Posted on 03/11/2012 3:39:18 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
...somewhere between the baby name game and the gifts, what had been light conversation took a sharp turn toward the personal and political — specifically, the battle over access to birth control and other women’s health issues that have sprung to life on the Republican campaign trail in recent weeks.
“We all agreed that this seemed like a throwback to 40 years ago,” said Ms. Russell, 57, a retired teacher from Iowa City who describes herself as an evangelical Christian and “old school” Republican of the moderate mold.
Until the baby shower, just two weeks ago, she had favored Mitt Romney for president.
Not anymore. She said she might vote for President Obama now. “I didn’t realize I had a strong viewpoint on this until these conversations,” Ms. Russell said. As for the Republican presidential candidates, she added: “If they’re going to decide on women’s reproductive issues, I’m not going to vote for any of them. Women’s reproduction is our own business.”
.....Rick Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania who is one of Mr. Romney’s rivals for the nomination, created a tempest late last month by speaking out against prenatal testing. Earlier comments about women in combat and the role of “radical feminism” in encouraging work outside the home also left some women ill at ease.
“Everybody is so busy telling us how we should act in the bedroom, they’re letting the country fall through the cracks,” said Fran Kelley, a retired public school worker in Seattle who voted for Senator John McCain over Mr. Obama in the 2008 election. Of the Republican candidates this year, she added, “They’re nothing but hatemongers trying to control everyone, saying, ‘Live as I live.’...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
The only one clearly making this case to the voters is Newt.
Join the club, we've got jackets.
The rest of the Drudge headline is that Santorum would also beat Obama. Why try to deceive people?
‘If you get tired of explaining caucus states and hard vs. soft delegates’ ping ......
LOL! Thank you for helping to make my point to montag813! I agree that even Rick Santorum can beat 0bama on this issue although montag suggests that the entire GOP is hemorraging women voters over it. I disagree completely with that MSM-DNC-driven meme. AND I just copied the Headline at the link which did NOT say anything about Ricky. Deceive people?! Hardly. Eva, that was beneath you.
My last point. Since I believe it is a winning issue, IMHO we should nominate the best candidate to articulate and win the conservative case for religious freedom ... Newt Gingrich! Hands down. Big time!
Yesterday, it had in parenthesis that Santorum would also beat Obama. Late last night, I noticed that Drudge had moved the Santorum part to a separate article with the headline, Santorum also beats Obama.
Thanks, I am more than tired of it. I am convinced that Santorum voters, many of them, have no interest in truth or perspective, because they like claiming that 15 thousand folks in one state are as important as 500 thousand in another, etc.
Childish, shallow, not very smart. Gets frustrating .
Yep, it’s a fake issue, designed specifically to take out Santorum because Obama wants to run against Mitt, so that when the federal individual mandate is thrown out, Obama can call for states to enact their own individual mandate.
And people wonder why public schools suck.
They have no clue what they’re talking about. Geez.
Oh, we get them all right, but not reported because it does not fit the narrative.
I’ve read with interest your deep and searing political analysis.
Don’t give up your day job.
Most centerist women are opposed to ObamaCare and worried about universe-sized deficits year after year. They don’t support partial birth abortion. They also dislike Obama’s subtle anti-Israel foreign policy.
You got it. Utter BS. She is identified as "Ms. Russel, 57". Yep, that sure verifies she's a real person. By the way, sure is nice to be retired at 57.
Obama won’t be able to force an “individual mandate” on the states...a number of them will opt out and no Supreme Court is ever going to do it.
If the “individual mandate” is killed at the Federal level, the most heinous part of Obamacare is DOA.
The GOP does so at it's peril.
Who really believe Santorum or Romney can effectively communicate on this issue now that the left has SKILLFULLY created this meme of the GOP stealing women's control over their own reproduction?
As for politics, the TRUTH DOES NOT MATTER. If you think it does or should you are going to be very, very disappointed. There is no should in national politics. There only is.
Santorum cannot break this meme as he is seen as the Church-lady source of it. It is ALL HE WOULD EVER BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT. Every day a new quote from 1991 or 2002. One per day headlining every media outlet...and the opening question of every interview.
While Romney is not see at the center of this meme, he does not have the communication skills to deflect it.
If either of these guys is the nominee, the GOP will lose in a historic landslide and take the GOP house with it.
Great point. I noticed that too. Ms. Russell is emblematic of our governmental deficit problem - the very idea of lucrative pensions paid for government jobs is ridiculous. Doesn't happen in the private sector anymore and it will end soon in the public arena despite liberal hysterics because it is unsustainable. And these Libs still think that retiring in the mid-50s, on public funds, is not only acceptable, but a sacred entitlement.
As pointed out multiple times on the thread, a NYT 'centrist' is what Rush calls a 'seminar caller' to his program.
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