Democrats bailing on Obama - War against the Catholic Church heats up
Anonymous2000 Send a noteboard - 09/02/2012 04:03:35 AM
Not looking good for Oblunder:
White House struggles to contain uproar over birth-control mandate
By Amie Parnes and Sam Baker - 02/08/12 05:54 PM ET
The White House struggled Wednesday to contain the growing uproar over its birth-control mandate, with Democrats peeling off one by one in what has become an increasingly divisive election-year controversy.
Pressure to roll back the new contraception policy mounted quickly as the day wore on, driven by divisions among Democrats, mixed messages from President Obama’s advisers and a constant drumbeat from the GOP.
“It’s becoming a thorny problem for the White House and it appears to only be getting worse,” said one Democratic strategist. “The politically astute move would be to modify this thing, and quick.”
Asked if the administration should shift course, a former senior administration official said, “I don’t see how they couldn’t. It’s pretty bad.”
With the consternation rising to a fever pitch, Republicans announced a plan to move a bill soon that would repeal the mandate. And prominent Democrats are breaking with the administration over the policy, which requires some religious organizations to cover contraception in their employees’ healthcare plans.
Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) and Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) urged the White House last week to broaden the exception for religious employers. Several of their Democratic colleagues have piled on since.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) said Wednesday that the Health and Human Services Department “misstepped” in adopting the new policy.
“I just don’t think this is a fight that should have been picked and I think it needs to be fixed,” Connolly said. “I have every confidence that the administration will do so.”
Tim Kaine, a former Democratic National Committee chairman running for Senate in Virginia this year, also said the White House should revisit the rule’s exemptions for religious organizations. The current policy does not apply to churches, but institutions such as Catholic hospitals and universities have to comply.
“I think the White House made a good decision in including a mandate for contraception coverage in the Affordable Care Act insurance policy, but I think they made a bad decision in not allowing a broad enough religious-employer exemption,” Kaine said in a radio interview, according to a transcript provided by his campaign.
Democrats who support the White House policy dug in Wednesday.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) said there’s no need for the White House to adopt a wider religious exemption. Carving out churches and other strictly religious employers “was in itself a compromise,” she said, noting that eight states have contraception mandates without religious exemptions.
Twenty-three pro-abortion-rights religious groups also backed the White House policy Wednesday, saying it protects the individual choice of whether to use birth control.
Still, one senior Democratic aide said the plan has put some lawmakers in an “awkward position.”
“A lot of Democrats just don’t want to talk about it and be in the position of defending it,” the aide said. “It’s horrible timing.”
The aide said the issue has become “great messaging” for Republicans, especially those who want to court Hispanic voters of Catholic faith.
Click for full article.....
White House struggles to contain uproar over birth-control mandate
By Amie Parnes and Sam Baker - 02/08/12 05:54 PM ET
The White House struggled Wednesday to contain the growing uproar over its birth-control mandate, with Democrats peeling off one by one in what has become an increasingly divisive election-year controversy.
Pressure to roll back the new contraception policy mounted quickly as the day wore on, driven by divisions among Democrats, mixed messages from President Obama’s advisers and a constant drumbeat from the GOP.
“It’s becoming a thorny problem for the White House and it appears to only be getting worse,” said one Democratic strategist. “The politically astute move would be to modify this thing, and quick.”
Asked if the administration should shift course, a former senior administration official said, “I don’t see how they couldn’t. It’s pretty bad.”
With the consternation rising to a fever pitch, Republicans announced a plan to move a bill soon that would repeal the mandate. And prominent Democrats are breaking with the administration over the policy, which requires some religious organizations to cover contraception in their employees’ healthcare plans.
Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) and Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) urged the White House last week to broaden the exception for religious employers. Several of their Democratic colleagues have piled on since.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) said Wednesday that the Health and Human Services Department “misstepped” in adopting the new policy.
“I just don’t think this is a fight that should have been picked and I think it needs to be fixed,” Connolly said. “I have every confidence that the administration will do so.”
Tim Kaine, a former Democratic National Committee chairman running for Senate in Virginia this year, also said the White House should revisit the rule’s exemptions for religious organizations. The current policy does not apply to churches, but institutions such as Catholic hospitals and universities have to comply.
