The GOP is acting like they believe the issue is a political winner for them

Why the polling sucks this just gets out their base given record high unemployment and a Black Man OMG/s as President the GOP base should be showing up at the primaries in record numbers but they are not. Birth Control and abortion are two songs that have been over played on the radio and make moderate voters switch channels.
Talk about jobs and homes or go home GOPers.

If the catholic church hasn’t given into the 98% of its parishioners who ignore their rules about contraception, why does the Obama administration think that they (the church) are going to “negotiate” with them? They think they are speaking from divine intervention. They’re infallible.

they thought the same thing about Terry Schiavo.
how did that work out for them?

there is no good explanation for why a political party does not read and follow polling. but thank the goddess they are deaf, dumb and blind.

This issue featured very prominently in both Rick Santorum’s and Mitt Romney’s recent political speeches.

Rick owns this issue Mitt can’t play catch up on this what is he thinking?

Republican Speaker John Boehner gave a rare floor speech encouraging a fight against what he called the “attack on religious freedom.

If the Orange One backs this then the entire GOP must be pressing this issue the Orange One leads from behind the GOP base and only does what is safe. Is Birth Control really the best issue the GOP can find since they won’t talk about jobs or homes?

If these rules already exist in 28 states, how is the church continuing to function in those states?

55% to 40% . . . good enough, or maybe not?

I’m thinking they’re measuring the wrong constituencies, or aren’t mindful of the big picture. That is, most of the 55% polled may already support O regardless, while too many of the 40% may throw a lever the wrong way simply based upon this.

If that’s a wrong take, then my bad; however, then why would there be such a scramble in the WH now? There shouldn’t be talk of compromise by O. Rather he needs to calm everyone and explain why it’s the right decision. Waffling, or admitting doing something wrong, or too soon, shouldn’t be an option for public consumption.

the GOP cant fight a someone who keeps on running away. Obama is ssssooooo disappointing!

O is just looking to compromise he takes a strong stance at first look at healthcare, ending torture, ending the wars etc then he compromises and sells out his base even though he has huge popular support on the issues.
O I am sure will follow his pattern talk tough now surrender later and then brag about a compromise he did not need to make and pisses off his own base while leaving the GOP an issue to attack him on.
Obama makes lossing an art form.

That is, most of the 55% polled may already support O regardless,

Thats O’s hope he hopes the GOP is so scary we have to vote for him still choosing the lesser of 2 evils is still evil.

the Administration has signaled that they don’t want this fight.

Of course they don’t want this fight. Because standing up for principles, even when you’re right, is uncool, and so… non-post-partisany. When are the fucking Democrats going to realize that if they won’t stand up and fight for what they pretend to believe in, no one will give two shits about them.

That’s right, I forgot that Democrats like Obama aren’t even Democrats anymore… they’re what’s left of the Republican Party from the 80′s and 90′s before that party went batshit insane.

It’s also about framing this issue properly. The rule does not effect individual churches or their employees. Rather it applies to large institutions like universities, hospitals, and charitable organizations receiving federal funding AND employing persons of same, differing or no faith as the religious institution. And under those rules it no longer becomes a freedom of religion issue, it becomes an employer discriminating against its employees.

This is not a function of religious freedom. The issue is the fair application of employment laws, which should not favor one employer over another, allowing one to discriminate but holding another to common standards.

Politically, of course, this is part of the bishops’ and the hard right’s (a redundant description) national campaign to restrict or ban access to constitutionally protected rights under the guise of religious “freedom” and budgetary arguments. Mr. Obama can be relied upon to cave on both fronts.

It makes one recall that William Howard Taft, before becoming president and a supreme court justice, was one of the dirtiest, harshest colonial governors of the American occupied Philippines. He, too, was a Harvard Law School grad and constitutional lawyer who used his scholarship to restrict access to civil rights and enrich his most favored corporate supporters. The difference, apart from his immense girth, was that he admitted to being a Republican and a machine politician.

Do not misunderestimate the Capitulator in Chief in the heat of a political battle, no matter how large his majority.

They already have Obama on the run, why wouldn’t they attack.

they thought the same thing about Terry Schiavo.
how did that work out for them?

Eh? The whole despicable *use* of Terry Schaivo & her family, plus the nasty slamming of her husband (who probably was doing what Ms Schaivo would’ve wanted) worked just fine & jim-dandy for the Tea-GOPers.

What harm have you seen done to the GOP “brand” over the Schiavo debacle? I’m serious. I don’t see it has having tainted or tarnished conservative pols one iota.

My mother was hugely brainwashed by Fox & Rush over this, actually claiming to me that “Terry Schaivo, herself, WANTS to live.” When I asked my mother how anyone actually knew what Ms. Schaivo wanted – I mean, like, verifiable proof – she was silent.

But when the truth came out, my mom & zillions of other rightwingers turned their heads and looked away & went, per usual, lalalalalalala can’t heeeaarrr the truth. Facts don’t matter. I’m sticking like glue to my ideology. “God” didn’t want Terry Schaivo’s machines to be turned off, no matter what. Recall, too, these same nebby-nosing RC Bishops stuck their nasty beaks into that sordid affair, and said it was a “sin” to turn off Ms. Schaivo’s machines. WHY??? Because *someone* was making MONEY off of keeping Ms. Schaivo putatively “alive.” It all comes down to greed & money in the end.

