Political Ruminations

Republicans Vote to Defund Planned Parenthood

Gah. They are such morons, it makes me want to pull my hair out. Washington Post:

WASHINGTON -- The House has approved a Republican proposal to block federal aid for Planned Parenthood.

The 240-185 vote on Friday is a victory for anti-abortion forces led by Indiana GOP Rep. Mike Pence. He says taxpayer money should not go to groups that provide or promote abortion.

Democrats say Planned Parenthood provides contraception and other valuable family planning services, and that cutting off the money will make it hard for women to get such basic help.

It won’t get through the Senate, so once again, the Republican majority in the 112th Congress is wasting time and taxpayer dollars on promoting utter crap.

Also, Bob Cesca on the Washington Post’s silly wording:

I love that last paragraph from the very liberal Washington Post, by the way. Democrats say that? How about REALITY says that. It's a fact -- not a political opinion -- that Planned Parenthood "provides contraception and other valuable family planning services."

Bastards.

Related: Why Do Republicans Hate Women?

Crazy lady Michele Bachmann gets her Tea Party caucus, and Mike Pence is the first member

Bachmann received approval for her caucus group today, after filing the paperwork to establish the group last week. She said that the goals of the coalition  would be to promote “fiscal responsibility, adherence to the Constitution, and limited government." But let me translate this from Conservatard language in to real English. The goals of the caucus would thus be to undermine teh black President, promote tax cuts for the rich, and vote “NO” on everything brought to the floor by Democrats.

Today, during a press availability, Republican Conference Chairman, Mike Pence, announced his intention to join Bachmann's caucus. Yet MORE proof that the Tea Party is part and parcel of the Republican Party. Via Talking Points Memo:

"You betcha," Pence said when asked if he'd join.

"I come out of a background -- I was chairman of the Republican Study Committee, I was chairman of...the House Conservative Caucus," he added. “My hope is that this Tea Party caucus...will be an avenue for bringing “ome of the energy and the enthusiasm and the focus that I've seen, from the National March on Washington where I spoke on 9/12, to traveling around Indiana and all around the country, deeper into the well of Congress.”

Pence has been solicitous of the Tea Party movement in the past -- the 9/12 Tea Party in DC was promoted heavily by conservative groups like FreedomWorks and right wing radio and TV host Glenn Beck. But his enthusiasm for joining the new caucus is a reminder that GOP leaders continue to flirt with the far right flank of their base.