They’re crawling out of the woodwork like roaches on a mission.
Mississippi state Rep. Bubba Carpenter (R) said that it’s OK for women to have coat hanger abortions because it’s for a greater good.
A video obtained by Rachel Maddow’s blog captures Carpenter saying he is proud of Mississippi’s attempts to outlaw abortion outright, despite the fact that the Supreme Court has ruled abortions legal in the United States.
His exact words.
It’s going to be challenged, of course, in the Supreme Court and all — but literally, we stopped abortion in the state of Mississippi, legally, without having to– Roe vs. Wade. So we’ve done that. I was proud of it. The governor signed it into law. And of course, there you have the other side. They’re like, ‘Well, the poor pitiful women that can’t afford to go out of state are just going to start doing them at home with a coat hanger. That’s what we’ve learned over and over and over.’
But hey, you have to have moral values. You have to start somewhere, and that’s what we’ve decided to do. This became law and the governor signed it, and I think for one time, we were first in the nation in the state of Mississippi.
The thinly veiled scam that Mississippi is pulling off here is passing a law they claim puts an end to coat hanger abortions by placing restrictions on which doctors can perform abortions in Mississippi. What the law does in fact is jeopardize the existence of Mississippi’s only abortion clinic thereby leaving women without the means to travel out of state to take matters into their own hands.
The only explanation I can think of on how legislators like Bubba in Mississippi can sleep at night after passing draconian laws that endanger the lives of women is that they’re sociopaths.
And the only explanation I can think of on how people can vote sociopaths like Bubba into office is that they’re a terribly ignorant and backward bunch.
Also, it should be illegal for anyone with the name ‘Bubba’ to enter politics.
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More.
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One of our readers, John Liming, sent in the idea for the above illustration. Thank you, John.
It offers me the opportunity to mention that anytime anyone has an idea(s) for an illustration, please drop me a line. A little inspiration is always a good thing.
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(The Romney source photograph is a Creative Commons licensed image from photographer Gage Skidmore.)
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Call me cynical, but I didn’t think his [Obama's] views on marriage could get any gayer.
We won’t call Rand cynical. Ignorant, bigoted asshole is more fitting. An adult using the word “gayer”…really?
as gay is no longer an insult, add gayer to take it back to its old, childish meaning.
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Happy Friday.
The best from Political Humor‘s collection of the week’s late night political humor.
“President Obama came out with approval of same-sex marriage. He said that over the years, he has been going through an evolution on the issue. That makes opponents on the far right doubly angry. They don’t believe in gay marriage OR evolution.” –Jimmy Kimmel
“Michele Bachamnn has announced she is now also a citizen of Switzerland. What better way to protest a president you think is socialist than become a citizen of a country with a socialist philosophy and a mandated health care plan.” –Jay Leno
“It’s come down to Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. And Mitt Romney is fighting this image that he has no personality, and the reason for this, of course, is that he has no personality.” –David Letterman
“Membership and recruiting of Al Qaeda is drying up. Far be it for me to tell terrorists about strategy but I think membership started to subside when they went to the suicide bomber exploding underpants.” –David Letterman
“Let’s just say you put on the exploding underpants and you detonate. When they bring in the 72 virgins, then what?” –David Letterman
“And the Republicans, of course, were livid that on the anniversary of the killing of bin Laden, that Obama went over there and celebrated that. How dare he run for President using his accomplishments as President. We knew his campaign would be ugly, but stooping to facts?” –Bill Maher
“Could you imagine what Bush would have done if he had gotten bin Laden? I mean, this is a guy who played dress-up to celebrate a war he lost. If he had gotten bin Laden, he would have spent his whole second term in a Batman costume.” –Bill Maher
“And poor Mitt Romney, trying to make hay out of this. Mitt Romney who is on record saying that he would not waste money going after bin Laden, on record saying he would not violate Pakistan’s border to get bin Laden, this week said, ‘Of course I would have gotten bin Laden.’ Even his Etch-A-Sketch went, seriously?” –Bill Maher
“Mitt Romney responded today by restating his own views on marriage. He said marriage should only take place between two consenting rich people.” –Craig Ferguson
“Romney said he had no problem with gay people because one of his best friends owns San Francisco.” –Craig Ferguson
“Soon we may live in a world where the only people opposed to gay marriage will be gay people who are married.” –Craig Ferguson
“Rick Santorum gave Mitt Romney his endorsement. So Mitt gets all of Santorum’s delegates and all of his sweater vests.” –David Letterman
“Rick Santorum finally endorsed Mitt Romney at 11:00 last night. When reached for comment, Santorum said, ‘When I can’t sleep, I try endorsing Mitt Romney for president and it puts me right out.’” –Conan O’Brien
“Apparently Rick Santorum endorsed Mitt Romney last night very late via email. That just makes Santorum one of the 10 million guys ashamed of what he did late last night on his computer.” –Conan O’Brien
“President Obama’s re-election campaign is focusing very hard on Latino voters. That explains President Obama’s new campaign slogan: If you squint, I kind of look Puerto Rican.” –Conan O’Brien
“Police in Fort Wayne, Indiana, arrested a man for allegedly driving three blocks with four young children strapped to the hood of his car. Good to see Mitt Romney spending some time with the family, huh?” –Jay Leno
