You know, lately, I can’t figure out if the rest of the world is fine, and I;m the only one going nuts, or if I’m fine, and the rest of the world is going insane. Personally, I’m hoping that all of us are losing out shit collectively, that way I stick out as much.
Now, before I get to the “Crying Game” twisted ending here, I just want to summarize briefly to make sure that I’ve got all of the facts straight. Since January 20, 2017;
- Millions of women around the world took to the streets to protest a self admitted serial sexual assaulter and life time lecher becoming the leader of the free world. In the US, women turned this outrage into a nationwide activism, protesting, and leading e-mail, writing, phone in, and congressional office protests.
- Women spawned and exploded the highly successful #metoo movement, setting an example by finally holding creeps like Bill Cosby, Charlie Rose, Matt Lauer, Steve Wynn, and Harvey Weinstein to account for the same kind of behavior that Der Gropinfuror has so far escaped responsibility for.
- Women across the country are showing up to be counted by filing petitions to run for local, county, state, and statewide elective public office. And by all accounts, they are meeting with significant success, and will be a real force to be reckoned with in November, there is even talk of 2018 being “The Year of the Woman.”
- The Virginia 2017 statewide elections, along with special elections that have been held all across the country, show that traditionally solid, reliable, White women GOP suburban voters are fleeing the scene like teen house party guests when flashing blue lights pull up in front.
Now, without a magnifying glass, Meerschaum pipe, deerstalker cap, and cape, even I can deduce that the Republican party seems to be having a wee problem with women voters this year. And, like an intoxicated husband coming in at night with lipstick on his collar, if they hope to survive, they had better pull out two dozen roses, and a box from Tiffany’s before any of those frying pans hit the bulls-eye. So, what is the GOP’s “weekend in Paris” peace offering to smooth things over with women?
What else? Try to fuck with their healthcare by trying yet again attempting to defund Planned Parenthood. They’re no longer satisfied with just withholding federal funding from abortion clinics. Now, they want to not only withhold funding from women’s healthcare clinics that even provide abortion as an option, but withhold funding if the clinics even counsel women about the availability of abortion services, or refers them to other, outside abortion providers. If what I heard last night is true, which is suspect because the administration simply “announced” the changes, with no actual paperwork setting out the guidelines or limitations, in order to qualify for federal funding, Planned Parenthood would have to split out their abortion services and place them in totally separate, unconnected buildings from the main clinic, and those satellite offices would have to be totally self funded.
There are two teeny problems with this. The first one is that federal funding for women’s health clinics are not mandated by Presidential fiat, they are lines in the federal budget, mandated by law. As the Tangerine Tantrum Machine is finding out with sanctuary cities, a President can’t just change the rules on qualifications autocratically, congress has to pass a law codifying the changes into the qualifications. Any attempt by Trump to actually force these changes is going to be met with lawsuits, which he will likely lose. Yet again.
But the second issue is going to be even more problematic for the Republicans. If this rickshaw regime actually tries to push these changes, every GOP incumbent is going to be asked to go on the record about this. And don’t kid yourself, this is not strictly an urban, abortion driven debate. In small, more rural counties across America, Planned Parenthood is often the only safe, licensed women;s healthcare option available within driving distance. We’re talking cancer screenings, basic healthcare checkups, family planning, birth control, the whole gamut. Those rural areas have Representatives and Senators too, and every, single Democratic challenger is going to ballyhoo this to the sky, and woe be to the incumbent who toes the Trump party line.
Here’s my personal opinion, for what it’s worth. This is what desperation looks like, on two fronts. One, Trump needs a distraction from Robert Mueller and Stormy Daniels, and in desperation, he picked an issue that is toxic in the upcoming midterms out of ignorance. Two, Trump’s undying support in his base may be wavering. Trump couldn’t care less about abortion rights, any more than he cares about “religious freedom,” his tee time is more important to him. Somebody has to be whispering in his ear about these things. And to whom are religious freedom and abortion near and dear? The lunatic, bible thumping, gay bashing, abortion hating evangelicals. If Trump wasn’t at least concerned that his support among evangelicals was slipping, there would be no sane reason to bring such nationally divisive measures to the forefront in such an already toxic atmosphere for Republicans.
If I were DNC chair Tom Perez, I’d save my money. Who needs a whole flock of highly paid, top level Democratic strategists to plot the course for the 2018 midterms? Just sit back, wait until El Presidente Pendejo announces his next masterstroke to save the GOP in November, and take that message to the streets. The Cheeto Prophet himself may well turn out to be the best Democratic strategist money can’t buy.
