The United States government Republican party has been really disappointing me lately, mainly because it seems to have been taken over by Rick-Santorum types - the social conservatives who seem to want to focus on getting back to a pre-1960′s America and have absolutely no desire to keep an open mind about anyone unlike themselves. Part of this is because the primaries are going on, so it seems that every candidate is trying to lean as far to the right as possible in order to win over the most delegates (ahem, Romney?).
I don’t know how anyone expects the Republican party to win the White House after all the antics we’ve seen over the past couple of months from prominent Republicans. A Republican audience booing a gay soldier during a Presidential debate?? Rush Limbaugh calling a college student a “slut,” a “prostitute,” and telling her to post sex tapes online for all to watch?? And not one of the Republican candidates seriously took a stand against these disgusting displays of intolerance. (Oh sure, Santorum brushed off Rush Limbaugh as an “entertainer,” as if that’s an excuse for his actions, and Romney said something about how he “wouldn’t have used those words.” Nice, guys.)
Now Arizona is looking to pass a bill that would allow companies to deny birth control coverage if it wasn’t being used for a “medical reason,” such as an ovarian cyst or endometriosis. To explain further:
“Under current law, health plans in Arizona that cover other prescription medications must also cover contraception. House Bill 2625, which the state House of Representatives passed earlier this month and the Senate Judiciary Committee endorsed on Monday, repeals that law and allows any employer to refuse to cover contraception that will be used “for contraceptive, abortifacient, abortion or sterilization purposes.” If a woman wants the cost of her contraception covered, she has to “submit a claim” to her employer providing evidence of a medical condition, such as endometriosis or polycystic ovarian syndrome, that can be treated with birth control.
“Moreover, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, the law would give Arizona employers the green light to fire a woman upon finding out that she took birth control for the purpose of preventing pregnancy.”
Wow. I used to hate it when liberal media used the term “war on women,” but now I’m starting to agree. I mean, come on… Santorum, one of the Republican frontrunners, has stated that he thinks that states should have the ability to ban birth control. I thought we moved on from this about 50 years ago, but apparently not. And I also thought that jobs and the economy were the topics that the American people really wanted to discuss, but I must be wrong about that too.
Even though I will never forgive forget that he introduced Sarah Palin to the national spotlight, I do have to admit that I do like John McCain because of the fact that he speaks his mind, even if it contradicts what his Republican counterparts are saying. (Even in Game Change, the book about the 2008 campaign that was just turned into an HBO film, McCain speaks out against social conservative extremists, saying that they essentially could ruin the Republican party.) When I read this article this morning, I was reminded of why I like McCain more than most others in the conservative party:
I wish one of the Republican Presidential candidates (again… ahem, Romney) would take a stand like this. If someone can’t stand up for women’s rights (or stand up against Rush Limbaugh with all his sexist, disgusting comments) I question whether or not he should be in charge of the country.
Can we just redo this whole Republican race thing and start with a fresh batch of candidates?
