Republicans call this "the future?" Seriously.

A Marquette Poll just came out that concluded there has been no change in Democratic voter enthusiasm after Roe was overturned. Crazy huh? That would seem odd knowing that Roe wasn't the only thing being threatened by radicalized Republicans. 

Justice Clarence Thomas gave Americans a heads up, but thanks to Nancy Pelosi's immediate House passage of a string of important bills, we now know what the midterm MAGA election agenda is all about:

I forgot to mention, one candidate for governor is a woman, and she saw her lead disappear when a man decided to challenger her. She's taking on the Republican men's club. Meet "Meme" candidate Rebecca Kleefisch, shooting her way into governor's mansion. 

Remember when all of Wisconsin's Republican House members never even bothered to debate their Democratic opponent, well, we're finally finding out why, and getting a taste of their male superiority. The men have spoken. This isn't just an attack on 200 years of women's rights, it's an attack on all of us. This is as bad as it looks: 

Democrats are the "radical" ones? Remember these names and faces. They're saying they don't need women voters. Test that theory. 

While other Republicans tried to pass this nonsensical reason off to the press, ignoring Clarence Thomas recent threat:

One of the principal GOP arguments this morning was that there’s no need to pass the Right To Contraception Act, since no states have tried to ban it in recent decades. As with the Respect For Marriage Act, today’s bill was inherently preemptive and intended to address a potential threat, not restrictions that have already been implemented. Justice Clarence Thomas explicitly condemned the ruling in Griswold v. Connecticut, the 1965 case that struck down a state law that restricted married couples’ access to birth control, calling for it to be “reconsidered.

And yet Democrats have the radical agenda:

Contraception part of Dem radical agenda, who knew.? https://t.co/uA7e4zT97N

— John Peterson (@democurmudgeon) July 21, 2022

Gov. Evers speaks to all women promoting Choice, even abortion opponents. Republicans push Punishment their way.

The gerrymandered Republicans grotesque sense of entitlement is showing. These artificially created winners of the legislature now actually believe they really are the legitimate choice of voters. 

Point #1; Governor Evers supports CHOICE, which represents ALL women in Wisconsin, even abortion opponents. And polling, year after year, has supported choice by a whopping 58 to 60 percent.  

But in Bizarro World, where everything is just the opposite...

...the preposterous phony outrage spewed by meme governor candidate Rebecca Kleefisch, who only represents the 35 percent who oppose all or most abortions, she's thinks she speaks for all women because, well, she is a woman:

Kleefisch says she doesn’t specifically support adding exceptions for rape or incest to the state’s 1849 abortion ban. “I will stand with the 1849 law that includes the exception for the health of the mother.”

The 1849 Upside Downers (Stranger Things reference): The arrogance is so obvious and the entitlement so overwhelming that she thinks 35 percent of abortion ban supporters speaks for all women. 

The social implications will be dramatic now and a lot later, burdening women with the high cost of having a baby, maternity cost, childcare, probable penalties requiring work or minimum job searches to receive Medicaid or food stamps, and ultimately keeping women out of the work force. Especially at a time of low birthrates and labor shortages. Imagine keeping in contact with your rapist for child support for the rest of your life. Brutal. 

"Pro-life" groups are now talking about funding some of the above services to lessen the impact of this decision around an election. We'll keep watching.

Gov Evers support of Choice represents ALL Women: There really is no other way to look at this. Choice does represent everyone, even 1849 Upside Downers:

Actually, Gov. Evers was even more to the point...

Elizabeth Warren best Response: When I was in advertising, the biggest thing you could was first define your opponent. For every Democrats wondering how that's done, here a BIG lesson from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who identifies and defines her opponent first, showing genuine outrage, making it the first and last impression for the listener. THIS IS HOW IT'S DONE:

A few extra notes...

 

The New Republican Party and Cadidates are here...Trump appeasers Ryan and Walker must be proud..

It was hard to imagine...once. Now it's a reality, and that eye watering stench is coming from the Republican Party.

Paul Ryan's primary challenger Paul Nehlen simply reflects the natural "regression" of  Republicans  in general, the exciting next generation of resent driven hate and paranoia. And thanks to Trump's unfiltered boldness, candidates and party leaders are telling us the festering rot we're seeing in America isn't coming from them, it's coming from Jews and drug induced killer immigrants:

(Nehlen) tweeted a list of 81 Twitter users who have criticized him on the social media platform. In the post, Paul Nehlen asserted 74 of the listed critics were Jewish. 

An hour after posting the list of critics, Nehlen tweeted out a link to a page on his campaign website where the names, emails and phone numbers of those who have contacted his campaign to criticize him are posted along with portions of their emails or transcripts of voicemails.

The Terrorist Left: I've been waving this red flag for years. Republicans have vilified the word liberal and portrayed them as terrorists and nation ending socialists for years. What did you think would happen? Note: Nehlen oddly wasn't "silenced...on major social media" was he, when he post his trash on Twitter?

