Obama Sets A Trap For Republicans?

Gee, that was easy. Too easy. The Dems are said to be caving on contraception.

If this package contains the large amount of bad spending alleged, the Republicans had better not cave simply because the Dems caved on contraception. That isn't exactly a big winning issue for Republicans across enough of the population to make a difference - especially not among the young. If they cave, they end up looking like the same old party that cares about a single issue over everything else, including the economy and good government.

At the same time, Obama can now say, hey, we gave those right to life nutters just what they wanted and they still won't play ball. The Republicans had better do a good job of pointing out any and all bad spending in this Bill if it's there and not allow themselves to be painted as a single issue party. They should continue to oppose it and other initiatives on the principles of good government and fiscal restraint to the extent they apply instead of allowing Obama to hang wedge issues around their necks at every turn.

Score one for Obama for now. And Republicans had better start figuring out how to play Chess, as opposed to the same old game of church social Checkers they've been playing for years.

WASHINGTON (AP) - House Democrats are likely to jettison family planning funds for the low-income from an $825 billion economic stimulus bill, officials said late Monday, following a personal appeal from President Barack Obama at a time the administration is courting Republican critics of the legislation.

Several officials said a final decision was expected on Tuesday, coinciding with Obama's scheduled visit to the Capitol for separate meetings with House and Senate Republicans.

Comments

[SpaceCat]

"Score one for Obama for now. And Republicans had better start figuring out how to play Chess, as opposed to the same old game of church social Checkers they've been playing for years."

Good point. I think the political discourse has evolved enough, and things have gotten so bad, that most Americans just want something that works, not a cartoonish wedge issue that inflames passions but has no practical benefit in their lives.

[Anon]

I am all for doing ANYTHING that will prevent poor people who can't take care of themselves from having children, and if that means the gov. pays a couple of bucks to subsidize contraception rather than tens of thousands for children, I am all for that.

But, what is federal money for contraception doing in an ECONOMIC STIMULUS bill to begin with? I thought the days of pork, pet projects and earmarks were over? Oh wait, I guess that was the John McCain 'change' that America didn't believe in, the Obama change that America did believe in is NO CHANGE at all in terms of streamlining goverment and stopping the practice of jamming big pieces of legislation with non germaine items.

[WAHOO WILLIE]

"I am all for doing ANYTHING that will prevent poor people who can't take care of themselves from having children,...."

Pretty much the same here. When you look at the MAJORITY of people who get abortions they probably shouldn't allowed to breed anyway....so I'm happy to pay for it and free contraception as well. Fewer demonrats is a good thing.

[WAHOO WILLIE]

From another thread SpacedOut says: "ROTFLMAO x1,000,000! Is this comedy? Are you really this clueless? How do you think Bush won in 2004, moron? Just as I think you wingnuts might have learned a little bit of the art of self-examination over the past few years, given how horribly you keep getting spanked, you prove me wrong. You'd think having your a$$es handed to you by an increasing number of American voters over the last two elections would prompt some of you to do a little soul-searching. Nope! Exxxxcellent.

And this little gem of disengenuousness is just the icing on the cake!
"I am starting to develop some serious concerns about the next four years."
No $hit! With all your bizarre obsessing over the Rev. Wright/Bill Ayers/closet Muslim/drug dealer/birth certificate/"Whitey"/etc., I never had any idea that you might have any concerns about Obama! Tell me what else is on your mind!"

From this thread Spaced Out says: "
Good point. I think the political discourse has evolved enough, and things have gotten so bad, that most Americans just want something that works, not a cartoonish wedge issue that inflames passions but has no practical benefit in their lives."

Wow, how quickly he evolved in his political discourseLOLOLOLOLOOL

[Anon]

That is one of the weird paradoxes of the abortion issue, although 'promiscuious [liberal] college girl who has mulitple abortions' is the poster child for the right, in reality, if abortion were made illegal, the group most affected by it and whose birth rate would most likely rise dramatically would be poor minorities, who I think statistically have the highest percentage of abortions..so, if the conservatives were to get their dearest dream of outlawing abortion in all probability it would drastically increase the birth rate among poor minorities, helping liberal Democrats...the liberal college girls would either become more responsible and use contraception or their parents would pay to send them to Canada for an abortion...always seemed so strange that the top wish of conservatives would hold the seed of their own destruction...same as it ever was I guess.

[mary]

When does the acorn money go?

[SallyVee]

Great line: learn how to play chess as opposed to church social checkers...

I'm afraid we Righties are doomed to remain amateurs in this perpetual Ponzi for Power scheme. We're just not wired properly for civilian & media warfare. Out on the battlefields with real weapons and bullets is another matter, but here on the homefront we're sissies (me included).

