The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Since late last year, at least a dozen states have passed anti-abortion legislation, making it more difficult for women to have much choice on what to do with their bodies post-pregnancy, if any choice at all. This all came to a head this past week in Alabama, where abortion became illegal in just about every circumstance, with the lone exception of the mother's health being placed in jeopardy due to a pregnancy. Abortion is illegal in cases of rape, incest, and doctors whom perform the procedure could face up to 99 years in prison. The bill was passed by the final tally of 25-6. All 25 "aye" votes were made by white Republican men. This comes on the heels of such legislation being passed in: Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Tennessee, with Missouri passing a similar bill just after Alabama did. In these 12 states, there were a total of 350 "ayes," compared to just 109 "nays" (76.3% passin...

So I read through a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll's findings today. Here were some of the early documented results: - 58% of Americans claim they'll pay close or very close attention to the Brett Kavanaugh/Christine Blasey Ford hearing tomorrow. - 32% believe Ford; 26% believe Kavanaugh; and 42% aren't sure who to believe. - 38% support Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court, while 43% oppose it. - 59% oppose Kavanaugh's nomination if the sexual misconduct allegations are found to be true. - 37% are more likely to vote for a politician in the midterms who opposes Kavanaugh's nomination, while 32% are more likely to go the opposite route. That's when we get to the big finding, the finding which should send shockwaves to some people. According to this reputable pollster, a majority, 54% of Republicans think Brett Kavanaugh should be confirmed as the next Supreme Court Justice regardless of whether or not the sexual misconduct allegations ar...

As most people have heard by now, in an interview with MSNBC's Chris Matthews, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump said women who undergo an abortion should receive "some sort of punishment," before later recanting that statement. While I was unsurprised by Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders criticizing Trump for his comments, I found it quite humorous to hear GOP candidates Ted Cruz and John Kasich do so, as they responded with the following quotes: - "Once again Donald Trump has demonstrated that he hasn't seriously thought through the issues, and he'll say anything just to get attention. On the important issue of the sanctity of life, what's far too often neglected is that being pro-life is not simply about the unborn child; it's also about the mother - and creating a culture that respects her and embraces life. Of course we shouldn't be talking about punishing women; we should affirm their dignity and the incredible gif...

With some (many) of the things he says, Texas Senator and GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz makes it quite difficult to believe he was once an Ivy League student. At a town hall rally in Iowa on Monday, Ted Cruz made the following comments with regard to contraception, abortion, and the war on women: - "Hillary Clinton embraces abortion on demand in all circumstances up until the moment of birth. Partial-birth abortion with taxpayer funding, with no notification for parents in any circumstances - 91% of Americans say that's nuts." - "Now listen, I have been a conservative my entire life. I have never met anybody, any conservative who wants to ban contraceptives. It's a great example when the war on women came up, Republicans would curl up in a ball, they'd say, 'Don't hurt me.' Jiminy Cricket! This is a made-up nonsense example. Last I checked, we don't have a rubber shortage in America. When I was in college we had a machine in the bath...

New Hampshire Republican Senate candidate and politician voted most likely to own a big truck to compensate for a small penis - Scott Brown - recently appeared on Fox News and was asked about a comment his opponent, Democrat Senator Jeanne Shaheen, recently uttered. Brown and Fox News host Gretchen Carlson engaged in the following back-and-forth regarding the matter: Gretchen Carlson: "[Your opponent, Senator Jeanne Shaheen said] 'He (Scott Brown) doesn't stand up for women's reproductive rights and economic security. He co-sponsored legislation to let employers deny women coverage for birth control or even mammograms. He had two opportunities to vote for equal pay laws and both times voted no.' So Senator, how do you respond to her claims?" Scott Brown: "Well unfortunately, I'm talking about issues that people care about." He went on to say that while "women's issues are very important," he was "focusing on the things th...

After consistently losing the woman's vote on election day and that demographic leaning progressively left in the most recent election cycles, the Republican Party has tried appealing more to women voters. However, these efforts have failed on a grander scale than Mel Gibson would if he taught a Sympathy-For-Jews class. The main problem is the Republican Party doesn't seem to understand why women don't see them in a positive light and lean more toward Democrats come election day. They appear to think their problem is not being in touch with a woman's hobbies and interests, as opposed to their voting records when it comes to women's issues. According to them, if women heard Republican candidates speaking against women's rights in a kinder manner, by acknowledging a common interest of theirs, they'd vote for them in greater numbers. In the latest example of this, a Republican group has aired an ad which compares women's votes to the reality television sh...

