women’s health

The GOP’s ‘Planned’ government shutdown

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Our less-than-less-than-do-nothing Tea-Publican Congress has just a week of session days left to avoid a government shutdown on October 1. Here is the House Calendar for September (Congress is also scheduled to work on October 1 in anticipation of the fiscal deadline).

Screenshot from 2015-09-15 14:45:45

So what do Tea-Publicans plan to do with the few days that they are in session? Why, play to their far-right Tea-Publican base on Faux News, of course! Ahead of Planned Parenthood Battle, House to Vote on Abortion Bills:

As lawmakers return this week for some behind-the-scenes work on a continuing resolution — a measure that could be endangered by anti-abortion members insistent on defunding Planned Parenthood — House Republicans will put forward two bills to address the embattled group and potentially appease those conservatives.

The House is scheduled to vote on two abortion measures: one from Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., that would put a one-year moratorium on Planned Parenthood funding and one from Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., that would add criminal penalties for violating the Born Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002.

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Mutiny on the Boehner: Iran, Planned Parenthood, then government shutdown

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FreedomWorksPhase one of the Mutiny on the Boehner is now complete.

On Wednesday, the mutinous GOP House Freedom Caucus took Captain Queeg the TanMan hostage and forced him to pull the scheduled vote on the resolution of disapproval of the Iran agreement. They then forced the nominal Weeper of the House to accede to their hair-brained “Tortilla coast gambit” based on a debunked conspiracy theory about IAEA “secret side deals” with Iran. The GOP House Freedom Caucus ‘Tortilla Coast gambit’ to delay the Iran deal is a fraud.

On Thursday, the House voted on two resolutions claiming that the President had not given them all the information required to be reviewed by Congress under the Iran review law passed by Congress.  Not true: As Max Fischer wrote:

You can read, for yourself, the law that Congress passed articulating its authority to disapprove the Iran deal. Section 135 describes the congressional review period, and specifically articulates the documents that the Obama administration is required to give Congress. There is nothing in there about the text of IAEA safeguards agreements with Iran.

These two resolutions from the GOP’s Gimmicks-R-Us Shoppe were approved on a straight party-line vote without a single Democrat in support. Roll Call Vote 491 243-186 (straight party-line vote); Roll Call Vote 492 245-186 (straight party-line vote). This demonstrates that the TanMan is not in command of his mutinous ship.

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(Update) Mutiny on the Boehner

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FreedomWorksI posted about Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) and his “motion to vacate the chair” to unseat the TanMan, Weeper of the House John Boehner, back in July. Mutiny on the Boehner.

With Congress set to return after the August recess, Meadows’ motion is suddenly back in the news as the side-show to watch when Congress returns.

Arizona Congressman Matt Salmon, a co-founder of the farther-far-right “House Freedom Caucus,” Freedom is just another word for another wingnut group  — the caucus is made up of Reps. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), John Fleming (R-La.), Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.), Justin Amash (R-Mich.), Raúl Labrador (R-Idaho), Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.), Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) and Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) — that has been making the TanMan’s life a living hell since January, told the Arizona Republic that he is prepared to vote to remove the TanMan from his Speakership this fall. Matt Salmon predicts, backs effort to oust House Speaker Boehner:

Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz., says he won’t vote for House Speaker John Boehner to remain leader of the GOP majority and believes a conservative insurrection to replace him this fall is inevitable.

The congressman drew applause Tuesday at a town hall of about 50 people in Queen Creek as he spoke about the potential for a leadership shakeup and another government shutdown.

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(Update) Attorney General pursues Governor Ducey’s witch hunt against Planned Parenthood

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Witch Hunt (wĭch′hŭnt′) n. An investigation carried out ostensibly to uncover subversive activities but actually used to harass and undermine those with differing views.

handmaids-tale_0“Cathi’s Clown,” Governor Doug Ducey, beholden to Cathi Herrod and her Christian Taliban at the Center for Arizona Policy for his election, decided to join the GOP witch hunt against Planned Parenthood over surreptitious videos made by fetus fetish Forced Birthers from the Center for Medical Progress discussing fetal tissue donations with Planned Parenthood representatives.

“Cathi’s Clown” sicked his abortion cops, led by state Health Director Cara Christ and Attorney General Mark Brnovich, on Planned Parenthood. (h/t image: The Handmaid’s Tale). Governor Ducey joins GOP witch hunt against Planned Parenthood.

Howard Fischer reports today, AG seeks OK for probe of fetal tissue sales:

The Attorney General’s Office is asking a federal judge to allow it to pursue an investigation fishing expedition into whether anyone in Arizona is violating state laws dealing with abortions and fetal remains.

In legal papers filed in federal court, Assistant Attorney General Maria Syms wants U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick to rule that his injunction barring the anti-abortion Center for Medical Progress from releasing more undercover videos does not apply to copies already being sought by prosecutors. Syms said her boss, Mark Brnovich, believes the injunction, unless amended, will impede his legal obligation to investigate whether state laws are being violated.

The Attorney General’s Office would not comment on what it is investigating other than to say it is a “possible violation of Arizona law.’’

But court documents obtained by Capitol Media Services confirm there is an active investigation: Judge Orrick specifically said a subpoena already has been issued by the state.

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GOP clutches its pearls after Hillary Clinton calls them out for extremist views on women’s reproductive rights

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So let me get this straight . . . Donald Trump, the Triumph the Insult Comic Dog of the Republican Party — whose entire campaign is based upon insulting his sixteen opponents, the media, every demographic voting bloc in America, and anyone else unfortunate enough to have crossed his path today — is entitled to say the most outrageously offensive things he wants and the media will eat it up, giving him free airtime to air his boorish insults on the network news.

But Hillary Clinton says one mildly offensive (to some) comment, that just happens to be true, and suddenly it’s a “scandal” for which she should apologize?

The clear media double standard here is that IOKIYAR, but not if you are a Democrat.

The New York Times reports, Hillary Clinton Likens Republican Views on Women to Those of Terror Groups:

TalibanAt a rally in Ohio on Thursday, Mrs. Clinton scolded Senator Marco Rubio of Florida for his opposition to abortion even in cases of rape or incest. She hit former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida for wanting to defund Planned Parenthood. And she criticized Gov. John Kasich of Ohio for banning public financing of some rape crisis centers.

“Now, extreme views about women, we expect that from some of the terrorist groups,” Mrs. Clinton said. “We expect that from people who don’t want to live in the modern world. But it’s a little hard to take coming from Republicans who want to be the president of the United States.”

Calling such policies out of date and out of touch, Mrs. Clinton dared her rivals to face mothers who caught breast cancer early because of screenings and girls who did not get pregnant because of access to contraceptives that were made available through government funding.

Charles Pierce at Esquire says that Hillary Clinton Has Run Out of F*cks to Give. Good for her, Clinton has had a tendency to be too cautious because of the Clinton Rules of reporting.

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