their billionaire masters are plotting and plundering now?

Look at Republican positions over the last ~3 years.

Now look at the underlying logical strategy.

If you can find one, you'll be the first.

I just can't help but think they are using this as some kind of diversion. But you're correct, the Right is rudderless.

It's still early days and therefore the time to pander to the hard core supporters. Once they choose their nominee some other 'issue' will take over as a priority and this one will 'coincidentally' fade into the background.

That's what I expect, anyway.

It's hard to believe though that 21% of this nation is made up of evangelicals. Kind of scary to think about.

Terrifying, actually.

These people are dangerous.... it is evangelical women who side with misogynists in thinking that women shouldn't vote, shouldn't work, shouldn't have the right to control their reproductive systems, etc. They have internalized the patriarchy completely, and live in complete denial.

who wrote a book ( can't remember the name, but i'm looking it up later for myself and daughters) about the evangelical, etc.- women who got all riled up in the 70s about birth control/feminism/etc.---and as i think back--she was correct--i've never really thought about it--but it's true- from my own experience....

the type of evangelical or christian who would support these policies..I like that number.

but we all know part of that 21% is made up of women. I just don't understand people who vote against their own self-interests. Just seems illogical.

I wonder, if I had been raised in a very religious environment with a mother who was submissive to the men in her life, & men who expected submissiveness, how could I possibly be the person I am today? It could happen, but on it's own without some other experience or comparison? I don't know.

It makes me so grateful to have had the upbringing I had & the exposure to strong, capable women who weren't mired down in religion or convention.

its pretty much limited to the Catholic Church.

are against many forms of birth control, the pills because they're considered to be abortifascients. Not sure if I spelled that right but I associate those hare core anti choice types to be the super religious people. Not sure if that's correct but that's my impression anyway.

that if you want to prevent an abortion, the fastest way is to provide birth control.

Whats next - failed abstinence 'recommendations'? Lord knows thats a topic that evangelicals can sink their collective teeth into...

Hardcore pro-life considers birth control and preventing implation as abortion. Since they think life begins at conception, blocking implation of a fertilized egg is a form of abortion in their eyes.

You can't argue 'right to life' with a piece of hamburger between your teeth. Once you put one species on the hierarchy over another, that 'right to life' argument looses all validity. It doesn't help that they are also war-mongering, execution applauding hypocrites.

Not its regular members.

Sometimes I think they are just playing to the far right-wing base... but they must know that everyone else isn't as crazy as their right wing base. So, then I wonder... how does that work? You win 21% of the vote, the other 79% think you are a crazy set of nutjobs.

Then I think.. is it just a way to whittle away at the health care bill? I wasn't one of it's biggest fans, perhaps one of the biggest critics of the final health care bill... but it did do SOME good.

I don't think there's anything they are covering up, but maybe I'm just too stressed out to think of that angle. Maybe they couldn't get another war started, so they started playing "wag the dog" with something so controversial that everyone will be talking about it while they do their Pinky and the Brain skit.

I guess that was one long-winded way of saying "I have no idea"

we have to divert a lot of energy to keep winning this battle. Partly it is because, imo, the right-wing likes the idea of a surplus population in poverty. It keeps corporations happy to know there is a steady supply of cheap and desperate workers. That keeps wages low and people fighting each other for resources to survive.

They are fast losing it over their own people, so they are doubling down on the entire country.

It has more to do with controlling women and keeping women in line in the eyes of those voters who think that way...and there are voters who think that way. It is not an overwhelming number of voters, but those are the voters the Republicans and more conservative Democrats play to, it seems, in every election. It's horrible and wrong, but that's what they do.

That people of faith in the US are "oppressed" by "secular" government, and the "Antichrist" is just around the corner.

This whole "guillotine" thing is the key here, it's a "dog whistle politics for prayer warriors" theme

Supposedly in the Christian Fundamentalist worldview when the Antichrist takes power, he will execute those who do not worship him by guillotine.

Santorum: Obama leading Christians to the guillotine

They are framing it as a "religious freedom" issue.

Let me repeat that.

Women get pregnant by themselves. Therefore, they are solely responsible for getting abortions, or needing birth control.

If they could control that driving need to get pregnant, even if they are young, like say, 12, then men could breathe easier at night. Every young woman dreams of being impregnated by a Rush Limbaugh figure. Seriously, they do.

Say it with me: Pregnancy happens because women exist. Men have no part in this and women spontaneously become impregnated.

I thought I heard on the tube today that the Catholic Church had no issue with paying for vasectomies which was of course part of their regular coverage. (Viagra as well btw).... I haven't looked to confirm that so I hope I'm not just besmirching their already well deserved bad name on this issue

See, if a man gets a vasectomy, that is because he doesn't want to force anymore children on his wife. If a woman uses birth control, she is interfering with her God-given role as a producer of more men.

It's simple, really.

My female cat out-hunts any male cat in existence, and could probably provide for sixteen families if necessary.

But religion tells us to submit to males. A religion written by males.

LOLOLOLOLOL

They better start banning the aspirin as well.

By Artemis and Athena.

That means... aspirins and pepto bismal are sacred, and can only be used if you bow down to the mother figures. Heart burn? It's because you didn't pay enough gratitude when devouring a hot dog.

I dont think the whole 'Reagan Democrats' block exists anymore. Reagan won elections 30 years ago.

I think the Catholic laity (regular folks, not priests, bishops, cardinals, etc) has changed a lot in that time.

I grew up in a Catholic neighborhood and there were still some Catholic families with 6-12 young children. You almost never see that anymore. Almost no one can afford that now. So, either those people are no longer having sex, or they are using birth control. I dont think Santorum and his campaign understand that.

They do this by owning the media & controlling the message. Capitalism is not to be questioned. Any kind of Christian religion is not to be questioned, no matter how extreme. Women are objects to be used as required/needed by men. You are what you own & if you don't own enough it's because you are a loser. People in prision deserve to be there & you are safer becaue of it.

And on & on with this cesspool of a culture they* have created.

I am so utterly sick of it all.


* The Kyriarchy - http://www.democraticunderground.com/11394032

Rachel asked her about this, and Elizabeth pointed out that the anti-birth control legislation could/would likely be used to bootstrap other laws/regulations that would basically allow insurers and employers to deny coverage for whatever struck their fancy. So it's a backhanded attempt to gut healthcare reform. Those aren't her exact words, but that's the point I believe she was trying to make.