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

[caww]

....”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”....

That and he knows how the parties work in Washington....he sees their slight of hand most of the time....liars they are and will always be...cheats and backhanded!

[exDemMom]

But conservatives retort the poll numbers are skewed because they ... neglect to raise the possibility that other organizations could provide women’s health services unrelated to abortion in Planned Parenthood’s absence.

Not that other organizations could but that other organizations DO provide the bulk of women's health care. The pollsters also fail to mention that non-abortion related activities account for a small portion of PP's activities (either they are performing abortions, or they are propagandizing young people to use abortion as their primary means of birth control). PP only does non-abortion related activities for the PR, nothing else. They don't care about women any more than they care about the babies they butcher.

[Yosemitest]

Boner and McConnell are the "WALKING DEAD", and people have basically tuned them out.
All they can do is ANGER the people more AT THEMSELVES .

[mrsmith]

The danger to Cruz is that he will be blocked... and then Trump will join him on another issue and make the RINOs stand up.
Thus turning it to his advantage.
I don’t think Trump would go this far on PP, though he may join in on some limitation/enforcement.

The dynamics when congress returns are going to be interesting- and very serious.

[editor-surveyor]

.
They are both in safe slots, electorally.

We have no voice in turning them out.
.

[MeshugeMikey]

Amen!

[Yosemitest]

We just don’t have the right person challenging them, and the right ads exposing their corruption.

[marron]

GOP can’t rouse themselves to oppose decapitating babies for profit. Seriously.

Cruz is my party. GOP has crapped their breeches. I’ve had it with them.

[duffee]

The reason the strategy failed is because the leadership and a big part of the gop wanted it to fail. It’s still a good strategy and will make democrats and rinos show their true colors. Thank God for Senator Cruz and those who are willing to do what they said they’d do. Senator Cruz will separate the wheat from the chafe.

[G Larry]

Planned Parenthood;

-Encourages irresponsible sex
-Pushes abortion
-Profits from the sale of baby body parts, collected in the most goulish manner possible.

Nothing Planned Parenthood does remotely resembles “healthcare”.

[SmokingJoe]

Backfire?
Beck, the best thing that could happen to Ted Cruz would be for him to filibuster funding for Planned Parenthood, with full support from evangelicals. In the current anti-American establishment mood of GOP primary voters, his poll numbers will shoot right up.

[WayneS]

The question is not really whether the feral government should defund “Planned Parenthood”.

The question is whether it SHOULD be funded by federal taxpayer money in the first place.

And all those who have “planted their flags” and announced that they will not support a spending plan UNLESS it funds “Planned Parenthood” should be required to answer that question.

[trebb]

For a site named “Real Clear Politics”, this author sure does muddle it up.