“I think the White House made a good decision in including a mandate for contraception coverage in the Affordable Care Act insurance policy, but I think they made a bad decision in not allowing a broad enough religious-employer exemption,” Kaine said in a radio interview, according to a transcript provided by his campaign.
Democrats who support the White House policy dug in Wednesday.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) said there’s no need for the White House to adopt a wider religious exemption. Carving out churches and other strictly religious employers “was in itself a compromise,” she said, noting that eight states have contraception mandates without religious exemptions.
Twenty-three pro-abortion-rights religious groups also backed the White House policy Wednesday, saying it protects the individual choice of whether to use birth control.
Still, one senior Democratic aide said the plan has put some lawmakers in an “awkward position.”
“A lot of Democrats just don’t want to talk about it and be in the position of defending it,” the aide said. “It’s horrible timing.”
The aide said the issue has become “great messaging” for Republicans, especially those who want to court Hispanic voters of Catholic faith.
Click for full article.....
Democrats bailing on Obama - War against the Catholic Church heats up
09/02/2012 04:03:35 AM
- 1625 Views
This is not a war on Catholics, it is Obama being an idiot again.
09/02/2012 04:52:01 AM
- 656 Views
For someone who used to be a Con Law professor
10/02/2012 08:23:34 PM
- 539 Views
In general, I disagree with that view, but not in this particular case.
11/02/2012 02:02:42 AM
- 773 Views
Also, kudos for linking to a source, and a fairly non-partisan one as well.
09/02/2012 01:33:07 PM
- 744 Views
I am a non-partisan guy, so I only use unbiased sources! *NM*
09/02/2012 04:02:50 PM
- 541 Views
Wanting both parties to be hit by a bus does not make one non-partisan.
09/02/2012 10:05:28 PM
- 607 Views
You lost all credibility in the first line of your post.
09/02/2012 04:49:23 PM
- 678 Views
You actually think any of us has 'credibility' anymore in regards to neutrality? *NM*
09/02/2012 06:46:13 PM
- 436 Views
It's one thing to have a bias.
09/02/2012 07:28:51 PM
- 711 Views
Wow, talk about making a supernova out of a couple hydrogen atoms.
09/02/2012 08:41:44 PM
- 513 Views
The Catholic Church wants to eliminate the birth control coverage requirement entirely.
10/02/2012 12:24:01 AM
- 808 Views
Sounds like they just do not want Catholics directly financing; great argument for public healthcare
10/02/2012 02:27:36 AM
- 745 Views
I'm somewhat suprised that Obama blundered this badly.
10/02/2012 01:40:14 AM
- 1534 Views
Why? Have you not been paying attention?
10/02/2012 02:03:43 AM
- 1972 Views
If I am not satisfied with Romney then my Plan B is to not vote.
10/02/2012 10:58:34 PM
- 1964 Views
How does that help anything? Except Romneys election chances, of course.
11/02/2012 01:08:22 AM
- 1823 Views
No everynametaken this is not unconsitutional according to the first ammendment
11/02/2012 12:14:29 AM
- 1846 Views
Obama doing this actually impresses me to no end.
10/02/2012 02:21:10 AM
- 2061 Views
He is already preparing to cave.
10/02/2012 02:42:32 AM
- 2058 Views
Why are you even replying to me? What you said has little meaning to what I said.
10/02/2012 03:33:27 AM
- 1833 Views
Aaaaand you can put your hat back on now: Obama has already caved.
10/02/2012 04:04:30 PM
- 2058 Views
Yup, the cave already happened.....you could have set your watch to this! *NM*
10/02/2012 05:00:02 PM
- 1626 Views
Actually, no, I could not; I expected it to take another week or two.
11/02/2012 01:27:31 AM
- 1960 Views
No, you don't have to buy it from insurers. You get it for free, just like everyone else will. *NM*
10/02/2012 09:55:53 PM
- 1728 Views
"The employees can then buy the coverage directly from an insurer."
11/02/2012 01:25:52 AM
- 2019 Views
Then that article is wrong.
11/02/2012 01:43:40 AM
- 1978 Views
Two days ago the White House said it would not back down from requiring school/hospital compliance.
11/02/2012 01:57:50 AM
- 1965 Views
So in summary... the article you posted was wrong.
