This week I take a close look at speeches by both Democratic and Republican politicians. Keep in mind that these are just from this week. Let's compare and contrast the parties, shall we? Feel free to discuss in the Comments whether these claims make sense:
A big and repeated claim we keep hearing from Republicans: "There is no War on Women."
A big and repeated claim we keep hearing from nonvoters: "There is no difference, they're all politicians."
So let's look at politics this week. After that, we'll review other issues regarding the War on Women that have been in the news this week. And then I have action items for you.
As always, This Week in the War on Women is a group effort. Thank you, Tara the Antisocial Social Worker and ramara for articles and leads!
THE REPUBLICAN WAR ON WOMEN:
Let's start with the Republicans. Because they're icky, so we'll eat our vegetables before enjoying our dessert.
JEB BUSH:
Full Transcript:
I for one don't think that they should get, that Planned Parenthood ought to get a penny, though; and that's the difference. Because they're not actually doing women's health issues. They are... they're involved in something way different than that.
Like the much-debunked selling body parts, I suppose. Have Republicans ever met a debunked fact that they wouldn't run with anyway if it fit their narrative?
Here are some facts about reproductive health and Planned Parenthood, for any Bushbaby fans that may wander by and be open to learning:
Reproductive health care is an economic issue.
Forensic analysis has revealed that the so-called evidence in the Planned Parenthood tapes was faked. Even the "uncut" versions were cut.
BOBBY JINDAL:
In a related story, as reported earlier this month, Louisiana Governor and Presidential candidate Bobby Jindal used the excuse of fetal tissue sales to defund Planned Parenthood, despite the fact that Planned Parenthood of Louisiana provides NO abortions. What they do provide is over 15,000 healthcare visits per year, including 4300 people on Medicaid. When concerned citizens protested at the governor's mansion, rather than Jindal (out on the campaign trail) directing his staff to listen to their concerns, at Jindal's direction they played the by-now-debunked tapes as if they were real (Trigger Warning: the immediately previous link is to a right-wing forced-birth site). And Jindal is campaigning on all of this like it's a positive thing. His new campaign video released this week is titled, "Too Scared to Watch":
Full Transcript:
On August 3, Governor Jindal canceled Louisiana's Medicaid Contract with Planned Parenthood. On August 20, Planned Parenthood staged a protest outside of the Louisiana Governor's Mansion.
Governor Jindal decided to play the horrifying Planned Parenthood videos on his front lawn, so the protestors could see why he made his decision.
The protestors moved their protest further away from the Governor's Mansion so they didn't have to listen to the horrifying videos. We can understand why they wouldn't want to watch.
BobbyJindal.com
Paid for by Jindal for President
No Governor, in all likelihood they did not need to watch because they had already seen the videos and were already well aware that the evidence had been faked. They protested at your mansion because you decided to harm women's healthcare on the basis of nonsense. And if they moved, it was probably because your loudspeakers were drowning out their own speakers. Because you don't want to know these facts and you don't want your staff to be informed of these facts. Not as long as you think you can make political hay out of this fake issue.
Now the first lawsuits have been filed to undo defunding of Planned Parenthood in Louisiana. Such defunding appears to be in violation of federal law, so Governor Jindal gets a three-fer: Using fake facts to attack women's healthcare, using fake facts as his own protest against pro-women protests, and violating federal Medicaid law in the process. But of course he does. He's a Republican running for President.
DONALD TRUMP:
(I like the tradition in some quarters of not showing Donald Trump's real face because to do so might imply that we take him seriously)
Trump decided to continue to
attack Megyn Kelly via Twitter as she returned to work on Monday, August 24. Some gems:
I liked the Kelly File much better without Megyn Kelly. Perhaps she could take another eleven day unscheduled vacation!
and one of his favorite retweets:
The bimbo back in town. I hope not for long.
Her "sin," as you may recall, was asking The Grand Pootrump some tough questions during the debate -- as she did other candidates, undoubtedly as instructed by her bosses. Do you think he would pick this fight with any man? I didn't watch the debates, but didn't her male co-moderator ask Trump any tough questions? Where is Trump's outrage over him? Megyn Kelly, like all Faux interviewers and commentators male and female, doesn't believe a quarter of what Roger Ailes pays her to say. But there's nothing wrong with Megyn Kelly that isn't wrong with the entire Faux network.
Then on Friday, August 28, the Trumprageousness continued. He attacked Huma Abedin, aide to Hillary Clinton, making the claim that she has revealed to her husband classified information, apparently for no other reason than that he thinks all women are incapable of keeping secrets:
“Are there any women in this room in love with their husbands who wouldn’t be telling them everything?”
Responding to a woman who apparently shouted “I wouldn’t”, he said: “She said, ‘I wouldn’t but I’m in love’.”
He then insisted: “No, you will.”
The Guardian article says such statements "may contribute to debate about Trump’s alleged sexism". Nope. There is no debate. This is sexism. It's not alleged. It's textbook. FYI, Mr. OranguTrump: I've worked in the medical field for decades. And never blabbed about patients to a lover. It's not difficult; we just talk about other things.
