Posted on 08/11/2015 8:20:38 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
This past weekend at the Red State Gathering, every Republican presidential hopeful demanded the defunding of Planned Parenthood in the wake of the undercover videos exposing their organ harvesting. That was at a minimum; more than one demanded a criminal investigation of the nation’s largest abortion-mill chain as well. However, Donald Trump got pushed into endorsing the status quo during an interview on CNN’s New Day, Breitbart’s John Nolte reports. Video picks up at 5:53:
“The problem that I have with Planned Parenthood is the abortion situation. It is like an abortion factory, frankly,” Trump said. “And you can’t have it. And you just shouldn’t be funding it. That should not be funded by the government, and I feel strongly about that.”
Actually, that’s not a bad answer, although Trump seems unaware that Planned Parenthood already argues that federal subsidies don’t fund abortions. However, Chris Cuomo then changed tactics by talking about the importance of the other services provided by Planned Parenthood, and Trump didn’t avoid the trap:
When pressed on non-abortion services Planned Parenthood allegedly provides, Trump said, “What I would do when the time came, I’d look at the individual things they do, and maybe some of the individual things they do are good. I know a lot of the things are bad. But certainly the abortion aspect of it should not be funded by government, absolutely.”
Trump continued, “I would look at the good aspects of [Planned Parenthood], and I would also look, because I’m sure they do some things properly and good and that are good for women, and I would look at that, and I would look at other aspects also. But we have to take care of women.”
Nolte raises the first obvious problem with that position, which is that the $500 million or so in government funding allows abortions to take place, whether it’s aimed at those services or not:
In other words Trump is open to a status quo many conservatives find unacceptable and immoral; also a typical federal government shell game to skirt around the law. If you give Planned Parenthood money for these so-called “other things,” the abortion provider can shift money from those “other things” to abortion.
Chris Cuomo tried the same argument on Trump that Mark Halperin used with Rick Perry a few weeks ago. Perry didn’t buy into the premise, and instead turned the question around on Halperin, to the delight of the Morning Joe panel at the time. Trump didn’t learn from that schooling, instead getting locked into Cuomo’s context.
Trump misses another point in this exchange too, which is that Planned Parenthood is hardly the only option for those other services that Trump wants to keep funded. In fact, no one is arguing that these services shouldn’t remain funded, but only that federal subsidies for them flow to other clinics that don’t perform abortions as their core business. The federal subsidies going to Planned Parenthood distort the market, boosting the largest player at the expense of smaller clinics more suited to deliver care in their communities. One would think that Trump would be particularly well positioned to explain that.
What makes this even more interesting is that Trump said he wanted a government shutdown to defund Planned Parenthood just eight days ago, during an appearance on Hugh Hewitt’s show:
HH: The word is that the Democrats will filibuster and the president will veto — that’s the only way to get rid of Planned Parenthood money for selling off baby parts is to shut the government down in September. Would you support that?
DT: Well I can tell you this. I would and I was also in support if the Republicans stuck together you could have done it with Obamacare also, but the Republicans decided not to stick together and they left a few people out there like Ted Cruz. You know, they left a lot of the people who really went in and wanted to do the job and you know what? If they had stuck together they wold have won that battle. I think you have to in this case also, yes.
That’s a mighty big shift from one week to the next. However, this doesn’t look like a flip-flop as much as it does a case of a candidate being unprepared. Trump’s initial response would have been solid, had he stuck to it, but he seems unaware that Planned Parenthood apologists rely on the argument that federal subsidies do not fund “the abortion aspect” of Planned Parenthood now, which is how they’ve fended off attempts to defund the company in the past. It’s not a fatal error, especially for Trump, who can certainly clarify and amend these remarks to the satisfaction of the base — as long as he remains consistent on it in the future. Even at that, though, it demonstrates the rather facile grasp on public policy issues that Trump has long demonstrated.
Besides, people who look for “fatal errors” from Trump miss the point. As I explain in my column at The Week, Trump’s popularity really isn’t about him — it’s about the voters who want to shake up a system that ignores them. That goes well beyond the fringes, and it’s happening in both parties:
Many Beltway pundits assumed that Trump’s “blood” remark would be a crash-and-burn moment. They clearly have a lot to learn about the conservative voters who will ultimately make that decision. While many of them understood and agreed with the unvitation in the immediate aftermath of Trump’s attack on Kelly, no one that I spoke to at the RedState Event had sworn him off as a candidate. These were not rabid Trump backers unwilling to tolerate criticism of a personal hero, but conservatives frustrated by a party that they feel has stopped listening to them, and largely talks over them. Many of these conservative activists see Trump as a man who breaks that pattern. They want to send a message to the GOP and force the party to pay attention to its base voters.