He also posted text of legislation he said he would propose to "end the radical left's silencing of conservative voices on major social media platforms."

 Republicans Mainstream Messaging:

Ann Jacobs chairs the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation and said she has never seen rhetoric like this in Wisconsin politics. 

"The idea that this is someone who is running for public office and who thinks that his anti-Semitic opinions are mainstream, worthwhile, going to get him votes. It's just horrifying."

In response, the person whose message above is shown on the right, explained:

The phone number for a woman who asked Wisconsin Public Radio to identify her as M to preserve her privacy (said), "I contacted someone who wants to be a public official using a public number and because he disagreed with my statement, he posted my private information online. What upsets me the most is that there are people who want to become part of our government who want to end civic discourse, and civil discourse."

 Nehlen: "It means not backing down to people like this:" In the lives of these new conservative messengers, this kind of stuff has been normalized, as demonstrated by Nehlen's frightening response. In his world, this makes perfect sense:

Responding to questions from WPR by email, Nehlen's campiagn said "pointing out factual information is not anti-Semitic," and that people's criticisms of the campaign were posted to the site "to provide the public full transparency of what they can expect if they run for office" and that Nehlen is "no more concerned (about those critics receiving threatening or harassing messages) than they were by making threatening/harassing calls or messaging of this campaign."

Not to be outdone: While liberals are vilified for pushing health care for all (the horror), there are right wing groups influencing Republicans right now that have a much deeper and darker agenda:

The group, Abolish Abortion Wisconsin, is affiliated with the radical activist Matt Trewhella and plans to host an event in the State Capitol on February 7, according to the message to legislators from Rep. Chuck Wichgers. Abolish Abortion Wisconsin: “… public officials in Wisconsin are bound by solemn oath and moral duty to oppose the Supreme Court’s perversion of the Constitution … When we are asked what the punishment should be for women who have illegal abortions, we should unashamedly respond – whatever the penalty is for murder in the state where it takes place.”

One Wisconsin Now: “Rep. Wichgers is not advertising a meeting to have a rational discussion of public policy. Instead he is promoting a repugnant hate group that advocates for lawlessness and violence against women.”

Republicans wrong about Constitutionality of Abortion Restrictions...who knew?

Those high and mighty constitutional conservatives, like Scott Walker, knew they were passing unconstitutional restrictions on abortion providers according to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court on Monday struck down 5-3, restrictions on Texas abortion clinics and doctors … signaled that it would soon do the same in Wisconsin.

Walker's loyal lapdog and legal stooge AG Brad Schimel, who never saw a Republicans law that wasn't constitutional, is now waiting for the Wisconsin law shoe to drop, but....

Two federal courts have declared the law unconstitutional.

Justice Stephen Breyer directly cited the lawsuit over Wisconsin's law:

"We agree with the District Court that the surgical center requirement, like the admitting-privileges requirement, provides few, if any, health benefits for women, poses a substantial obstacle to women seeking abortions, and constitutes an 'undue burden' on their constitutional right to do so. When directly asked at oral argument whether Texas knew of a single instance in which the new requirement would have helped even one woman obtain better treatment, Texas admitted that there was no evidence in the record of such a case. This answer is consistent with the findings of the other federal district courts that have considered the health benefits of other states' similar admitting-privileges laws."

Schimel is so politically invested in Walker’s agenda, he actually claimed the Republican legislature was virtually infallible:

"Today's U.S. Supreme Court ruling on a Texas abortion law is disappointing and undermines the respect due to policy-makers.”

We should respect our policy makers…and ignore the judicial ramblings of Reagan appointee judge Richard Posner on the Wisconsin law:

Writing for the 7th Circuit majority, Judge Richard Posner added that the law was obviously designed to close down abortion clinics, had nothing to do with women’s health and was a “clear flouting of Roe vs. Wade” … "The legislature's intention to impose the two-day deadline ... is difficult to explain save as a method of preventing abortions that women have a constitutional right to obtain." 

And like Schimel, Wisconsin Family Action's Julaine Appling knows Republican lawmakers are the moral watchdogs of right wing socialism:

Appling (said) Judge Posner got it wrong. "I think it’s impertinent on his part to believe he knows the minds and motives of the people that are representing the majority of the people here in our state. The Republicans that passed that law had a solid majority, there was unanimity amongst them, to put that type of protective measure in there for women, and I think it’s wrong for the judges to presume they know better than the people and those that we elect to represent us as to why we’re doing what we’re doing."

The Texas law did have its supporters on the court. In a twisted piece of right wing logic, Justice Alito spewed this:

"When we decide cases on particularly controversial issues, we should take special care to apply settled procedural rules in a neutral manner," Alito wrote in his dissent. "The Court has not done that here."