[Philip McDaniel]

"if abortion were made illegal, the group most affected by it and whose birth rate would most likely rise dramatically would be poor minorities, who I think statistically have the highest percentage of abortions"

That, I didn't know, Anon. I would have thought that poor minorities...well the Hispanics at least, would not have many abortions due to their strong religious convictions. Perhaps there would be a case as well for strong family ties among some ethnic poor keeping abortions down. On the other hand, middle and upper middle class left leaning families I would have thought to have the most abortions since they seem to be preoccupied most with themselves. (the me generation and their offspring)

[ET]

Speaking of political discourse, I would pay to see thie one!

http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/breitbart/2009/01/26/iraq-war-showdown-bill-kristol-agrees-to-debate-matt-damon-after-actors-idiot-slam/

[Anon]

Who's having abortions (race)?
While white women obtain 60% of all abortions, their abortion rate is well below that of minority women. Black women are more than 3 times as likely as white women to have an abortion, and Hispanic women are roughly 2 times as likely.

Who's having abortions (marital status)?
64.4% of all abortions are performed on never-married women; Married women account for 18.4% of all abortions and divorced women obtain 9.4%.

Who's having abortions (religion)?
Women identifying themselves as Protestants obtain 37.4% of all abortions in the U.S.; Catholic women account for 31.3%, Jewish women account for 1.3%, and women with no religious affiliation obtain 23.7% of all abortions. 18% of all abortions are performed on women who identify themselves as "Born-again/Evangelical".

Who's having abortions (income)?
Women with family incomes less than $15,000 obtain 28.7% of all abortions; Women with family incomes between $15,000 and $29,999 obtain 19.5%; Women with family incomes between $30,000 and $59,999 obtain 38.0%; Women with family incomes over $60,000 obtain 13.8%.

Why women have abortions
1% of all abortions occur because of rape or incest; 6% of abortions occur because of potential health problems regarding either the mother or child, and 93% of all abortions occur for social reasons (i.e. the child is unwanted or inconvenient).

At what gestational ages are abortions performed:
52% of all abortions occur before the 9th week of pregnancy, 25% happen between the 9th & 10th week, 12% happen between the 11th and 12th week, 6% happen between the 13th & 15th week, 4% happen between the 16th & 20th week, and 1% of all abortions (16,450/yr.) happen after the 20th week of pregnancy.

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Interesting.

[templar knight]

Anon, it hardly matters anyway, so far as the abortion issue goes, as our borders have opened up to millions of illegal aliens. They are soon to be legalized, no doubt, with 95% of them voting Democratic, if they aren't already illegally voting that way. I doubt anyone is trying to find out. The seeds of the nation's destruction have already been planted and harvested by greedy Republicans and power-hungry Democrats.

And I really think this is true, that right now, at this crossroads, it will be decided whether the United States exists as a nation, or whether it will be taken over by globalists who wish to use its resources, both monetary and military, to promote their agenda. Right now, I'm betting on the globalists.

[WAHOO WILLIE]

"I'm betting on the globalists."

tk: I pray you're wrong. That there is hope that freedom loving Americans still exist in enough numbers to change things. However, looking back at something over 1/2 a century, seeing what permissiveness....and greed....have done to this country, seeing the dems master plan to increase dependancy on government at full steam. Yup, you could be right.

[North Dallas Thirty]

"so, if the conservatives were to get their dearest dream of outlawing abortion in all probability it would drastically increase the birth rate among poor minorities"

Possibly.

Or, more probably, minus the ease of getting rid of the problem, you might see poor minorities finally starting to realize that promiscuous sex is not a good idea on several levels.

It is no coincidence that the population with the highest rate of abortions -- black women -- also has the highest new HIV/AIDS and STD rate among heterosexuals.

Meanwhile, Dingy Harry is already in the process of ensuring that illegal immigrants receive free health care at US taxpayer expense.

http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=42558

[Anon]

I still believe it is possible for the Republicans to split the Hispanic vote and at least get the Hispanic middle class, traditional Latino values are much, much closer to the GOP than the Democrats. It would be tough to accomplish though. Who would have ever imagined that we would become so lazy as a country that so many illegal Mexicans would cross our border and then be given citizenship that in a few short decades we would no longer be a white majority country.

I agree though that the seeds of the nation's destruction were planted long ago and we are just now beginning to reap that bitter harvest.

[Mark in Kansas]

Do what the North Koreans (and Democrats) do when negotiating - put the concession in your pocket and keeping pounding the **** out of them.

[mark l.]

"I still believe it is possible for the Republicans to split the Hispanic vote and at least get the Hispanic middle class, traditional Latino values are much, much closer to the GOP than the Democrats."

maybe...but I think the window is closing.

Catholicism is far stronger in Mexico than the US. They stay too long and we strip them of their faith. Once they no longer identify themselves as hispanic catholics, and start identifying themsleves as disenfranchised lower class workers, they'll be scooped up by the dems.

[Anon]

Yeah, it is closing if not closed already. It doesn't inspire confidence that the GOP, which absolutely aided and abetted the illegal immigrant fiasco, has done virtually nothing to bring this group into the conservative fold, or to try and create some kind of wedge between legals and illegals, but has let the Democrats paint them as anti immigration, all the while, while paying lip service to stopping illegals, they did no more than the Democrats. Doesn't get much stupider or short sighted then that. I guess nobody at the RNC bothers with something as mundane as demographics.