Ted Cruz's Planned Parenthood Strategy Will Backfire

RCP ^ | 08/31/2015 | Bill Scher

[SeekAndFind]

Another year. Another looming deadline for funding the federal government. Another hot-button issue whipping conservatives into a froth.

In the fall of 2013 it was Obamacare. In December 2014 it was immigration. This year it’s Planned Parenthood. Some conservatives seem determined to bet the farm, and the federal government, on defunding the women’s health services provider.

Big mistake.

Let’s put aside political questions. Sure, I could tell you that the 2013 shutdown severely damaged the GOP brand; defiant conservatives will respond that Republicans won the 2014 midterms anyway. (Some have even convinced themselves that the shutdown helped.)

And I could tell you that polls show huge majorities support federal funding of Planned Parenthood. But conservatives retort the poll numbers are skewed because they fail to mention the details of the fetal tissue controversy or neglect to raise the possibility that other organizations could provide women’s health services unrelated to abortion in Planned Parenthood’s absence.

So let’s not prognosticate about where the political fallout will land. Let’s just talk hard numbers. Specifically, 218 and 60. That’s how many votes will be needed to pass legislation in the House and clear a filibuster attempt in the Senate.

Speaker John Boehner does not want to tie the Planned Parenthood matter to the Sept. 30 deadline to fund the next fiscal year of government operations, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has flatly rejected the tactic, saying, “We are not doing government shutdowns.”

Meanwhile, 18 House Republicans have planted their flag, declaring they will not vote for any spending measure that maintains Planned Parenthood funding. On the Senate side, presidential candidate and 2013 shutdown instigator Ted Cruz is trying again to make the issue a conservative litmus test, urging Republicans to make the matter “a decision of the president's

[Sacajaweau]

Let each state defund them...one by one...

[Tau Food]

Ted Cruz has found a moral issue here and he has the courage to take some risks that others are afraid to take.

[bolobaby]

Nice logic: Others won’t stand on principle, so Cruz shouldn’t either.

Welcome to the GOP.

[cripplecreek]

Let’s put aside political questions. Sure, I could tell you that the 2013 shutdown severely damaged the GOP brand; defiant conservatives will respond that Republicans won the 2014 midterms anyway.

LOL

[DaveyB]

Another coward who is afraid of the fight if they might lose, even when the fight is morally necessary. We would never have fought the Nazi's with wimps like Bill Scher.

Makes Ted Cruz twice the man of the combined cajoles of the entire wimp party of surrender republicans.

[Dr. Sivana]

Whether his gambit is “successful” or not, it is worth doing.

[dowcaet]

Another article aimed not at Cruz but those two supposed leaders in Boner and McDummy. Don’t worry Mr. Scher they got the message.

[demshateGod]

Concern troll.

[SoFloFreeper]

From the bottom of the article:

Bill Scher is executive editor of LiberalOasis...

[editor-surveyor]

.
Backfire on Boner and McConnell.
.

[Flintlock]

NEWS FLASH: NOBODY outside of J street gives a tinker’s damn about a (12%) gummint shutdown!!
NOBODY!
As an issue: faageddabaat it.

NOBODY loves the abortion industry.
NOBODY!!
ESPECIALLY with a few more (ugh!) PICTURES.

Now, embrace it, and continue to march.

[Marcella]

So, he is supposed to tell himself the right thing to do is “unfund” Planned Parenthood, but I might upset our leaders and they would think badly of me, so we as a people will continue to pay for aborting babies and selling them like nuts and bolts off a car. I see another govn. shutdown and all because Cruz has a rock solid core of Christianity. How many will join him? Cruz is my senator and so is John Cornyn and Cornyn will not stand by Cruz. A pox on Cornyn.

[oblomov]

“will backfire”

So it will result in more abortions?

According to RCP, the political calculus is evidently the sole indicator of the success of a “strategy”.

[fatnotlazy]

Most of the mainstream media has said little to nothing about the baby chop shops, so I would suppose the lo-fo participants in these polls know nothing about that aspect of PP’s operation. Or they are hardened godless liberals whose fervent adherence to the “women's rights” agenda overshadows any feelings they might have for the slaughtered unborn. Cannot allow anything,not even human life, to distract from the agenda.

This is a nation ripe for destruction. God has had enormous patience with us, but if we don't come back to him soon, this country is doomed.

[caww]

From the Thread article.....

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) thinks Republican leaders are bluffing when they say they want to defund Planned Parenthood, so he is enlisting Christian pastors across the nation to help mobilize voters to force his colleagues' hands and threaten a government shutdown.

Cruz implored more than a thousand pastors and religious leaders on Tuesday to "preach from the pulpit" against Planned Parenthood and rally public support for an amendment defunding the family provider in the must-pass federal budget bill in November. If Congress attaches the defunding amendment to the budget instead of holding a vote on the standalone bill, it cannot keep funding Planned Parenthood without shutting down the whole federal government.

"Here is the challenge," the presidential hopeful explained on the national conference call. "The leadership of both parties, both the Democrats and Republicans, want an empty show vote.... They want a vote on Planned Parenthood that has no teeth or no consequence, which allows Republicans to vote for defunding, Democrats to vote for continuing funding, and nothing to change. ...But the leadership of both parties have publicly said they do not want the vote tied to any legislation that must pass."

[JediJones]

Liberals didn’t conquer the country on same-sex marriage by shying away from the fight. They fought for it again and again and again and were not afraid to lose a few battles on the way to figuring out what it would take for them to win.

We have to do the same if we want to win on the social issues. Shrinking back into the shadows and not talking about the issue publically is a recipe for failure.

[Tau Food]

Yes, what makes Cruz special is that he believes what he is saying. He has no fear because he knows that he's doing the right thing.

[vmivol00]

We can’t build a wall.

We can’t defund Planned Parenthood

What a bunch of complete losers the GOP is.

And they wonder why no one wants to follow their defeatist lead.

[caww]

Amazing that Cruz is traveling in his campaign for the Presidency yet still fighting in His Senate work....praying God will keep him strong and healthy throughout these months.