“Usually they do these on TV together, but in this case Santorum made the endorsement in the 13th paragraph of an email he sent out just before midnight. Sounds like somebody had a bottle of sparkling apple cider for dinner.” –Jimmy Kimmel
“Santorum woke up this morning and said, ‘I endorsed who?’” –Jimmy Kimmel
“According to documents recovered from Osama Bin Laden’s compound before his death, the Al Qaeda leader was worried that morale in the terrorist organization was fading. Bin Laden was concerned that his men were so depressed they wouldn’t commit suicide.” –Seth Meyers
“The documents also revealed that a spokesperson for Al Qaeda had said that Fox News ‘lacks neutrality.’ I’m not usually one to defend Fox News but right back at ya, Al Qaeda.” –Seth Meyers
“President Obama visited Afghanistan — unplanned, unannounced, just went right to Afghanistan. Not to be outdone, Mitt Romney got in his car and drove through the rough part of Beverly Hills.” –David Letterman“This week the president unveiled his new campaign slogan, ‘Forward.’ … And Mitt Romney unveiled his slogan, ‘My money might be offshore, but my heart’s right here in America.’” –Jay Leno
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I’ve never understood Log Cabin Republicans – gay conservatives who give their support to a homophobic political party that derides their sexuality and refuses to grant them equal rights under the law. There is a self-loathing quality to it all. R. Clarke Cooper is one such person. In fact he is the executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans and yesterday he found reason to bitch about a President who had just expressed his wish that gays be granted the same civil liberties as heterosexuals and be allowed to marry the person they love.
That the president has chosen today, when LGBT Americans are mourning the passage of Amendment One, to finally speak up for marriage equality is offensive and callous. Log Cabin Republicans appreciate that President Obama has finally come in line with leaders like Vice President Dick Cheney on this issue, but LGBT Americans are right to be angry that this calculated announcement comes too late to be of any use to the people of North Carolina, or any of the other states that have addressed this issue on his watch. This administration has manipulated LGBT families for political gain as much as anybody, and after his campaign’s ridiculous contortions to deny support for marriage equality this week he does not deserve praise for an announcement that comes a day late and a dollar short.
That is pretty screwed up. As a conservative, Cooper is more than entitled to criticize Obama on a number of issues he disagrees with – be it his handling of the economy or his views on abortion. I get that part. What I don’t get is how a member of the LGBT community, conservative or liberal, can choose to criticize this President at a time when he’s just declared his full support for marriage equality. It’s idiotic and a sign that there is something about conservatism (at least in some many) that shuts down the cognitive, rational part of the brain.
Obama speaks in favor of marriage equality and he is called “offensive and callous” by a gay man. Amazing. This is the President who repealed Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell and…
- Signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expanded existing United States federal hate crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability — the first positive federal LGBT legislation in the nation’s history.
- Reversed US refusal to sign the UN Declaration on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
- Extended benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees in 2009 and, further, in 2010
- Lifted the HIV Entry Ban
- Committed to ensuring that federal housing programs are open to all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity
- Banned job discrimination based on gender identity throughout the Federal government (the nation’s largest employer)
- Instructed HHS to require any hospital receiving Medicare or Medicaid funds (virtually all hospitals) to allow LGBT visitation rights
- Extended domestic violence protections to LGBT victims
- Endorsed the Student Non-Discrimination Act and the Safe Schools improvement Act targeting discrimination and bullying based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Appointed the first openly gay man to serve on the federal bench
- Nominated the first open lesbian US attorney
- Successfully fought for UN accreditation of IGLHRC (the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission) — against Republican attempts to block it
- Hosted the first LGBT Pride Month Celebration in White House history
- Named open transgender appointees (the first President ever to do so)
- Launched a muscular, game-changing campaign for global LGBT equality, highlighted by the Secretary of State in a half-hour address to the United Nations
And that’s just a tenth of the accomplishments from this President and his administration in favor of LGBT equality (see the full list here) and yet fools like Cooper choose to criticize Obama while promoting the candidacy of Mitt Romney – a man who refuses to recognize civil unions and who said he would sign a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. A freakin’ constitutional amendment! And this is the guy a gay man will vote for next November?
Pathetic and ridiculous.
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“I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.”
There will no doubt be a freakout on the right (big surprise – yawn) as well as by a few liberals with deep religious beliefs but the latest poll indicates that 57 percent of independents (50 percent overall, 65 percent Dems, 22 percent Republicans) are in favor of same-sex marriage. So, as with most issues, Obama is on the right side of this one so let the homophobes and bigots scream and yell to their hate-filled, ugly, little heart’s content. Screw ‘em.
Numbers and politics aside, the President has shown that he possesses the courage of his convictions and a willingness to do or say the right thing. And endorsing same sex-marriage and equality for all regardless of sexual orientation is, without a doubt, the right thing to do.
