Romney surrogate Ed Gillespie on "Fox News Sunday"
Republican insider Ed Gillespie, serving in his new capacity as a Romney campaign advisor and surrogate, appeared on "Fox News Sunday" yesterday, and made some interesting comments about women's issues.
Most of the exchange was fairly predictable -- Gillespie defended a foolish lie, for example -- but note the campaign surrogate's response when host Chris Wallace asked about Mitt Romney's plan to "get rid of" all federal aid to Planned Parenthood.
"Federal funding of abortion is not a noble thing to do. And so, defunding from a federal budget perspective of Planned Parenthood is not the same thing. [...]
"[I]t's not fair to say not having federal funding for Planned Parenthood is defunding Planned Parenthood."
First, as Gillespie probably knows, federal funding of abortion is already prohibited under the law. The Romney surrogate may find political value in misleading Fox viewers, but Planned Parenthood has traditionally enjoyed broad bipartisan support from the left, right, and center -- before the more recent radicalization of the Republican Party -- in part because of the fact tax dollars are not used to terminate unwanted pregnancies.
Second, I'm fascinated by this notion that there's a distinction, from the Romney campaign's perspective, between taking away funding and "defunding." If I'm not mistaken, this is an entirely new level or rhetorical parsing -- Romney doesn't want to defund the women's health care organization; he simply wants to eliminate its funding. This is supposed to make sense.
As Gillespie sees it, Planned Parenthood will have some funding if/when a Romney administration takes away all of its federal assistance, so calling this "defunding" is "not fair."
For the record, Romney wants to eliminate all tax-dollar aid to Planned Parenthood and end funding for Title X altogether. Gillespie's creative spin notwithstanding, such a move would prevent countless American women from receiving necessary health care services.
The Romney campaign is right when it says the "get rid of" line is generally taken out of context -- the former governor said he'd "get rid of " Planned Parenthood, but in context, he was talking about scrapping public aid. But the phrase that keeps coming to mind is "distinction without a difference" -- if Republican policymakers end all public assistance for the group, Planned Parenthood as we know it will almost certainly cease to be.
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And as per usual, everything comes back to affordable health care insurance and living wages. If we had all that, there'd be no need for Planned Parenthood.
Yes we would. There will always be a need for Planned Parenthood.
Until women stop voting for theses cretins, they are going to continue their war on women.
Republicans long for a time that never was; Men were strong, women were silent, and children obeyed their elders.
In short, the days of Saturday Evening Post covers, as painted by Norman Rockwell.
But only some of Rockwell's paintings. Certainly not ones like this.
planned parenthood serves mostly low income and minority women , of course many of these women are most likely to vote democratic , so republicans must destroy this agency by making bogus claims that it provides tax payer money for abortion , which has already been proven to be completely false. But do republicans give a damn ?. No ! it all boils down to dirty politics being played here. Since they cannot legislatively get rid of planned parenthood , they do the next best thing , DEFUND it. Same result , never mind that they provide vital health care services to thousands of women who otherwise cannot afford it.
Romney has made his fortune by defunding the people.
Romney says his wife tells him women are worried about economic issues. That much is correct, EXCEPT that women are capable of being worried about MORE than one thing at a time; AND, women are left wondering how Repugnant attacks on Planned Parenthood, insistence on unnecessary medical procedures, keeping insurance plans from covering contraception, etc are even REMOTELY related to those economic issues we are so worried about?
Removing funding of medical services most emphatically affects the economy for women who will either go without, or pony up real money for health care.
Again, Romney's wife doesn't get it. That whole silver spoon thing is really getting in her way.
Imagine Stevie Nicks singing Gold Dust Woman with slides of Ann (and sometimes Mitt) Romeny projected behind her at appropriate points.
It must be exhausting to spend all your time trying to convince people that you're not going to do what you, and they, know damn well you're going to do if given the chance.
Boy, have they ever punched the tar baby a la Brear Rabbit! Therre is no way for the GOP to rid themselves of this one and the harder they fight it, the more apparent it is to all others. Mr Romney has indeed painted himself in a corner with no hope of return. Let's have his wife's opinions on the subject. They should be scintillating and instructive. GOP is trying to vilify PP as they so succesfully did Acorn.
Hi Rachel - I love your show!
There's a huge story being covered up by the media - I wrote an essay about it called Pillage, Plunder & Pollute, LLC - link here:
(http://witsendnj.blogspot.com/2012/04/pillage-plunder-pollute-llc.html)
Thanks,
Gail
""[I]t's not fair to say not having federal funding for Planned Parenthood is defunding Planned Parenthood.""
Huh??????