11/02/2012 02:18:00 AM
- 1514 Views
To soon to tell, but if you think so feel free to demand a correction from them.
11/02/2012 03:12:40 AM
- 758 Views
Losing the exchanges is a pretty big loss
11/02/2012 03:30:15 AM
- 678 Views
So they refuse to cover it for the next two years, then do an about face in 2014.
11/02/2012 03:57:53 AM
- 823 Views
If Aetna does not provide the free contraception as part of the compromise
11/02/2012 02:46:14 AM
- 542 Views
Yeah, I saw that; if Aetna does not do as Obama says by 2014 they lose out on free profits then.
11/02/2012 03:13:36 AM
- 615 Views
So Jehovah Witness employers should not have to pay for blood transfusions?
10/02/2012 03:57:47 AM
- 629 Views
Not if it conflicts with their religious beliefs.
10/02/2012 04:20:32 PM
- 764 Views
Money is not the same as speech!
10/02/2012 07:20:56 PM
- 526 Views
And actions are different from both—until others are expected to pay for ones actions.
11/02/2012 12:53:40 AM
- 765 Views
No it isn't Joel, empirically you are dead wrong
10/02/2012 11:24:19 PM
- 757 Views
I do not see how requiring private entities do it instead of the feds is "least restrictive way."
11/02/2012 12:53:22 AM
- 745 Views
Catholic Charities of Sacramento Inc. v. Superior Court
11/02/2012 01:21:46 AM
- 686 Views
"the Court found that it wasn't a religious organization, it was just a non-profit corporation."
11/02/2012 01:36:33 AM
- 536 Views
One last point
10/02/2012 11:35:25 PM
- 849 Views
The federal government forcing private groups to facilitate without committing sin also infringes.
11/02/2012 01:03:30 AM
- 626 Views
You argument does not make sense
11/02/2012 01:26:57 AM
- 526 Views
It was an analogy, not an equivalency.
11/02/2012 01:48:14 AM
- 642 Views
Lets enhance your analogy making it closer to reality
11/02/2012 02:19:41 AM
- 714 Views
Why could I not buy it with my own money?
11/02/2012 03:46:33 AM
- 707 Views
Re: Why could I not buy it with my own money?
11/02/2012 04:17:17 AM
- 1955 Views
In other words, I could.
11/02/2012 04:21:05 AM
- 436 Views
You believe it can't help people since it is not single payer? *NM*
11/02/2012 04:31:13 AM
- 448 Views
Since you answered this in your other response I will just adress it there. *MN*
11/02/2012 05:59:37 AM
- 716 Views
Some more points
11/02/2012 02:30:27 AM
- 779 Views
Sex is not a necessity either.
11/02/2012 03:56:51 AM
- 700 Views
LMAO due to Obama's compromise (the word compromise should have a in it )
11/02/2012 12:12:57 AM
- 743 Views
Obama just got two weeks of being portrayed as "anti-church" to the point even Dems complained.
11/02/2012 02:00:28 AM
- 671 Views
The polls disagree with you.
11/02/2012 02:32:59 AM
- 626 Views
It is an interesting article, but not for the polls.
11/02/2012 04:18:17 AM
- 672 Views
I wouldn't put too much into that poll anyway
11/02/2012 05:37:05 AM
- 798 Views
Frankly, I hope Obamacare DOES die, just not because of the public mandate.
11/02/2012 07:18:04 AM
- 673 Views
I haven't really heard about it outside of this post, so the negative exposure can't be too bad.
11/02/2012 05:56:58 PM
- 504 Views
There seems to be plenty of Hell raising over it, but you are in the States and I am not.
11/02/2012 07:55:51 PM
- 525 Views
I don't think it's quite the laughing matter you think it is
11/02/2012 12:31:23 PM
- 682 Views
Understood.
11/02/2012 07:51:14 PM
- 660 Views
mmm...
11/02/2012 08:20:26 PM
- 689 Views
The man talked about during the campaign was the one elected with a mandate.
12/02/2012 02:28:15 AM
- 839 Views
I think Obama (for once) was far more clever you give him credit for...
15/02/2012 05:11:10 PM
- 871 Views
Surrendering on liberal issues then blaming Republicans is not just Obamas strategy, but his POLICY.
15/02/2012 07:23:04 PM
- 743 Views