Yea, that Texas law was a fine piece of neutrality. Crazy zealot Justice Thomas joined in the lunacy:

Thomas wrote that the decision "exemplifies the court's troubling tendency `to bend the rules when any effort to limit abortion, or even to speak in opposition to abortion, is at issue."'

Thomas actually said "any effort to limit abortion." Did he just admit the activists real intentions were okay with him?

Sam B's Full Frontal Attack on Texas Style Abortion.

Former Daily Show reporter Samantha Bee and John Oliver are kicking political ass late night. Here's one of the most critical looks at how bizarre and mindless the Republican attack on abortion is, and Sam B's put down of spineless liberals.



As an added bonus, Sam B trashes Democratic voters for not showing up for the 2010 election, resulting in gerrymandered GOP majorities as far as the eye can see, and the end of "hope and change." Finally someone is taking the gloves off:

Defunding Planned Parenthood on a lie, and the unintended consequences of doubling down.

Based on the now discredited videos vilifying Planned Parenthood, Republicans are still trying to cut their funding in the Badger state:

The Senate took up the bills reducing government payments to Planned Parenthood as a separate measure backed by abortion opponents...

Yes, Republicans are still going to do it, even after:

a grand jury indicted two anti-abortion activists from the Center for Medical Progress.

Oddly, reality is making an even better case against Wisconsin's bad legislation.

Look at the Texas disaster, where identical legislation had passed and failed:

For the past five years, the Texas Legislature has done everything in its power to defund Planned Parenthood. Of the 82 clinics that have closed, only a third were Planned Parenthood.

Republicans here say other health providers will be able to step in, but that flies in the face of the facts. In another attack on rural conservative voters... NPR:

So in 2013, the Legislature essentially restored the money. But finding new providers, especially in the countryside, has been slow and difficult.

The Legislature's target was abortion, but the unintended consequence was that family planning clinics that had nothing to do with abortion, especially rural clinics, ran out of money. By 2014, 82 family planning clinics across the state had closed. The consequence was calamitous. In Midland, for example, when the Planned Parenthood clinic closed, there were two aftereffects: 8,000 well-women appointments a year vanished.

Despite these indisputable facts, Republicans aren't budging from their story:

JS: Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville) saidwomen can get their birth control from other providers … "Since when is birth control a rare commodity? I think it's pretty easy to find.”

State Sen. Jon Erpenbach disputed that, saying women in northern Wisconsin and other rural areas have difficulty in accessing birth control.

The federal governments Title X money will now go to other providers in Wisconsin, but Texas tried the same thing and failed...

"A lot of the funding that has been allocated has gone to organizations that do not necessarily have the expertise or the necessary training to provide the types of family planning, contraceptive, preventive reproductive health care that the Planned Parenthood clinics provided," Kari White, one of the lead researchers said.

Republicans here say there won’t be a drop in getting the same care they got at PP:

Midland Community Healthcare Services Clinic in West Texas is open, and every day it's three lines deep as women file in for treatment. The numbers are harsh. In Texas, just 22 percent of childbearing-age women who qualify for subsidized preventive health care treatment actually get it.

And as usual, Republican aren’t the slight bit concerned about losing lots of money, it’s about a belief system:

The Legislature's own researchers predicted that more than 20,000 resulting unplanned births would cost taxpayers more than a quarter of a billion dollars in federal and state Medicaid support. 

The Right to Bear Arms gets the GOP's Abortion Rights treatment.

The Constitutional right to privacy under the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion.

Another "right" legislated by conservative activist Justices gave everybody the right to bear arms.

Both rights are not treated the same by Republicans. And so we got this...

Missouri Democrat Files Bill To Regulate Guns LikeRepublicans Do Vaginas!

To get a gun, prospective purchasers will experience a slight inconvenience to exercise their right: 

Democratic Representative Stacey Newman has had enough of this nonsense, and has filed a bill, H.B. 1397, that would make it as difficult to get a gun as it is to have an abortion in the Show Me State:

A licensed firearm dealer shall orally inform the purchaser of a firearm the following, and reduce it to writing:

The name and license number of the licensed firearm dealer;

The immediate and long-term medical risks associated with firearms, along with medical descriptions and photographs of fatal firearm injuries, as collected by emergency pediatric medical professionals, law enforcement, and prosecutors’ offices;

Alternatives to purchasing a firearm, which shall include materials about peaceful and nonviolent conflict resolution.

Prior to any firearm purchase in this state, a prospective firearm purchaser shall, at least seventy-two hours prior to the initial request to purchase a firearm from a licensed firearm dealer located at least one hundred twenty miles from such purchaser’s legal residence, confer and discuss with a licensed physician the indicators and contraindicators and risk factors, including any physical, psychological, or situational factors, that may arise with the proposed firearm purchase.

Such physician shall then evaluate the prospective firearm purchaser for such indicators and contraindicators and risk factors and determine if such firearm purchase would increase such purchaser’s risk of experiencing an adverse physical, emotional, or other health reaction.

