Political Ruminations

Morning Quote: Gov. Bev Purdue

On MSNBC’s “Hardball” last night, North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue (D) warned about the outcome of a GOP election win given the Republican position on abortion:

“ But for poor women, you'll be back to the days of coat hangers in the bathtub and you'll see women die. ”

Paul Krugman Debunks Romney-Ryan Lies on Medicare and Vouchercare (Video & Transcript)

At the GOP’s convention last week, Paul Ryan told even more lies regarding his plans for Medicare; this one the most blatant and most likely to delude those who aren’t paying attention:

“ Medicare is a promise, and we will honor it. A Romney-Ryan administration will protect and strengthen Medicare. ”

Watch as Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman and Rachel Maddow debunk the universe of Medicare lies from Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan in five short minutes:

UPDATE: The transcript from the video clip follows:

Morning Quote: Chez Pazienza

Media producer, and the co-host of “The Bob and Chez Show”, Chez Pazienza on the GOP’s 2012 platform, emphasis mine:

“Ahead of the convention, a draft of the 2012 Republican platform, which will by all accounts be officially adopted in full, is being circulated throughout the media — and to call it draconian, mean-spirited and almost shockingly intolerant would be an understatement on par with saying that Mitt Romney has some money. The document makes it inarguably clear that the GOP plans to firmly establish its intention to continue being the party of white, straight, fundamentalist Christian men and no one else. The platform seeks to ban abortion across the board, even in the case of rape or incest; it supports states that have attempted to order women to undergo mandatory ultrasounds before receiving abortions; it denounces same-sex marriage and doesn’t recognize gay couples; it pushes Arizona-style anti-immigration laws; it looks to reverse the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and forbid women from assuming combat roles in the military; it is, without question, the most conservative platform the GOP has ever adopted, staggering in its in-your-face extremism. It’s what the Republican Party stands for in the year 2012 — but it reads like it came right out of 1812. To its immense credit, the GOP is leaving no doubt what it’s all about and what it wants for the country, making the choice in November crystal clear.”

Further reading:

+ GOP Codifies the Republican War Against Women

+ Quote of the Day II

GOP Codifies the Republican War Against Women

Please note: this platform belongs to Mitt Romney, and to Paul Ryan, as it was prepared under the direction of their campaign.

With the inclusion of the agenda of those once considered the fringe into the2012 GOP Platform, the Republican Party should officially be flushed down the toilet. From the time when the once great party came into being in 1856, there has been no more hateful and conservative agenda than that of the 2012 GOP Platform.

The GOP has arrived at this unenviable place/state of being , a state of being where they are feared more than respected, hated more than tolerated, derided more than praised, by catering to the extremist religious fringe of their party until that extremist wing gained majority control. This can be easily, too easily, confirmed by reading their official platforms from the years prior to Nixon through that of this platform—the difference is striking.

This year we see the Republican war against women codified in the 2012 GOP platform in the form of several planks which endorse infringement upon not only our reproductive rights, but upon our dignity (the mandatory ultrasounds). Think Progress with the details:

1. NO ABORTION IN CASES OF RAPE OR INCEST. The proposal for a “human life amendment” passed without a hitch — and without any exceptions for rape or incest. The committee didn’t stop there; they also adopted language that would ban drugs that end pregnancy after conception, which could potentially include Plan B, the “morning after pill.” [the "Akin Amendment", so called by Democrats]

2. SALUTE TO MANDATORY ULTRASOUNDS. The GOP officially praises states’ “informed consent” laws that force women to undergo unnecessary procedures, require waiting periods and endure other measures meant to discourage them from getting an abortion. One such law receiving a “salute” was crafted by committee head McDonnell, who passed a notorious mandatory ultrasound requirement after he signed an unsuccessful bill to require an even more invasive transvaginal probe ultrasound during an abortion consultation.

3. NO WOMEN IN COMBAT. The platform condemns “social experimentation” in the military, which covers everything from the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to allowing officers to wear their uniforms in gay pride events to letting women serve on the front lines.

With the GOP’s adoption of these very specific planks which seek to control women, four things should be noted: