The assault on the 1st Amendment isn’t something you roll over for, but let’s say you’re right. We let the left force the Catholic Church to provide both abortion and birth control pills.
The economy is the issue, right? We can’t worry about whether the USG can tell us, “Look, save your hosanas for the four walls of your church, but once you leave, just know that God no longer runs the bingo - we do. You made a deal with us, and now we are changing that deal, and there really isn’t much you can do about it.
I would look to the USG taking receivership of any hospital the Catholic Church tries to close. In many states, a hospital files a ‘statement of need’ before it can be built. In many places, the Catholic hospital, or hospital system, is the primary care facility in the area.
Can I see the USG saying, “Closing these facilities nationwide will take 1/3 of our health services capacity off line. As of now, we will run those hospitals, and those assets, while remaining in the financial control of the Catholic Church, will be temporarily administrated and staffed by the USG.”
So, you’re right, that whole ‘pay for my fornication’ thing worked for the left, primarily because they are serious about it, and its highly diversionary.
Check the pump price - gas isn’t coming down. Not for a long time.
Look at the price of crude since 1940 measured in gold, not dollars. In 1940, an ounce of gold would buy 16 BBL of oil. In 2012, as of last Friday’s spot price of oil and gold (oil = 108/BBL, gold = $1717/ounce). How much oil can you buy, today, with an ounce of gold? 15.89 BBL.
So, it isn’t demand, supply, refinery repairs, Iran, or anything else except idiotic monetary policy that is making gas expensive. You see that changing in 9 months?
The issue’s going to be there, unless of course they finally go to the last trick in the book and ask the extraterrestrials monitoring Earth to land on the WH lawn in September, emerge from their saucers, and endorse Barak Obama.
Newt threw red meat to the masses and they liked it. But he still ultimately answered the question.
And for that matter, he like Rush and the media elites still didn't for that moment focus on the economy, jobs or gas prices.