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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Charlie Dent's War on Women?

I surrender
While I was sitting in Allentown City Hall for the latest NIZ plan yesterday afternoon, Congressional candidate Jackson Eaton was conducting a news conference a few blocks away, slamming LV Congressman Charlie Dent. His announcement claimed he would "speak about women's health care issues and the lack of attention to the real issues affecting Americans in this election--like jobs and the economy.”

If the real issue is jobs and the economy, why a news conference about contraception?

His campaign has now furnished me a copy of Eaton's statement. Apparently, there's a Republican "War on Women." Who knew? Dent must be a captain or something.

Incidentally, this "War on Women" phrase appears to have been borrowed from union-backed MoveOn.

I'm sure they don't mind.

Here's part of what Eaton says.

The assault on women is also happening right here in the 15th District. Although Congressman Dent has called himself pro-choice, he has consistently voted to limit access to reproductive health care. Congressman Dent stated this month that he will vote against a health insurance compromise that allows employees at religious institutions to receive access to women’s health services through insurance companies directly rather than from the institution itself. Congressman Dent would allow a business to deny coverage of women’s health care based on vague “moral objections.” Congressman Dent has aligned himself with former Senator Rick Santorum and not the people of the 15th district.

Congressman Dent already abandoned women’s rights to equal pay when he voted against the Lilly Ledbetter bill, which would have extended access to the courts in fighting discriminatory employment practices. Congressman Dent voted against a woman’s right to choose when he voted for the Stupak amendment, which bars coverage of abortion in health insurance exchanges. Congressman Dent likes to say he’s a moderate when he’s back here in the District, but he votes with Republican leadership when he is in Washington.

The battle for contraceptive freedom was waged—and won—decades ago. This issue should long be behind us, and yet the Congressional Republicans want to refight these social wars. With the availability of birth control, with Roe v. Wade, with wellness-oriented woman’s health insurance coverage, we've made tremendous strides in providing comprehensive women’s health care over the last few decades. We cannot allow those in office to turn back the clock on our progress. Denying women access to health care is not the kind of leadership we need in Congress. We need to turn the conversation back to how we can help Americans recovering from the worst economic recession since WWII, not what we want to take away from women's healthcare and quality of life that has been achieved since then.

My opponent in the primary has been conspicuously silent on these issues. Yet his message is clear: he is not going to fight for women’s rights. I am the only Congressional candidate this year—Republican or Democrat—who is pro-choice. I vow that when I am elected to Congress, I will be a leader who respects and supports women, their access to health care, and the choices they make.

Not a word about what Eaton himself calls the real issues - jobs and the economy. By the way, if Dent is so simpatico with Santorum, why the hell did he endorse Romney today?

Dent's campaign manager, Shawn Millan, quickly dismissed Eaton's remarks. "Eaton says he wants to talk about jobs, but then holds a press conference and sends out fundraising e-mails about contraception? That’s a sad symptom of Jackson Eaton’s political game-playing. The fact is Congressman Dent’s record on women’s issues and on contraception has been strong and supportive while Eaton’s rhetoric on jobs is woeful.”

Eaton, a Republican until just a few weeks ago, actually interned for Dent. Now, he's turned coat and is running against the guy he helped elect.

I'm sure you can trust him.

Speaking about wars on women, there's no question that Rush Limbaugh did what he does best - make a fool out of himself. But as Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker - herself a woman - observes, "Republicans are waging war on women only if you believe that the morality of abortion should never be questioned or if you believe the federal government can order people to pay for something that violates their conscience. These issues are not so simple, nor are Republicans simpletons for trying to protect the unborn or challenging what they view as government overreach."

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

GOP backpedaling is the best backpedaling lots of money can buy!

Bernie O'Hare said...

Well, then you should be thrilled with Eaton, who belonged to that GOP until just a few months ago.

Anonymous said...

We all make mistakes and some of us eventually see the light.
Hell, I voted for Ron everytime he ran.....except last time.
Confessions of a sinner.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I'll agree that you certainly are a sinner.

Anonymous said...

the federal government has been making me pay for two wars that violate my conscience for many years.

Anonymous said...

at least the war, right or wrong, falls within the government's constitutional authority, unlike nearly everything else they meddle in

Anonymous said...

Bernie, you don't get it. Eaton = Dent. Both are wishy-washy flip-flopping middle of the road seekers.

Capri said...

I agree that Dent's voting record on women's issues is awful, and he hasn't and won't have my vote in part for that reason, but I have yet to hear Jackson Eaton articulate a reason to vote for him, and I don't think his jumping on the lady-rights bandwagon in what looks like amateur-hour political strategy instead of authentic outrage over the treatment of women is going to be the key to my vote, either.