BEN CARSON:
As reported in Raw Story, on August 27, 2015 at a campaign rally in Little Rock, Arkansas, Ben Carson stated the following. Read it and weep. Or scratch your head. Watch the video for context if you wish (but he never does explain this statement, nor has he to date; HuffPo: "A press secretary for his campaign did not respond to a request for comment."):
Partial Transcript:
They tell you that there’s a war on women. There is no war on women. There may be a war on what’s inside of women, but there is no war on women in this country.
Well, unless there's a war on my poo, which will be leaving my body shortly, I'm not sure how you can war with anything inside me without warring with me in my entirety. But all righty then. He's a doctor, so he must know something I don't.
THE DEMOCRATIC RESPONSE:
BERNIE SANDERS:
At a New Hampshire rally on Wednesday, August 26, Bernie said the following:
Full Transcript:
Here in New Hampshire, for better or for worse, you see a lot of politicians come through your state, and many of my Republican colleagues who come through New Hampshire and Iowa and so forth, they often talk about "family values, family values".
They just love families. But all of you know what they mean by family values. And what they mean by family values is that the women of this country should not have the right to control their own bodies. I disagree.
What they mean by family values is that women are not smart enough to be able to purchase the contraceptives they need. I disagree.
Furthermore, what they mean by family values is that our gay brothers and sisters should not be able to get married or enjoy the other benefits of the American legal system. I disagree.
(Here Bernie spoke briefly of his own family, but some of his words were unclear.)
We believe in strong families and family values, but our view’s just a little bit different than our Republican friends. When I talk, when we talk about family values, what we mean is the United States should end the international embarrassment of being the only major country on Earth that does not guarantee family and medical leave to all of our families.
HILLARY CLINTON:
On Thursday, August 27, in Cleveland, Ohio, Hillary said the following:
Full Transcript (although I believe the video is edited and cut in places):
When you hear these Republicans, listen closely, because I can't hear them talking about anything real, anything that will work.
Don't be distracted by the flamboyant frontrunner. If you look at their policies, most of the other candidates are just Trump without the pizzazz or the hair. It's a great reality TV show, isn't it? Marco Rubio brags about wanting to deny victims of rape and incest access to healthcare, to an abortion. Jeb Bush says Planned Parenthood shouldn't get a penny. Your governor right here in Ohio banned state funding for some rape crisis centers.
Extreme views about women, we expect that from some of the terrorist groups. We expect that from people who don't want to live in the modern world. But it's a little hard to take coming from Republicans who want to be the President of the United States.
These are the facts. You might arrive at a different opinion than mine based on these facts, but we cannot have a fruitful discussion if we are fact-free like certain Faux television networks. The above are the candidates in their own words. Just this week.
***
Moving on:
VIOLENCE AND RAPE:
Nadia Vera is the 36th women's rights activist in Mexico to be murdered in the last 5 years. Mexico has had a long wave of disappearances and murders of women (feminicidio). Statistics are hard to come by, and the concern is that the government does little to prevent or punish the crimes, and in some places may even be involved.
Who's responsible for violence against migrant women? In the European Union, the more they try to crack down on migration, the more they cause problems with smugglers. Click on the link for an eye-opening read.
Companies you forgot used violence against women to sell products, brought back to us yesterday courtesy of Daily Life. Thanks, not sure I needed this. Fortunately, many of these are out of business now. The most familiar: Van Heusen shirts. And Betty Crocker, but fortunately they've since reformed. And Pitney-Bowes postage meter with the headline, "Is it always illegal to kill a woman?" This is how you sell product? I'm astonished these worked even in the 1950s.
A frat at at Virgina's Old Dominion University hung banners with rapey messages to greet new arrivals. Amanda Marcotte takes on the apologists who argue that it doesn't count if they didn't explicitly use the word rape. The national frat had no trouble figuring out what they were saying, and suspended the chapter.
Ruth Krall on How to smell a rape-prone campus. Unfortunately, there may only be a very small handful of campuses that don't have this smell.
ACTION ITEMS:
INDIAN VILLAGE COUNCIL ORDERS SISTERS TO BE RAPED:
According to Amnesty International, a young man eloped with a married woman from the dominant Jat caste. As punishment, the unelected all-male village council decreed that his sisters, 23 and 15 years old, should be raped, have their faces blackened, and paraded around town naked. Such decrees are illegal, but are often carried out anyway. The family has fled the village, but their home and belongings were left behind. Before they can return home, their safety has to be assured. Please click on the link to sign the petition for the Principal Secretary of Lucknow to ensure their safety and investigate the village council.
SAD NEWS ABOUT ONE OF OUR OWN:
Longtime Kossack, mentor and activist JoanMar is coping with her daughter's sudden death this week. Like 76% of Americans, she lives paycheck to paycheck. She never expected to have to pay for her child's funeral. So we held a fundraiser and support group for her here on Daily Kos. It's not too late to make a donation if you can share. Please see JekyllnHyde's diary on her behalf,
A Tragic and Unimaginable Loss For a Community Member - Please Help JoanMar and Her Family for further details. We will also have a diary in her honor tomorrow morning, written by Chitown Kev, where you can visit, Rec, donate, and leave messages for JoanMar. And I'll stop by and post a new pootie picture in the Comments. Thank you!
8:29 AM PT: UPDATE FOR JOANMAR: Chitown Kev's fundraiser/support group is now live at For our very own Black Butterfly and Sister JoanMar. Please visit, Rec, leave a message. Thank you.