Gun buyers would also have to watch a 30-minute video “on fatal firearm injuries” and verify in writing that he or she viewed the entire video “in the presence of a licensed firearm dealer.”

Verify in writing by a licensed physician that the purchaser has toured an emergency trauma center in the nearest qualified urban hospital on a weekend between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. when gun violence victims are present.

Within seventy-two hours of a firearm purchase, the prospective firearm purchaser shall meet with at least two families who have been victims of violence involving a firearm and two local faith leaders who have officiated, within the past year, a funeral of a victim of violence involving a firearm who was under the age of eighteen.

Republicans ignore, avoid releasing positions on Planned Parenthood shooting.

So is it a coincidence some guy with a firearm randomly picking a Planned Parenthood clinic to shoot at the police and kill three people? Pro-lifers would never think to kill anyone. That’s the kind of blameless “reality” right wing true believers live in since the "radicalization."

And even if the clinic was the gunman’s target, it had nothing to do with past PP doctors murders, threats, or all the comparisons to Nazi concentration camp experiments. The going excuse now for all mass shootings; mental illness! So move along, nothing to see here. And yet, reports say the Colorado Springs shooter wasn't affiliated with any party, to the relief of conservatives everywhere, adding this:  

The suspect in the attack at a Planned Parenthood clinic made a comment about "no more baby parts" after his arrest. A loner from North Carolina who liked to spend time in his mountain cabin … people can make "inferences from where it took place" … "If you talked to him, nothing with him was very cognitive - topics all over place.” ... his voter registration Robert Lewis Dear identifies as a woman.

Ignore the problem: Scott Walker was one of the first politicians who came right out and said it was bad it was to talk about the countries problems. Instead, Walker wanted us to be dreamily talking up the positives. So the GOP's silence of the shooting should come as no surprise:

Walker: "One, I think in general if anyone focuses on racial discord we’re going to get more. If we focus on unity we’re going to get more of that ... if we focus on things that unite us, ways to share the American dream."

Illinois Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger had the conflict avoidance routine down, even vilifying and asking the CEO of Planned Parenthood to apologize for suggesting her clinic was the target. Strange too, since she never really said that. Kinzinger even deceptively brought up the discredited PP body parts video to appeal to the base instincts in his party:

While the shooter was active inside the Planned Parenthood clinic, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) went on live TV and blasted the organization. “We saw these barbaric videos, and that was something that many of us have a legitimate concern about,” Kinzinger said. 

Kinzinger is known for his incendiary rhetoric about Planned Parenthood. “I mean it’s Nazi Germany. You think of the doctors in the concentration camps experimenting on their victims. It’s kind of reminiscent of that,” he said of Planned Parenthood earlier this year.” Kinzinger also criticized a statement from Planned Parenthood about the incident as “very premature.” He said that, if it was later discovered the shooter was not targeting Planned Parenthood he would “fully expect an apology.” 

Friday evening (same night), Planned Parenthood Rocky Mountains CEO Vicki Cowart said, “We don’t yet know the full circumstances and motives behind this criminal action, and we don’t yet know if Planned Parenthood was in fact the target of this attack,” the statement read. “We share the concerns of many Americans that extremists are creating a poisonous environment that feeds domestic terrorism in this country. We will never back away from providing care in a safe, supportive environment that millions of people rely on and trust.”

Scott Walker's "False Choice" Agenda, where nothing ever changes.

Will there ever be a moment when Republican voters realize they're being played? Didn't think so.

Scott Walker is the king of con, the "Obfuscator!" He's got nothing, and his low polling numbers prove it.

What he does have though are big bold "false choices" that don't amount to a hill of beans. The following three ideas fell into place today for me, what I would call a clarifying moment.

Ending Mass Murders: We can solve mass murders by treating the mentally ill? This is one of the weirdest false choices. I can't tell you how angry I get every time I hear a Republican throw this one out. Think of it more as somebody trying to change the subject. Enter Scott Walker...

Walker shifted the focus on Friday from gun control to mental health, saying that such incidents in Wisconsin have frequently been linked to mental health problems.

"Historically, the one constant thread has been people suffering from some degree of mental illness. In many of these cases, someone has fallen through the cracks without getting the appropriate treatment for mental health issues."

Walker's record as County Executive, pictured here, negates any changes the legislature force him to make as governor. 

The False Choice of Saving the Fetus...: Caught in the most unforgivable line of bullshit, Walker's inner sociopath came through, as he came out strongly against the life of the mother:

Gov. Scott Walker says choosing between the life of a pregnant woman and her fetus is a "false choice," adding that he believes better options are always available. "It's a false choice. There is always a better option out there. I've said for years, medically there's always a better choice than choosing between the life of an unborn baby and the life of the mother. Medically that's just a nonissue."

When asked what better medical options are available — and whether Walker believes there are no instances in which a family and doctors have to choose between the life of the pregnant woman and the life of her fetus — his campaign spokeswoman AshLee Strong repeated late Friday that he is "100% pro-life. He acknowledges what science says, and that is that an unborn child is that — a child, and deserving of protection."