In light of the Supreme Court's ruling on the Hobby Lobby contraception-mandate case, it seems that the far-right's defense to liberals' commentary about women's rights being limited is, "They (Hobby Lobby) still cover(s) 16 of 20 contraceptives. They just don't cover the abortion ones." First off, to me, that reads, "They still cover 80% of contraceptive options. That's 20% less than most such companies, but still, it's better than nothing. That'd be a solid B- in a college course. So, they'd carry with them a 3.00 or a 2.67 GPA, depending on the school they attended. So, yeah - far out, right on, and stuff." Secondly, they'd be scientifically inaccurate with the latter portion of the statement. The four contraceptives in question (Plan B, ella, and IUDs) do not cause abortions. Even leading medical authorities, such as the National Institute of Health and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, say as mu...

Republican politicians really need to stop talking about rape. In fact, if I were the leader of the Republican Party, I'd attach a shocking device to each and every member of the party, and make it go off anytime they uttered the word "rape." Even then, though, I'm guessing there's only about a 50% chance they'd stop talking about the rather touchy subject. When will they ever learn? Seriously? Todd Akin: "...If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down..." Richard Mourdock: "I struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize life is that gift from God. And I think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen." That brings me to Maine State Representative Lawrence Lockman, who, as director of the Pro Life Education Association in 1990, said the following: "If a woman has (the right to abortion), why shoul...

The GOP's "outreach" for the women's vote is getting to the point where they've dug themselves such a hole, some people have walked by and mistaken it for the Grand Canyon (yes, these people may have been drunk, but still...). The latest GOP gaffe with regard to the War on Women comes courtesy of Shaun Nowacki - comptroller for Blakemore & Associates - who registered a PAC with the Texas Ethics Commission earlier this month. What is the name of this PAC? The Boats 'N Hoes PAC. No, that's not a joke. While it has been reported that this PAC will be dissolved today, that still doesn't detract from the fact that it existed and is just another in a stunningly long line of GOP blunders with regard to women. Given this PAC's name and the GOP's vile history when it comes to women's rights, here are the names of some other likely future GOP PACs: - Bitc*es 'N Hoes - Birth Control Sluts - Trampy McTrampington - Make Me a Sandwich...

Progressives are referring to today as "Equal Pay Day," in an effort to bring attention to the pay gap between men and women in this country, and to hopefully prompt more people to get involved, contact their local congresspeople, and bring an end to gender pay discrimination. So how have conservatives responded to this call to action? By basically calling the gender pay gap "a myth." Executive director of the conservative Independent Women's Forum - Sabrina Schaeffer - said this regarding the issue: "Perpetuating the myth that women are a victim class harms women and makes them feel weak." She also added this: "The president, Democratic lawmakers and progressive activists use this faux holiday to convince women they are routinely suffering massive wage discrimination. [That's like] comparing apples to oranges." Texas Governor Rick Perry referred to the matter as "misleading," "nonsense," and a distraction fr...

During a speech he gave at the Republican National Committee's winter meeting in Washington, former Arkansas Governor and current Fox News puppet Mike Huckabee said this: "I think it's time Republicans no longer accept listening to the Democrats talk about a 'war on women. The Fact is the Republicans don't have a war on women, they have a war for women, to empower them to be something other than victims of their gender. ... If the Democrats want to insult the women of America by making them believe that they are helpless without Uncle Sugar coming in and providing for them a prescription each month for birth control because they cannot control their libido or their reproductive system without the help of the government, then so be it. Let's take that discussion all across America." Yes, let's take that discussion all across America, Mike. You can claim you're fighting a war for women, all the while attempting to take away their rights, and then...

On Meet the Press earlier today, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul decided to continue the recent GOP trend of trying to lose women's votes, when he said the following: "This whole sort of war on women thing, I'm scratching my head because if there was a war on women, I think they won. You know, the women in my family are incredibly successful. I have a niece at Cornell vet school, and 85% of the young people there are women. Law school, 60% are women. In med school, 55%. My younger sister is an OB-GYN with six kids and doing great. I don't see so much that women are downtrodden. I see women rising up and doing great things. In fact, I worry about our young men sometimes because I think the women are outcompeting the med in our world [...] The women in my family are doing great. That's what I see in all the statistics coming out. I have, you know, young women in my office that are the leading intellectual lights of our office. So I don't really see this, that ther...

