John Boehner Is The Only Kind Of Abortion Conservatives Like

Good news for anyone who'd like to see women pushed back into the servile social position Bronze Age patriarchs created for them through their brutal, self-serving mythology. Ohio Congressman John Boehner, having just led House conservatives in denying unemployment benefits to millions of Americans-- and probably to a politically expedient economic slowdown-- now plans an assault on women's right to Choice. And, as he noted, because the DCCC has been so spectacularly successful in destroying primary candidacies of pro-Choice progressives while pushing forward hopelessly conservative anti-Choice fanatics, Boehner may have the numbers he needs to deal the crippling blow to women the right has been attempting for years.

Saturday Boehner, whose aim is to replace Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House, delivered a fanatic rant at an annual anti-Choice convention in Pittsburgh and promised new legislation that would ban all federal funding for abortion. "The American people-- and a bipartisan majority in the House-- supported the Stupak amendment," brayed Boehner, "which would have prohibited taxpayer funding of abortion through the health care bill. [But] instead of heeding the will of the people and a bipartisan majority, [President Obama and Democratic leaders] crafted a disingenuous, last-minute executive order that they claimed eliminated the need for pro-life protections... I believe this must be the next objective for pro-life America.  It’s clear from the health care debate that the American people don’t want their tax dollars paying for abortion, and a bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives agrees.  It’s the will of the people, and it ought to be the law of the land-- right now."

Last week Hoyer, the DNC, OFA, the DCCC and the whole Democratic Inside-the-Beltway Establishment stood firmly behind Jim Matheson (Blue Dog-UT) as he struggled to retain the Democratic Party nomination for the November election. Last November, he was one of 64 Democrats voting with Boehner to pass the Stupak Amendment to the healthcare reform bill. No one talked about Mathson's vote because his default position on virtually every contentious issue is to follow Boehner's lead. He ran against a progressive pro-Choice woman with no funding whatsoever. No pro-choice congressional leaders came to her assistance; they were all on Matheson's side. This is something that has been playing itself out-- and continues to play itself out-- everywhere in the country. The DCCC and the Democratic Establishment just spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to elect conservative, anti-Choice, anti-gay fanatic Mark Critz in Pennsylvania. He may be wearing the right color jersey but he's already proven himself a devoted Boehner Boy, crossing the aisle on every important vote since being sworn in on May 20.

His first vote in Congress, to congratulate the University of Texas mens swimming and diving team for winning the NCAA Division I national championship, was a vote with his own party-- and it passed 405-0. And the Democrats have been able to count on Critz on votes like that. The important ones... not so much. His first vote on a contentious proposal was Patrick Murphy's amendment to the Defense Authorization Act which will lead to the repeal of DADT. Making clear to anyone who hadn't been paying attention that the DCCC had just wasted a fortune on electing another vicious bigot to Congress, Critz joined Boehner, all but 5 of the Republicans and a couple dozen homophobic Blue Dogs to oppose Murphy's legislation. He's also been voting with the GOP to recommit (kill) major legislation, like the Small Business Jobs Tax Relief Act and voted outright against the DISCLOSE Act last week, one of 36 Democrats who nearly tanked the bill that is meant to take some of the corrupt practices Critz-watchers knew he is so eager to immerse himself in out of politics. As Boehner talked yesterday about taking away Choice from American women, you could almost see Mark Critz's image dancing in the orange glow around his forehead.

Like I mentioned above, even before the DCCC managed to slide Critz into the western Pennsylvania House seat, there were 64 hardcore anti-Choice Democratic votes (the miscreants who voted to pass Stupak). And, like in the case of Matheson, the DCCC and Obama are supporting each one of them who is getting a challenge from a grassroots progressive back home. (Well, the DCCC and Obama aren't supporting Parker Griffith; right after voting against Choice, he jumped the fence and changed into a red jersey.) Right now Blue America is trying to help raise money for three primary challengers running against the anti-Choicers Boehner is counting on to help him put another nail in the coffin of women's Choice. These are the races:

Regina Thomas vs John Barrow (Blue Dog-GA)
Jim Wilson vs Dan Boren (Blue Dog-OK)
Mac D'Alessandro vs Stephen Lynch (MA)

Each of the Blue America candidates is a staunch supporter of Choice and each incumbent is an anti-Choice voter who John Boehner will be calling on to help the GOP bring back the bad old days of back-alley abortions. I wish this issue was as important to the progressive "movement" at large as it is to Digby, John and I. Is it important to you? Today (for the next 24 hours) everyone who donates to one of these 3 candidates at the page linked above gets entered in a drawing to win an autographed copy of the 2-disc deluxe concert film, Melissa Etheridge, Live... And Alone. Just contribute to one of the campaigns through the ActBlue pages in the links and you'll have a chance to win the DVD set. There's no minimum; any amount is fine and any amount will help put a progressive Democrat in the House instead of an anti-Choice Boehner-boy.

Regina Thomas, a former state legislator, first a House member then a Senator, representing Savannah, was sickened by Boehner's divisive call for anti-Choice legislation. This morning she told us it's "cowardly to pick on women and our choices. Do something meaningful and let the voters see that you are there for America and not just to get re-elected on non-issues." And, of course, she's running against someone who is one of the original Boehner-boys and who votes with Boehner against Democratic ideals and values every chance he gets-- especially against women.

It is hard to believe that these fanatics would address this issue (Women's' Choice) at a time when Congress needs to come together to fix the ills of our economy. Instead of addressing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to bring our troops home, or addressing the horrific "No Child Left Behind" and the unfunded mandate that has our educators and children thinking that they are inadequate and failing; instead of addressing the BP Oil spill and banning offshore oil drilling what do they do???? Attack women. Women we are under seige!

The 'so-called' "right" feels that it is better to attack us-- whom they consider the "Weaker Sex", than to address the real issues. This is a News Flash!!! Gentlemen-- we can take care of ourselves-- we can make our own decisions and choices-- we do not need your interference. I have a few suggestions if you do not have anything else to do: 1) Repeal the tax cuts that were given to so many BIG Industries; 2) Put the public option back in the Health Care Bill; 3) Take care of our environment with clean energy solutions and not delusional attempts; 4) Make Social Security Solvent again and stop borrowing from it; 5) Help Homeowners keep their homes by passing real restrictions on Financial Institutions and stop the extraordinary high interest rates; 6) Take care of our Military men, women and their families and bring our troops home; 7) Stop campaigning on DADT because it is an election year and do what is right; 8) Pass a Hate Crimes bill that has some teeth in it.