Job Killing opposition to the EXIM Bank, There are "other" False Choices: My conservative friend in Milwaukee got so angry about this he called me to complain. He knew the EXIM Bank didn't cost taxpayers anything, and couldn't believe Republicans were blocking it, killing 350 jobs in Waukesha. A day later, Walker came out against the Export-Import Bank:

"I've said before as a candidate and still say so now, I do not think that the federal government should be renewing that. But I think there are other ways that we can help manufacturers like that in Waukesha and others across the state be competitive."

What does that mean? Who knows.

Republican caught lying again: Fiorina's video deception, and Chaffetz's Planned Parenthood Fiasco!

Now that the whole Planned Parenthood abortion video story is out there, it's time to look back. I've compiled the bizarre antics to this point. Imagine a Republican administration running the country from the alternative reality they've created just around this one issue.  

The latest news should make every sucker who fell for Fiorina's big debate moment, question their party's deceptive tactics:

Ring of Fire: The video was released by anti-abortion activist (from) the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, Gregg Cunningham.  Fellow activists, David Daleiden, had taken the raw footage, then used a voice-over from an entirely different procedure in which fetal tissue was being harvested for medical research. That voice-over had nothing to do with the events in the video clip, which by now, is known to be of a miscarriage – not an abortion.

Daleiden admitted that it was a miscarriage – but told CNN that it “didn’t matter” – as long as it proves his point. Egregiously, Daleiden did not have the distraught mother’s permission to film the event or use it. “We used it to illustrate exactly the kind of late-second trimester baby…fetus that we’re talking about in these cases of organ harvesting.”

In other words, Daleiden, Cunningham and the rest are perfectly willing to present blatant fabrications in order to advance their agenda. Furthermore, Fiorina knew that the video was misleading and depicted a miscarriage rather than an abortion. 

In an amazing example of projection - pot calling the kettle black - Fiorina flipped GOP tactics upside down, blaming Democrats and the media for attacking her:

Fiorina accused the women's health organization of pushing "propaganda" against her while being "aided and abetted by the media."

Ah, shame on the media for covering the story, a story that made Fiorina a top Republican candidate for president? Wouldn't you know it, Fiorina is now poking at the media with an ad that keeps this story front and center:

Fiorina's campaign released an online ad that again includes the image, with the claim that "Carly Fiorina won the debate. Now come the false attacks." This, despite the fact that the baby was miscarried, not aborted, and that the image comes from a hospital procedure unconnected with Planned Parenthood. Pew Research Center found in a Sept. 22-27 poll that 60 percent of adults in the U.S. wanted a budget deal to maintain funding for Planned Parenthood. But among Republicans, 66 percent said any budget deal must eliminate the money — 78 percent among those who identify as "conservative Republicans."

The House Embarrassment Hearing: In one clarifying moment, Americans saw up close how Republicans can work the bullshit, as described by the Washington Post's Dana Milbank, and shown in a compilation of clips that will never be forgotten:

At this point Republicans may wish to consider aborting to protect the health of the party. Chairman Jason Chaffetz (Utah) made the startling confession that “without the videos, we can’t have a good discussion about them.” But we can shut down the federal government over them?

Chaffetz flashed a chart showing that since 2010, the number of abortions at Planned Parenthood has surpassed the number of its “cancer screenings and prevention services.” But no such shift occurred. The fine print on the chart showed that the number of abortions (327,000 in 2013) never came close to reaching the number of cancer screenings (935,573 in 2013) at any point.

Richards said the chart “absolutely does not reflect what’s happening.”

“I pulled those numbers directly out of your corporate reports,” the chairman said.

In fact, the chart said the source was the antiabortion group Americans United for Life — which Richards pointed out to Chaffetz.

“Then we will get to the bottom of the truth of that,” the chairman said. 

Chaffetz is following the radicalized GOP tactic of doubling down on the lie, despite good questions by CNN's Wolf Blitzer:

Duffy to defund Planned Parenthood by passing Federal law based on fiction.

Republicans were so successful expanding government regulations based on voting myths, they're firmly convince the same tactic will work against Planned Parenthood. It kinda takes the pressure off solving real problems.

The now radicalized Republican Party: Let's take a look at one glaring example.

Former naked MTV star Rep. Sean Duffy decided to exploit the discredited Planned Parenthood videos created by the anti-abortion front group with the nonsensical name "Center for Medical Progress."

So none of this matters...?

During yesterdays 5 hour "hearing" that took pot shots at Planned Parenthood's president Cecile Richards, Congress thought it best not to bother the so called "professionals" from the Center for Medical Progress. Surprised?

Despite the statewide investigations that turned up no wrong doing by Planned Parenthood, Duffy doubled down on the original lie as if that alone would make it true. Stephen Colbert called it truthiness.