Chris Miller said...

Bernie
You might want to check the statistics on the war on women. While the gals at NOW attempted to castigate Rush, they were laughing about all of it at one of their meetings. Said war seems to come in under "Don't Cry For Me Argentina." That said I would now hope to see your opinion on the rants of Bill Maher and others who spoke openly about killing Bush, the comments and names used on Sarah Palin and yes, even using the word s**t in the case of David Letterman. And why do you suppose that Obama is apparently putting a campaign together to attack Palin who is not even running for any office. We have allowed the coarse among us to get away with unbelievable language right down to a spoken willingness to see a president assassinated. Some found that to be hilarious.

Anonymous said...

Eaton also carried a petition for teacher union-hack Kevin Deely even though he doesn't live in the 131st. The D's in the Valley are going to get shallacked this year with puppets like Eaton and Deely on the ballot.

Anonymous said...

Dent has a lot in common with womens health...he, too, is a douche.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Statements like the one above reveal that most of these partisans are phonies. They decry a "war on woman" and then make remarks like that.

Anonymous said...

Bernie,

If you are going to discuss what Kathleen Parker has to say you should also consider what her counterpart at the NYT, Maureen Dowd, has to say on the subject as well (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/14/opinion/dowd-dont-tread-on-us.html?ref=opinion). To quote Ms. Dowd:

"In some kind of insane bout of mass misogyny, Republicans are hounding out the women voters — including Republicans and independents — who helped them gain control of the House in 2010.

Senator Olympia Snowe, who’s fed up and leaving Congress, told The Washington Post’s Karen Tumulty that “it feels as if we are going back to another era,” warning that Republicans could drive women into Democratic arms."

I agree that we should be talking about jobs and the economy, but it seems neither side wants to talk about it ... or at least talk about it honestly.

Mitt Romney, for example, was on CNBC last week and basically said that his plan would do this that and the other thing, but that the plan could not be scored because the details weren't worked out. In other words, Romney was saying vote for me, I'll cut taxes. This does nothing for jobs and nothing for the deficit. As Dent has supported Mr. Romney, I assume he must be in agreement with Romney's "economic plan."

(I apologize for not having the clip, but it appears to no longer available on the CNBC website).

Unfortunately, no one in Washington wants to face the reality that we need to cut benefits (not just future benefits, but also on current beneficiaries and those 55 and older)and pay higher taxes (to pay for what we want.

And just an FYI, some of the reddest states are those that get the greatest tax benefit from the Federal Government. Mississippi, for example, gets $2.02 for every $1.0 paid in. Data is a bit dated, but still relevant ( http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/266.html)

Publius

Anonymous said...

I still want to know why Charlie Dent mislead the public in one his town hall meetings when he did not dismiss the suggestion that Healthcare Reform did not have "death panels". Maybe his press secretary can set the story staight.

I guess neither Dent nor his press secretary ever had to sit down to discuss end-of-life decisions or ever draft a living will. Thankfully, these items are covered now covered under healthcare reform.

BTW, it took my co-worker 4 days to get his insurance company to approve vital MRI testing that his doctor requested.

Obamacare may not be perfect but it is a step in the right direction.

Anonymous said...

Maureen Dowd?!

Grow a pair, man.

Kathleen Parker, not my favorite, at least openly disagrees when her conscience dictates. Maureen Dowd is a rag doll, passed around by Michael Douglas, and other Hollywood womanizers and a koolaid drinking propagandizing whorenolist.

Maureen Dowd is to Kathleen Parker what Mary Kay Letourneau is to Christa McAuliffe.

-Clem

Anonymous said...

Clem,

Sorry if Dowd doesn't agree with your personal view of the world, but there is no need to be a douche. You obviously don't have anything constructive to say. Anyone with a conscious or civility would be embarrassed to speak of people in this matter. You obviously have neither.

Publius

Anonymous said...

A war on woman? And the R's are to blame. From what I see the R party is the party of females who are WOMAN and males who are MEN....and they are truly attracted to each other. These men by and large give these woman love, respect and companionship and visa versa. So to say this party has a war on woman is truly a joke. Now the other side is quite different. Men, if there are any are happily castrated and the woman, well you see them so you figure it out. It makes sense that this party would complain. They are mostly confused about much, are needy and just hate that 1/2 of us do have enough self control and respect for ourselves and others and that somehow burdens them. They want everything until something is expected out of them. Unfortunately they spawn....