Having the President endorse same-sex marriage does not end the battle but it does carry the struggle to another level and that is a good thing.
A good day for freedom-loving, fair-minded Americans. A bad day for every other type of American.
UPDATE:
Fox has since changed the headline to “‘OBAMA FLIP FLOPS ON GAY MARRIAGE’
(h/t: Dish)
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Beautiful.
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A year ago he was cutting public worker’s benefits while severely restricting collective bargaining rights. Now he’s telling the same people how much he loves them and appreciates their hard work.
Wonder if Walker’s friendly attitude has anything to do with the upcoming recall election? Nah, it’s probably just a coincidence.
Shepard Smith is right. Politics is creepy.
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Election roundup:
Indiana.
As polls forecast, the Tea Party’s efforts to cleanse the GOP of any impure conservatives has Dick Lugar out and teabagger Richard Mourdock in. Mourdock is the new Republican nominee for Lugar’s senate seat…but not without a stern warning from Lugar.
If Mr. Mourdock is elected, I want him to be a good Senator. But that will require him to revise his stated goal of bringing more partisanship to Washington. He and I share many positions, but his embrace of an unrelenting partisan mindset is irreconcilable with my philosophy of governance and my experience of what brings results for Hoosiers in the Senate. In effect, what he has promised in this campaign is reflexive votes for a rejectionist orthodoxy and rigid opposition to the actions and proposals of the other party. His answer to the inevitable roadblocks he will encounter in Congress is merely to campaign for more Republicans who embrace the same partisan outlook. He has pledged his support to groups whose prime mission is to cleanse the Republican party of those who stray from orthodoxy as they see it.
This is not conducive to problem solving and governance. And he will find that unless he modifies his approach, he will achieve little as a legislator. Worse, he will help delay solutions that are totally beyond the capacity of partisan majorities to achieve.
Good advice but it’s falling on deaf ears. Republicans have no desire to advance the concept of governance in Indiana or anywhere else in the country. It’s about gaining power and pushing a far-right agenda and nothing more. Lugar strayed across party lines once too often to satisfy the radicals who currently control and fund the Republican party.
So, was Lugar part of the Republican’s filibustering, obstructionist politics in the Senate? Yes he was…but he was also one of the few Republicans left in Congress who had an understanding that there existed a bigger picture which extended beyond strict, party dogma. With Lugar’s departure, the Republican party has just climbed another notch on the Sociopath/Crazy scale.
Prediction: Lugar gets some kind of high profile position in President Obama’s second term administration.
To further prove Lugar’s point about Republican’s “rejectionist orthodoxy and rigid opposition”, here’s what Mourdock said this morning in regards to his understanding of bipartisanship.
“I certainly think bipartisanship ought to consist of Democrats coming to the Republican point of view.”
Wonderful. That sums up the entire right-wing’s approach to politics and is exactly what Dems and Obama were forced to deal with over the last three years. Anything short of Obama in the White House and Dem majorities in the House and Senate (filibuster-proof) is going to be a painful, drawn-out, four years of more obstructionist politics.
North Carolina.
In 1875, NC passed a constitutional provision which stated that “all marriages between a white person and a Negro or between a white person and a person of Negro descent to the third generation inclusive are, hereby, forever prohibited.” It took 96 years (1971) before the racist provision was removed from the state charter.
Yesterday, voters in North Carolina approved a state constitutional amendment which reads, “marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized.”
Way to go, NC. You have another 100 years of bigoted, intolerant legislation to enjoy.
Wisconsin
Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett is the Democrat slated to go up against Scott Walker in the June 5 recall election. A reader sent in a first-hand account at yesterday’s polls in his role as an election inspector.
Act 23, which is the Wisconsin voter ID law, is still under court injunction, so photo IDs weren’t needed to vote. Surprisingly, same-day registration is still allowed by showing a valid state ID and proof of residence (like a recent utility bill, lease, bank statement or pay stub with a current address).
Most of the voters were pleased not to have to follow Act 23, although a fair number offered their cards without being asked and seemed surprised when told it wasn’t necessary. Expressed voter sentiment was definitely anti-Walker (but keep in mind what I said about the ward’s demographics [liberal-leaning]), and most of the people seemed pleased with their experience. [...] An overwhelming majority of people seemed to be positive about being out to vote, even when there were long lines, and many expressed appreciation for the poll staff. Most people seem to think we’re volunteers selflessly serving our community – they must have us confused with campaign workers, who mostly go unpaid. The work is mind-numbing and tedious, full of niggling little details, and the people who do have bad experiences and frustrations usually blame us. I have to admit, though, that there is a certain amount of feelgood that goes along with the job.
He wrapped up with…
That’s three elections down for the year and three more to go. The recall general election is on 5 June, which means there will be an intense four weeks of negative ads, people pounding on my door, ads stuffed in my mailbox and not answering the phone unless I recognize the caller ID. To that end, I’ve posted the sign I’ve attached to my front door.
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