Duffy's mind blowing Rube Goldberg attack on Planned Parenthood, the so called "Women’s Health and Safety Act," will amaze you. Duffy's word salad below allows states to block Medicaid funding to providers that perform abortions:

No outrage about the government cover-up?

"This is not a debate about abortion or even non-abortion, pro life or pro abortion. Those who are even pro abortion agree that these tactics are unacceptable. They have no place in our society, and that federal tax dollars should actually go to fund an institution that harvests baby body parts for sale is absolutely asinine."

Yes, if only it were true…Duffy continues with his “objective” analysis?

"Some states want to refuse this tainted money being used by an awful organization that profits from selling aborted children’s organs, but the Medicaid law and CMS is forcing them to fund abortion providers against the state legislature’s wishes. Health care doesn't mean Planned Parenthood, and Planned Parenthood doesn't mean women's health care. You talk about defunding women's health care? There is no less money. There is the same amount of money that goes to women's health care. That's a false argument."

Duffy says the bill makes abortion providers not fall under the “free choice of qualified provider” provision, so excluding abortion providers from Medicaid funding would not count as “limiting healthcare options”, which is not allowed under Medicaid.

Anti-Planned Parenthood Group must turn over hidden camera evidence to court, can't plead fifth.

The party of tort reform and lawyer vilification have been hypocritically using lawyers and our courts to ram their agenda down everyone’s throats.

It took a while, but the “left” has now turned the tables, using those same tactics to shred the phony right wing attack on Planned Parenthood. The Hill:

A federal judge said Friday that the anti-abortion group targeting Planned Parenthood with hidden cameras cannot refuse to turn over potential pieces of evidence by pleading the Fifth Amendment. Judge William Orrick said in a hearing that the Center for Medical Progress must comply with the court’s requests for documents.

It’s never a good sign when you have to plead the fifth after saying you had nothing to hide:

The organization’s founder, David Daleiden, had previously told the court that the group planned to invoke the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

The move is good news for the National Abortion Federation, a group of providers that includes Planned Parenthood clinics, which had filed the lawsuit.

"It's telling that the defendants have been very vocal in the media saying that they have nothing to hide, yet in Federal court they want to plead the Fifth," Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation, wrote in a statement. "We are pleased with the results of today's hearing, and are eager to move forward with the discovery process." The National Abortion Federation took legal action demanding the court block additional footage from being released, arguing that it puts their providers in danger.

Pleading the fifth also doesn’t help make this claim:

The Center for Medical Progress has insisted that it followed the law while pursuing its undercover investigation. 

Republicans exploit Planned Parenthood videos to kill off Biotech Industry in Wisconsin. What a jobs plan.

It's been a common theme under Scott Walker to oppose all things that hint of liberalism, science, and logic. Walker destroyed a regional concept tying Milwaukee with Chicago by opposing high speed rail and the development that went along with that (also between Milwaukee and Madison), trashed attempts to expand and develop an alternative energy industry, and made major cuts to the UW system because those radical liberal eggheads continue to indoctrinate our kids.

Here we go again. The world acclaimed biotech stem cell research at the UW is the next victim of Walker's ideological one party nationalist agenda, pushed by Republican Neanderthal State Rep. Andre Jacque. Jacque found freeloading off the taxpayers much easier than getting into life saving medical research.

Exploiting the Planned Parenthood video tapes showing nothing illegal or unethical, Jacque compared the use of fetal tissue to Nazi research. For some reason, and despite actual similarities to past nationalist socialist societies that have threatened world peace, Republicans continue to compare Democrats and scientists to Nazi Germany with impunity. Audio from the Devil's Advocates show:

Jacque: "Respect for human dignity is essential to the authorization of scientific research, a fight underscored by numerous and horrific past failures to establish or follow such protocols, such as Josef Mengele's  atrocities at the Auschwitz concentration camp..."

Jacque wasn't done making outrageous, base agitating, bizarre comparisons:

"I suppose a similar philosophy would justify the likely continuing mass occurrence of forced organ harvesting and transplantation from executed political prisoners to the well-connected in China."

Here's the coverage from WISC and WKOW: 

The Assembly's Criminal Justice Committee held a hearing on a measure Tuesday that would outlaw selling, donating and experimenting with fetal body parts in Wisconsin.

The dean of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, the Wisconsin Medical Society, the Medical College of Wisconsin and a trade association representing biotech companies are all lobbying against the measure. Dr. Robert Golden, dean of the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health said, "This lifesaving research would come to a complete abrupt stop in Wisconsin with a devastating effect on our state's capacity to attract and retain biotechnology."

Pro-Life says Abortions cause boyfriends to beat up women.

A bizarre Tweet...

...sent me to this story that quite frankly, left me stunned. Want to know what "pro-life" really means to conservative? Let's just say that bad women who get abortions bring this on themselves....