They aren’t alone, either. A similar dynamic has played out on the other side of the aisle. Hillary Clinton came into the race not just as a favorite, but as the only realistic option for Democrats. The Clinton team had made sure of that, packaging her as inevitable and locking up the majority of the party’s establishment donors. Yet the former secretary of state, the first woman in either party to seriously contend for the nomination, could barely fill her “reboot” event in June on New York City’s Roosevelt Island. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders — who isn’t even registered as a Democrat — has 28,000 people cramming into venues to hear him speak. One of these two contenders has become a rock star, and it’s not establishment favorite Hillary Clinton. …
Candidates like Trump might be unserious or even clownish to the media and political analysts, but the large number of people who latch onto them as a vehicle for their frustration are not. This populist impulse on both sides of the aisle threatens to derail the two-party system. Unless the leadership in both organizations starts paying more attention to voters than the status quo which those voters are rejecting — and finding leaders in anyone who can give vent to their frustration — they may be the authors of their own demise.
Some of this may sort itself out as the GOP field narrows, but that won’t solve the problem. It just may lessen the symptoms, but even that’s a long shot. The first party to understand and integrate the Internet era of populism wins in 2016.
Update: Kurt Schlichter is less patient with Trump’s supporters.
Most of the Republicans, who have done little more than talk tough , are by default baby killing, baby part selling, blood shooting out of their soul...LIBERALS/Progressives socialist supporting scum! They are actually worse than Obama!
Sell outs!
Those “poor women” get subsidized coverage through Obamacare.
But the republican majority NEVER sent a defund PP bill to Obama!
The republicans actually funded Obama’s executive orders!
The professional republican politicians suck hot air.
Oh yes, I know, the GOP tried and failed. It’s okay, because that’s all they know how to do, right?
I mean, except when it comes to defeating conservatives. Then they pull out every stop and use every dirty trick in the book.
But will they attach PP funding to a bill the president wants to sign. NOOOOOOOOOO oh NOOOOOOOO they won’t do that. that might result in a veto.
So they give you a phoney ass show vote, and you buy it. LOL!
OH and BTW, Trump’s comment DOESN’T MATTER as per Planned Parenthood funding.
What matters is that the GOP IS FULLY FUNDING IT, so go take it up with YOUR elected representatives, you know, the ones who actually have power but refuse to wield any of it.
Tell us now many Repubs voted not to defund PP. Then tell us how many democrats were needed to cross party lines and vote to defund. Then tell us how Obama is made to sign the legislation.
Because obviously you have the secrets.
< sarcasm = on>
But he is so brave to speak what’s on his mind
< sarcasm = off>
tRump has now demonstrated that he is to the left of Bush
If the Republicans wanted to pull the funding on PP they would find a way. I keep reading Trump the liberal will never be elected. So who cares what Trump thinks about PP. whatever Trump thinks, in no way absolves the guilt of those who have the power of the purse strings, NOW.
Trump wants to help poor women who can not afford private insurance. I see nothing wrong with that.
Exactly. He mentioned, repeatedly, to “absolutely take care of women” and to “absolutely not have taxpayer funded abortions”, in the interview.
Now, if he’ll just start answering.....I’m all for quality, low-cost health care for those who cannot afford it. How many mammogram machines does PP have, at all of their locations? Doesn’t 0bamaCare and Medicaid provide coverage, for those who cannot afford to pay for women’s healthcare? Aren’t MEN even required to have Well Women healthcare coverage, in their 0bamaCare policies??
All this... Your entire rant... yet you still excuse Trump’s statement. He’s the guy running for President, remember?? All your words are moot unless there’s a chief executive willing to sign the damned legislation. And Trump is signaling otherwise.
No they don’t. You are a low information voter.
I will give you a concrete example...
If you are covered through parent’s insurance, under age 26, you do not need to sign up EXPENSIVE Obamacare.
But parent’s insurance also has deductibles, and pays only 80% after out of pocket.
A young woman can get FREE health services from PP.
Such as prescription to regulate menstrual cycles,
mammograms, cancer screening etc.
Don’t waste your time. I’ve already sent a significant amount of money to Cruz’s campaign.
You guys need to dial back a bit.
The secret is to wrench the power from them. Trump is possibly the only one who could do it.
Otherwise, they should have gotten rid of McConnel and Boehner 6 years ago! Freepers have been saying it for years!
They should have not backed McCain, Romney and now they are hoping Bush or some other pliable RINO.
They should have endless sent bills through regardless. Let Obama veto them. Let the people see who said “NO”
Has come we all knew whenever they talked tough about Obama Care or whatever we all knew we were screwed?
Because the majority of the Republicans are either corrupt or ineffective or incompetent. OR, sell outs!
The Real Truth on What Donald Trump Said About Planned Parenthood
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3323354/posts
The reality is that most of the federal funding is reimbursement for medical services - either through Medicaid or Title X. It's true that any monies they get beyond their costs of providing these services could go to abortions, but given Medicaid reimbursement rates I can't imagine there's much left over.
He just eviscerated PP without denying medical services that would elicit a “war on women” charge /noob opinion
Because obviously you have the secrets.
By the way the biggest secret, by far, is that our much belove and humble servants, our Republican reprentative actually represent us.
Noting your disclaimer and saying that I enjoy your n00b opinions ;-)
So the business “ genius” doesn’t understand money is fungible?
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