Even though voter fraud is less likely than winning the lottery, Republicans nationwide have hammered away on the notion that stricter voter ID laws are essential to maintaining a healthy democracy. Of course, that's not their real reason. Their real reason is to decrease the likelihood that typical Democratic voters - you know, minorities and women - will actually vote. Just how ridiculous are some of the new voter ID laws? Allow 117th District Court Texas Judge Sandra Watts fill you in, as she was just recently flagged for possible voter fraud because while her driver's license lists her maiden name as her middle name, her voter registration form lists her actual middle name: "What I have used for voter registration and for identification for the last 52 years was not sufficient yesterday when I went to vote. I don't think most women know that this is going to create a problem. That their middle name is on their driver's license, which was mandated in 1964 when...

Apparently, I've had Rick Santorum and the far-right pro-life movement wrong all along. As Texas legislators are inching closer to passing some of the most extreme anti-abortion laws in the country, former Republican presidential candidate and the anti-sex virgin with seven kids - Rick Santorum - said the following: "This is an important moment for everyone to recognize where the abortion debate really is in America. The face of the pro-life movement [is] people out there every day embracing women, whether they decide to have an abortion or not. They love them. ... It is the movement of love. That's what this movement is about." Don't you see, ladies? Rick and those like him aren't out there trying to strip you of your rights out of disrespect or hate. They're simply doing it out of love. Situation: Republicans vote against a bill which would provide women with equal pay Santorum's response: "We did this for women's health and well-b...

First there was Todd Akin. Then there was Richard Mourdock. Now we have Arizona Representative Trent Franks taking it upon himself to discuss the matter of rape. Franks proposed a measure which would ban abortions after 20 weeks during pregnancies. This measure is currently being considered by the House Judiciary Committee. In response, Democrats have proposed an amendment to the bill which would make exceptions for rape and incest. Here's what Mr. Franks had to say about this proposed amendment: "Before, when my friends on the left side of the aisle here tried to make rape and incest the subject - because, you know, the incidence of rape resulting in pregnancy are very low. But when you make that exception, there's usually a requirement to report the rape within 48 hours. And in this case that's impossible because this is in the sixth month of gestation. And that's what completely negates and vitiates the purpose for such an amendment." Right, becau...

With Democrats Maggie Hassan, Carol Shea-Porter, and Ann McLane Kuster being elected as governor and representatives of New Hampshire last Tuesday, in addition to Republican Kelly Ayotte and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen being the state's two Senators, the state became the first in U.S. history to have an all-female congressional delegation. Rumor has it that men all across The Granite State are frightened and pondering whether or not to stay in state or move to either Maine or Vermont. While many men in the Republican Party had cast a war against women in the run up to the election, that has resulted in the women of New Hampshire congressional delegation being able to cast a war against men in the state. I'm thinking these five women will get together not long after the three newbies get set up at their new positions and will start a campaign directed at men which will be called, "Who's The B**ch Now?" http://www.boston.com/politicalintelligence/2012/11/07/new-ha...

There's a war on women being waged in this country by the Republican Party, so say the Democrats anyway. Republicans tend to disagree. So, where's the evidence to support such a claim? Oh, let's see here... Congressional Republicans have proposed bills that would do the following: Re-define rape, require "invasive" vaginal ultrasounds before abortions, cut off Planned-Parenthood funding, make it legal for any employer to deny reproductive health coverage to women on moral grounds, restrict health services to low-income women, etc. In 2011, the Center For Reproductive Rights "monitored over 600 anti-choice bills that would undermine women's autonomy and fundamental rights to health and well-being" at the state level. The report went on to state, "The Center is hard-pressed to cite a time in the last twenty years that can rival -- in volume and in severity -- this most recent period of anti-woman, anti-child, and anti-health legislative actio...

For the past few weeks, the majority of leaders in the Republican Party have spoken out against Democrats' charges that the GOP is waging a war on women. Likely republican nominee, Mitt Romney, has now attempted to turn the tables on the matter, recently stating that the real war on women has been waged by President Obama. More specifically, he said, "Women account for 92.3% of the jobs lost under Obama." Of course, there's a lot more to this story and number than Romney is telling his listeners.  First off, fact-checking site Politifact.com graded Romney's statement as "mostly false," stating that "...The numbers are accurate but quite misleading. First, Obama cannot be held entirely accountable for the employment picture on the day he took office, just as he could not be given credit if times had been booming. Second, by choosing figures from January 2009, months into the recession, the statement ignored the millions of jobs lost before then, whe...