They love life don't they? Time to blame the victim. Check out the sick concluding paragraph:

Despite her obvious injuries and unconscious state, Billinger, 51, chose not to call for help and instead sat down in the living room of Ms Granger’s Newlyn flat. Ms Granger, who was ill with serious liver disease at the time of the assault, was taken to hospital where it was discovered that she had also suffered a perforated liver in the vicious beating. Garth Richardson, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Her prognosis is not good.”

While abortion activists like to talk about how abortion is supposedly beneficial for relationships, this is one of countless stories LifeNews has reported over the years showing either a partner engaging in violence towards a wife or girlfriend who has had an abortion or a husband or boyfriend attacking his partner because she refused to have an abortion. Either way, it’s additional evidence that abortion is not beneficial for women or their relationships.

State Republicans give Men the right to sue over Abortions, and take the word of cherry picked doctors over major Medical groups opposed to 20 wk abortion bill.

The instinctively brutal and punishing nature of the republican party is on full display now, and the state Capitol has never felt more repressive. The vicious attack on women's health choices borders on religious fundamentalism.

And Democrats, while putting up a great fight, failed to mention this important part of the 20 week abortion ban. Oops?:

Rolling Stone: Men can sue abortion providers for "emotional and psychological distress," The Huffington Post reports ... citing Guttmacher Institute data, "6 of the 11 states that currently ban abortion at 20 weeks post-fertilization -- Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma -- have similar language tucked into their respective laws that allow the parents to sue a doctor who performs an abortion after that point."

Sure it's unconstitutional, but that's the point. Republicans want to take this to the activist conservative supreme court, where outcomes are pretty easy to predict:

Twenty-week abortion bans are unconstitutional because they ban abortion before the point of fetal viability (today, considered to be around 24 weeks' gestation), the standard established for legal abortion in Roe v. Wade in 1973. As such, these bills, which have been enacted in over a dozen states and blocked in three, are designed to directly challenge Roe and ultimately end legal abortion in the United States.

Here's coverage from Madison's WISC and WKOW newscasts, along with a frightening Q&A showing the arrogance and callousness of the bills supporters:

While all the largest medical groups oppose the bill (like the Wisconsin Medical Society), we're supposed to write public medical policy on a few cherry picked like minded anti-abortion zealots (yes, they're doctors too). When asked why Republicans were ignoring the professional opinion of these groups, Sen. Mary Lazich didn't hesitate:

Crazy Sen. Mary Lazich: "I would put my trust in physicians that ah, that wrote this letter. I would want to be in their care if I were to be in a crisis situation...I would want them to be in the care of physicians that take the um, the life affirming approach."

In fact, Lazich "asked Tuesday why it mattered whether the bill was written by someone with medical training."

TPM:  The exchange began when state Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa (D) said: “Can I ask who wrote the bill and did they have medical training?"
“Who wrote the bill?” Lazich said. “Our drafting attorney wrote the bill. As all bills are written.”

“Do either of you have any medical training?” Zamarripa said.

“What does that have to do with the bill?” Lazich asked. “Do you have medical training?”

Lazich also dismissed the need to include a rape or incest exception in the bill, saying: “Rape and incest, people tend to deal with that in the very early stages — days, weeks.” Lazich’s comments come after Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) said Monday of the 20-week abortion ban that women mostly worry about rape and incest pregnancies “in the initial months.” On Friday, Walker said ultrasounds were “pretty cool,” when discussing the mandatory ultrasounds for women seeking abortions.

Law intentionally blocking abortions declared Unconstitutional by Federal Judge.

This is big....

jsonline: A federal judge on Friday struck down a Wisconsin law requiring doctors performing abortions to get hospital-admitting privileges, concluding that the measure was enacted primarily to provide an obstacle for women seeking abortions.

U.S. District Judge William Conley, who earlier had put the law on hold, ruled that the 2013 law is unconstitutional. He issued a permanent injunction blocking its enforcement. "The only reasonable conclusion is that the legislation was motivated by an improper purpose, namely to restrict the availability of abortion services in Wisconsin," Conley wrote.

Lester Pines, a Madison attorney who argued the case for Planned Parenthood, said it was clear from the 93-page decision that Conley did not consider the matter a close call. "This was an overwhelming victory for the rights of women in this state," Pines said late Friday.

Of course Scott Walker will appeal the decision.

Republican reasons for Abortion Doctor Admitting Privilege Laws exposed, with new bill to allow hospitals, doctors and nurses right to refuse emergency care.

Remember this line of BS from state Republicans trying to ban abortion by requiring admitting privileges:

The law's supporters argue that admitting privileges will ensure women get prompt and proper care if they need to go to a hospital.

They’re so concerned, aren’t they? And yet, just today in Congress, Sen. David Vitter introduced this conflicting bill:

“Allow hospitals, doctors and nurses to refuse to provide or participate in abortion care for women, even in cases of emergency.”

So much for “ensuring prompt proper care,” suckers.  

