WaPo: GOP congressman: Rate of pregnancies from rape is ‘very low’

[Henry]

I agree too.

 

But when advocating that position, one should probably do so without attempting to minimize the impact of rape. That's going to be a loser every time.

[mcsluggo]

oh, no question about THAT.  Kilmer nailed that one. 

[Larry]

I agree too.

 

But when advocating that position, one should probably do so without attempting to minimize the impact of rape. That's going to be a loser every time.

There's a simple solution for that.

Stop insisting that the law you pass must not ever make any exception for rape.

Include exceptions for rape, incest, health of the mother, and fetuses that are incapable of ever living, and the measure will sail through.

(Course, the problem with that is, as far as I understand it, that's pretty much where the law is, now.)

[twa]

should fetal pain matter?...which is what the bill addresses....more concern for convicted murderers humane exits

 

of course it is a backdoor to recognizing the fetus as a individual human at thay point

[Jumbo]

There are times in debate when the best strategy is to let your opponent keep talking.

A great truth. And Kilmer17 got it right. Just shut the **** up on rape/abortion, especially you, Mr. Middle-aged Caucasion Christian Conservative (that's right, I'm profiling). The current make-up of much of the "conservative voice" in the nation has been steadily offering great examples of how well it can work to let an opponent defeat themselves (not that I find much desirable in any aspect of things as they stand, partisan politics-wise).

No matter what venue---ES/Internet or elsewhere--the demented, moronic, and simply pathetic amount of pollutants steadily flowing from that specific demographic pipeline the last decade has been consistent enough, dominant enough, and gone on for long enough, to have have given the brand major blemishes. And, to continue the analogy, considering the acne-infested countenance of their primary opposition, they've had to really abuse their diet to take such a lead in the "Race to Total Pizza Face."

I think "conservatism" in the U.S. (as often framed today, and by whom) is in a "quality" slump and given how we've developed to date with a primarily "liberal v conservative" (not truly accurate of course) two-group battle, we need to bring back the more intelligent presentations of conservative ideology in basic domestic and foreign policy ideas (which do change over time) and debate them on merit, like in the old days when Adlai Stevenson and Bill Buckley Jr would argue. Here I simplify unforgivably, and misrepresent the past via good old romanticizing of memory, just to suit a thought I have now.

In all this, however, I really am suggesting that even many "non-libs", and many among the more honestly moderate/independent people, have seriously lowered their general view of the GOP in the last decade, separate from how they regard the left.

In my little universe, the broader base (or "lamestream" ) of the GOP hit a recent (say last 5 decades) high-water mark, surpassing The Great Palin Idiocy, when they fielded that group of dickish/whackjob/freakazoid/magical-thinking candidates for 2012.

And then there's that secret factory that for years has produced so many basket-case (some literally quite ill) talking media heads that do so well with that target population, and of course have so prospered under the tutelage and support of their own personal "news network."

This, by the way, is one of my fave things to toss out at the Foxheads in the family (I am harder on the one MSNBC head we have, but for different reasons)---how awesome it always is to hear that amazing brilliant rationale of "we were tired of liberal bias all these years and tired of yelling how that was so bad for the country and everyone, but now that we decided to fight it by doing it 10 times worse, we're happy and love to celebrate our commitment to truth."

I mean, it's like ****ing about the neighbors always let their kids dress too provocatively for their age while your own are actually hooking for crack. "We have yelled for years about cars parked on the greens and how we hate it, so we are combating it by paving over and making it an all-out parking lot only. Problem solved."

Such cognitive contortionism, on any side of any matter, remains ever fascinating to me.

It's sad that with the other main demographic of the left/liberal/dems features so much basic across-the-board managerial ineptitude and other areas well worthy of searing challenge in policy, yet accurate critics will often be undermined by the primary opposition's taking of "all things stupid" and just regularly stealing the spotlight. It's like those outings where one can't really do much about the "goofball" in the group because the totally psycho dude is taking up the attention.

I don't think we ever "win" broadly (though on all charts, the bulk of the "top percenters" continue to enjoy strongly increasing income disparity from the rest of the herd during these "horrific economic times"--go figure ) as a culture, no matter "who's ahead" at a given time in our partisan extremities.

2016 should be interesting.