I’ll stop my rant, but I truly don’t see how the Schaivo mess tainted the GOP in any way. The minions just got distracted by the next thing that El Lushbo bellowed at them.

While some polling shows the American people support the new requirement by a margin of 55% to 40%, the Administration has signaled that they don’t want this fight.

Yeah, well as we all well know, what the majority of the 99% want is irrelevant. It appears to me that this is a bunch of ginned up rubbish in the Kabuki show entitled “GOP Primary.”

The right is desparate to find some way to fling poo on the so-called “left.” This is yet another salvo on the War Against Women. Red meat to the base ‘n all. Fools.

So, the woman who is prescribed birth control for non-birth control health reasons is supposed to “suck-it-up?”

This is the same type of argument that the catholic church tried to use in their adoption fight in Illinois.

Illinois had contracted with catholic charities to help the state with adoptions. When the state passed a law allowing gay marriages, catholic charities refused to adopt out any children to gay couples (amongst other things). The state said they were going to end the contract.

At that point, catholic charities complained, and sued that they were having to do things against their conscience. Long story short, catholic charities LOST in court.

They want to have rules for everyone else, but not for themselves. What a surprise for the catholic church.

In the state where I live, religious, non-profit organizations do not participate in the unemployment system, so they are already being treated differently than all other businesses. I wonder if they could argue that they should be treated differently with regard to the insurance issue as well.

Chris Matthews blithely bounds through the meadows of strawmen in his tri-colloquoy on birth control today. Nevermind the fact that Catholic churches have already found ways to provide this coverage without compromising their “first amendment rights.” Nevermind that states already mandate this coverage, 28 of them.

Chris loves the sound of his own voice so much he does pay not attention to reasoned argument because he’s too busy framing his Ari-approved blather.

Liberals need to use the same buzz words as the Republicans to win this one.

Why would an individual give up their reproductive freedom to a corporation, church or government? Why does the right hate an individual’s self governing individual liberty? Where is the sanctity in giving away your rights to a bureaucrat or committee?

Hopefully this will muddy the waters for the libertarians.

I’m really tired of the churches advancing the idea that freedom of religion means that they should be entitled to shove their belief system down everyone else’s throats or they are not being allowed to “practice their faith.” If you don’t believe in birth control because you feel it is a sin, there is a simple solution, don’t take it.

As for the idea that THEY shouldn’t have to pay for birth control, I don’t feel MY tax dollars should be going to their pet charities by way of faith based initiatives. Since I don’t get a line by line for my belief sets I find it completely unfair that they get exemptions for theirs.

I wonder if it is the same infallibility they feel about the issue of pedophilia and the fact that they hid it, moved the abusers around the country and world and paid off the victims. That infallibility?

He reiterated today that the policy is firm. He is the President of all thge people, not just the Catholics. If you give an exemption to one religion, you have all of them jumping up and down. There is afterall, a separation of church and state in the Constitution whether Repubs want to acknowledge that or not. The President’s decision on issues of health shouldn’t be ruled by politics or religion any more than the Komen foundation should have based their decision on religion or politics.

Since I don’t get a line by line for my belief sets I find it completely unfair that they get exemptions for theirs.

Amen, cwaltz. Our tax dollars at work going to religious organizations is something that pisses me off to no end as well. I can only imagine what our founding fathers would think. Problem is, this isn’t just a GW Bush invention. It’s been going on for decades.

Bravo for you points.

The trick is to spin this against Republicans and frame them as extremists against contraception. But he’d have to grow a pair to do that.

Message to Obama: millions of Catholic women have been waiting for someone strong enough to face down the bishops. Maybe you’d like to defer to Michele?

Politically, of course, this is part of the bishops’ and the hard right’s (a redundant description) national campaign to restrict or ban access to constitutionally protected rights under the guise of religious “freedom” and budgetary arguments. Mr. Obama can be relied upon to cave on both fronts.

Viewed from the other side, it’s a play for the religion industry to expand their political activities. I say beat them back by going after their tax exemptions. Don’t even argue the issue, they shouldn’t be participating.

This is the old boys club in the Catholic Church trying to reestablish their “moral authority”. That ship sailed when they turned a blind eye to pedophila.

In the Catholic Church women have always been second class citizens. The Catholic Church expects women to remain married no matter what happens in the marriage. Nuns are expected to live a much more spartan existence than priests. I thought contraception was settled in the 60′s and now the old white men in the robes are trying to turn the clock back.

Many non-Catholics work in Catholic hospitals and universities. What about their beliefs? Why should their have to penalized to adhere to the principles of a religion they don’t belong to? From what I understand, this is about providing coverage for birth control. They don’t have to dispense contraceptives. Where was the Church’s “conscience” when they enabled priests to prey on children? Why are they now trying to limit their liability in these matters? Maybe, people would give more deference to what they say if they actually followed the teachings of Christ.

The GOP simply bets they can force Obama to cave again and destroy the last vestige of possible support from his left. They have nothing to lose on this one, everything to gain and, sadly, they have a very safe bet. The blood is already on the water and the sharks are circling.