This is one of many "conscience clause" ideas that would turn our health care system into a strictly voluntary one for doctors, nurses and hospitals. No guarantees and no certainty when it comes to public health. 

Walker discloses anti-aborition/anti-sex marriage agenda to lobbyist Wisconsin Family Action!! Gets their endorsement.

Scott Walker simply has a different opinion about abortion, with no plans to pass any laws making that choice impossible to make. Sure, others have plans and write bills that he will probably sign that advances his point of view, but it isn't on his radar. 

Walker’s argument assumes we’re idiots, and maybe those who believe him are, but we've grown accustomed to ignoring the obvious intent of the conservative fringe. I even had to get this story (printed Wednesday, on page 7, in the WSJ), from the twin cities Pioneer Press .

While Walker got a pass for desperately trying to look moderate on abortion, his position is more than clear below. Did you know women seeking an abortion aren't too smart, and thanks to Scott Walker, they’re now getting that important information? 

Wisconsin Family Action endorsed Walker on Tuesday. In a Sept. 5 letter seeking the group's endorsement, Walker said he passed legislation that gives women seeking abortions more information and health protection… Walker signed a bill last year that requires a woman seeking abortions to undergo an ultrasound and doctors to show the woman the image of the fetus.

But Walker was just as proud of his unconstitutional position on same sex marriage, which proves these guys don't care one bit about our founding document. Equal protection? Forget it, since marriage between a man and a woman is right there in the constitution…somewhere.

He went on to say he was defending the state's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. He said he swore an oath to uphold the constitution and supports "marriage between one man and one woman."

That doesn't make any sense, but this same article simply accepts his statement as fact.

Walker also gets a pass for not saying what he means. No big deal.

Walker opposes abortion, even in cases of rape and incest, but he hasn't said that in so many words as he's been campaigning. 

So this is what we can expect of our politicians...not much?

Incidental Governor Walker forced to say something about annoying women's health issues in latest ad.

Poor Scott Walker, always having to deal with controversial issues that are just not on his radar...that he'll be forced to pass into law anyway. Can we just talk about jobs please? Oh wait, that might not be a good idea either. Uh, Mary Burke plagiarism?

Walker has done the same draconian things other governors have done when it comes to women's health care and women's rights, especially choice, but he's wisely let his legislative hit squad do the dirty work.

From WKOW's Greg Neumann:

Walker says in his latest ad he's "pro-life," which I take it to mean others are pro-death? Anyone ask him whether he's for the death penalty or not? Didn't think so.

Desperately trying to peel away one or two women in the state through simple deception, Walker wants to hide his real record and intentions. But Mary Burke's new campaign ad offers up where Walker will eventually take us, in his own words:

jsonline: Doug Laube, a longtime gynecologist in the state, took issue with an ad in which Walker said that he supported a law "to increase safety and to provide more information for a woman considering her options."

1. In July 2013, Walker approved a law requiring women seeking abortions to get ultrasounds.
2. mandating that doctors have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of where they perform abortions.
3. Walker and GOP lawmakers have also decreased funding for Planned Parenthood.

Many similar big government regulations closed nearly all the clinics in Texas recently. Safer care?

"Closing health centers that provide women with preventive health care...puts women's health at unnecessary risk. These regulations do not to enhance the safety of patients.”

38% of registered Wisconsin voters favor requiring women seeking an abortion to have an ultrasound and 56% oppose the requirement.

But this isn't about representing the electorate, it’s what the authority thinks is best for us. It’s what Republicans admiringly call leadership, and you will be happy with it. Oddly, it's also the never-ending conservative backlash over the 60's. Yes, they're still fighting that battle. These people are truly nuts...from a current bit of PolitiFact research:

State Sen. Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin, said abortion "became popular in the '60s and it was almost the thing to do. You needed to get one of them to be a woman." And Senate Minority Leader Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, said: "Let’s trust women to make choices for themselves, and for the love of Wisconsin, let’s stay out of their vaginas."

Conservative brings up Hanging as the solution to end abortions!!!

I always thought it was odd that the abortion debate often excludes the role men have. If men were included as the responsible “other half” of unwanted pregnancies, we wouldn't have this dumbed down discussion that sounds like something straight out off the ISIS platform.

Case in point, another revealing look inside the mind of right wing authoritarian conservatism:

RH: This weekend, Kevin Williamson, whose Twitter bio describes him as a “roving reporter for the National Review,” declared on Twitter that all abortions should be treated as premeditated homicide, and that women who have had abortions should face capital punishment, namely hanging. No exceptions.

He claims a “consistent life ethic,” which would mean he is against capital punishment per se but believes there are circumstances in which capital punishment should be employed anyway. He is either unaware of or irresponsibly ignores the fact that in many states in this country women are today being arrested for miscarriage and pregnancy loss on the basis of “suspected abortion.” 

Given the chance to control the country, Republicans won't shy away from it's ideas like this.