, homophobes in the G.O. P. focusing on reproductive rights ? It is because they have nothing better to offer the American people. They are bankrupt of purpose and corrupt to the core.
We all know who and what they hate. Does anyone have any idea what they actually stand for ? Oh yes, more breaks for the wealthy.
Right-wingers are a dieing bread. Much like the people who used to build the best horse-drawn buggies also died out. These rabid haters make themselves more irrelevant to modern life as each day passes. Thank goodness for humanity and our planet that this is true.
I am from Arizona and I really never thought that McCain could be the grownup in the room. I've been trying to e-mail the governing officials here and you just can't they have closed off all communication with the citizens of Az. Some of my relatives that heard about these recent attacks on women are shocked. They had no idea this was going on. A lot of the legislature here is being passed without informing us. Why do they have to sneak around in order to do this? They must know they are dead wrong. They are giving the Women who fought for their rights the finger. They are spitting on the graves of many who have fought so hard for equality. They need to step back from all of this. There are too many different religions in America. We can no longer favor any specific religion. It would be un-American to do so. A clear separation between Church and state is critical in order for this country to stay united. Our enemy isn't each other. Our enemy is a common thread between all the nations and that is fear.
The people who are tone deaf are the bookers on the Sunday shows. We don't need anymore tire swinging with John. Note to David Gregory, McCain is a tired old back bencher regardless of how much beer he provides the crew.
I've been wondering why the Romanian dictator Ceasucescu (sp?), who made birth
control illegal to expand his populace, and its horrible results in babies abandoned in
crowded orphanages, unadoptable by law and kind, is never mentioned in the
anti-birthcontrol GOP debate? C'mon. These pols don't want the few on welfare as
it is.
Purely from a fiscal point of view (And one endlessly championed by the "deficit" crowd), birth control is cheaper than the costs of delivery thru incarceration of the unwanted.
(Ditto "Health Care" vs "Sick Care", but that's another story)
Looks like the Maverick has returned - at least on this issue.
Good choice, Mr. McCain.
It may be lost, but it is never over.
I'm not a McCain fan. Haven't voted for him for senator, nor did I vote for him for president. I still have to give him credit for more integrity and character than the group running this time around.
I"m often reminded of when he took the microphone from the woman in the crowd who was stating Obama was a muslim, and he politely and gently told her, "No ma'am." The same thing happened to Santorum, and all he did was duck his head and chuckle. What a difference three or four years make.
What has happened to the republican party?
I think even that is giving McCain too much credit. He only did that because his Palin-led rallies had gone completely out of control and the vitriol Palin and his supporters were spewing about Obama was quickly becoming a burden on his campaign that he wouldn't be able to overcome. I'm certain he would have reacted as Santorum reacted to the Muslim comment if Palin hadn't been whipping the crowds into a hysterical frenzy.
Do the Republicans not know, that there are more women in this country, than men? Obviously not. So this war on women, will be ultimately won by women in the fall. I hope that all women vote this fall, that way the Republicans and their bible-thumping bs, will disappear. I live in a**-backward Tennessee and it really sucks here too. I am an openly gay male, who happens to be an atheist.
Vote for Democrats, vote for freedom, , equal rights, and the Equal protection clause of the 14th amendment.
Vote for Republicans, vote for hatred of women, rich white males, racism, LGBT bashing, Christian saria laws. A vote for Republicans is a vote for Fascism.
It gets no simpler than this. The current Republican party is a threat to the democracy of this republic.
Must admit that McCain, though often doddering, continues to be one of the very few republicans I have any respect for, and that list is short enough to count on one hand with some fingers (and a thumb) left over.
64th appearance, just missed the first year?
I hope McCain sticks with this position and doesn't have a brain fart and do a 180 in a few days. He is known for his wild swings on issues but who knows maybe this will endure. As far as AZ is concerned if employers are going to be able to ask female employees about their reasons for using contraception I think they also ought to write an amendment into the Bill that requires men to disclose what they are planning on using their ED scrips for.
Have you all seen the HBO movie Game Change? McCain seems to be a man of integrity unlike the crazy "base" of the party. I think having Megan as a daughter has made him more balanced. At any rate, I just don't understand why the GOP has driven the moderates out and gone completely Santorum (i.e. nuts).
"Asked about the measure, McCain said he's "confident" it will not become law, adding that the proposal 'certainly doesn't reflect, in my view, the majority view of the people of Arizona'."
On what basis exactly does McCain believe that this won't become law in AZ? The good common sense of the AZ governor and legislature? Their interest in protecting the rights of women? Their concern about what the people of AZ think?
Right. Governor Brewer and the Arizona legislature have shown such moderation and good judgment over the past few years.
Good grief!
I still blame McCain for the elevation of the fringe nutjob narrative into the mainstream political sphere. Those people were always around, working quietly in the background to push their agenda, and only occasionally successfully. But when McCain named Tundra Barbie as his running mate and she proudly paraded her ignorant xenophobic rantings on a national platform, suddenly ignorance became acceptable, even celebrated. I know he was caught off guard, and it is obvious he regrets it, but he opened Pandora's box.
Is there a list of all of the laws which are anti-women? I tried to find a single source on Google and I couldn't find one.
Some Republicans aren't speaking against women’s reproductive and health rights, but I'd like to see them doing something more proactive to protect us, put an end to misinformation and make sure we don't go back to the Dark Ages http://bit.ly/GAbcwm