Romney should asked The Susan G Komen Foundation how well cutting off funding Planned Parenthood worked for them! I am not sure that they will ever recover from that faux paux! Women need these services and women need to register and VOTE!!!
Obama 2012- we cannot afford anyone else!
Are we going to defund the programs that I disagree w/ too then?
I want churches to pay taxes, I want no more subsidies going to any corporation, I want no more federal loans to any business unless that business is going to make high paying jobs here in America, I want no more funding going to research new weapons, I want no more funding going to nuclear power plants or coal plants or oil plants, and I want no funding going to produce new nuclear weapons. Also no more funding goes to private contractors like Blackwater. Do I get to have my way too then?
Yea Mouser! As dems we should double down on our own issues like the repugs are doing. Grow a spine. If we go down we go down fighting. See you in the thunderdome.
Sure. As soon as you're elected President with a solid majority in the House (not just your party, you) and a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.
Ed Gillespie is just another snake oil salesman. Beware of the man with the perpetual grin.
and up until a week ago, Karl Rove's partner in GPS Crossroads. Beware!
Fox viewers no doubt believe that PP is actually "Abortions R' (on) Us".
So, more lying from the wrong/right. Big Surprise! Mitt Rmoney's surrogate thinks that saying ending funding for planned parenthood isn't fair? I'll cry you a fecking river Ed, then please, give our apologies to your candidate for not being fair..
Hello - I am hoping someone here can help me. I have heard it said many times that having the ability to choose whether and when to become pregnant has a huge impact on the economic status of a woman. This makes sense to me, but - being a researchy kind of guy - I would LOVE to have some scholarly studies to point to. Also - I am in the middle of an online debate where I emphasize FACTS - and I am being challenged to produce study that proves this is a FACT. All help greatly appreciated!!! By the way - finding this show literally changed my life. Right before the 2008 election I was on business travel and by some miracle when I turned on the TV MSNBC and the Rachel Maddow Show came on!! Have been a fan ever since. And that is why I am thinking someone here can point me to some studies - since TRMS loves facts as much as I do.
Guttmacher Institute is a good place to start.
This election rhetoric is incredibly frightening. I keep asking myself. "Why are the repugs doubling down on such sweepingly unpopular issues such as killing the buffet rule, piling $ hateful pain on the working poor, disabled and elderly, and the contraceptive/abortion issues?" Susan Kohmen already ran this unpopular issue up the flagpole for the Rethugs and they saw first hand how women responded by nearly killing her foundation.
Are these thugs so sure that they will be able to steal the local and national elections by suppressing voter rights in their states that Romney will win this election and then his new administration will pass all of these highly unpopular Republican issues claiming that they have a mandate?
The audacity and mendacity is alarming.
this is a pretty good. as Steve Greene in his blog 'Fully Myelinated' said: 'A funny look at all the different types of logical fallacies we see in arguments.'
www.yourlogicalfallacyis.com/home
And I have the 'right to choose' to stay home...without health insurance or unemployment or any hope that I'll get help to get a job...uh huh.
Calling Planned Parenthood an "abortion provider" is as accurate as referring to Wal-Mart as "the gun store". Selling guns is not Wal-Mart's primary function either.
Semantical parsing...
It just depends upon what the meaning of 'is' is.
That a republican would lie! I tell you I am shocked! Absolutely shocked to learn that there was gambling going on!
The fact is Planned Parenthood PREVENTS more Abortions than they perform. The Contraception Services aids Women to determine WHEN it is right to start a Family and to insure that the Child will be raised in a loving Family environment with less financial worries.
PP does less than 28% of ALL Abortions in this Country. That means that other places, usually Hospitals, do the other 72%. But I have never seen an AntiAbortion Protest outside of a Hospital? And the reason for that is the Religious Right wants to control every single aspect of Reproduction in this country, NOT just eliminate Abortion. If the RR had their way, they would make Condoms illegal because they see them as blocking the Will of GOD.
I am tired of this Christian Sharia Law.
Don't worry, Politifact.com will chime-in any moment now and inform us that Gillespie's characterization is NOT the same thing as ending Planned Parenthood.
Just like they said that the GOP plan to turn Medicare into a system of ever-diminishing reimbursement is not ending that program. It's all good. Politifact's got your fack-checkin' back, bro. Thanks in advance Politifact.
OK. Let's cut the cr@p. It's time women ruled the world. Hillary?
You should check out the Romney's religious views. The Mormon church tells mothers they should not work outside the home (and this comes from the very top)!!! Working mothers have been openly criticized and/or shunned by other church members. You have reported on just how badly Mormons treated African Americans in the past, yet they are still discriminating against women. This has not been reported on at all. The Mormon church is very involved in the "war against women".
Those things are hardly the exclusive province of the LDS church.