Trump is totally unacceptable and overlooks the fact that abortion is legal in the United States as per the decision Roe v. Wade. A woman’s right to abortion is settled law. Fie on these stupid men who keep equivocating and pretending that this right is not legal.
At some point, women will have control of their own bodies. It will be as accepted as women having the right to vote.
Full control of one’s own reproduction is the only way that women will have full economic autonomy. Full control should include access to effective contraception and access to abortion if that is needed.
Donald Trump should be punished for not thinking about what comes out of his mouth. The women of America will probably see to it that he pays….at the voting booth.
Trump’s problem is not that he cannot articulate his positions, it’s that he has no positions. Until not too long ago he was pro choice. Now he’s changed his mind because he thought it would be to his advantage. But not even pro lifers have advocated punishing women. The man is a complete fool and idiot.
Yeah, a fool with 8 billion dollars in the bank.
Moon,
How about commenting on what he really said? He said that women should be punished in cases where the procedure is banned. Then he walked it back, and said only the person performing the banned procedure should face punishment…which is what happens today. If I recall, you supported the prosecution of Gosnell, because he performed banned procedures.
Look, I can understand why those who are pro-choice bristle at any comments indicating a candidate might favor further restrictions. I react the same way when I hear Hillary opine about Australian-style gun-control. It speaks to their temperament. But I can also see that in both these situations, the question posed is hypothetical, and doesn’t take into account SCOTUS decisions on both issues.
Both gave ridiculous answers…and both should know better.
I was sitting right there listening to what he said live. He wasn’t speaking of “where the procedure is banned.” Where is it banned? How could that be legal? (technically) He said what he said. Women should be punished if they had abortions.
Yes, he walked it back several hours later, probably after I had posted. But….he said what he said.
This has nothing to do with Gosnell. Gosnell was a crook. Gosnell practiced bad, unsafe medicine. He could have been a cosmetic surgeon, hair club for men physician or pretty much anything. He extorted money from desperate people.
If Trump were anything but a pandering dumb ass on the subject, he would have answered that Roe v. Wade was in place and that unless it were over-turned the question was moot. He got caught in Matthews’ trap and said something totally unacceptable. He went further even. When Matthews asked him what about the men, Trump said no punishment for them–thus the cartoon.
He got caught in a trap, mainly because he wants votes and he knows very little. He certainly proved he was a newbie to the anti-abortion movement. They were as horrified as the pro-choice movement folks.
Yes, I do understand why you won’t be voting for Hillary. I was thinking about that the other day as a matter of fact, as she said something that I thought was “Steve cringe-able.’
I’m not talking about his inherited wealth, I’d talking about whether he wants to – you know – win the election. Flip flopping positions isn’t going to help him either the electorate, especially on something as emotional as abortion.
@MoonHowler
Listen for yourself, and read the accompanying story. I notice several other media outlets are reporting a similar context.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/03/30/donald-trump-calls-punishing-women-who-would-have-illegal-abortions/82435030/
I am still hearing the same thing. About mid-way through, we get to the “well, if abortion is banned.”
.
Come on, I know what I heard and what he meant at the time. To say otherwise isn’t being intellectually honest.
Yes he did walk it back, a couple of hours later. Walking it back isn’t apologizing.
I know exactly what he said, if you can get through all the sputtering between him and Matthews. The question was never about “if Roe is overturned, and women still get abortions.”
To answer that question, if Roe is overturned, then the question goes to the states. Some states will have a much more vibrant tourist industry than others.
Trump is a political loser. I enjoy making fun of him at this point.
“Trump is a political loser. I enjoy making fun of him at this point.”
Not that I am supporting him for the nomination, I can’t help but wonder what you’ll do if he wins. I’d say at this point, he’s got a better-than-50/50 shot.
Wins the primary, or wins the general? Have you checked the polls? I have faith in the American people. Perhaps it is misplaced but I simply don’t think they would elect a pig.
From the WaPo today:
It’s sort of difficult to get real shaky and nervous with this kind of polling. I doubt that people will like him more as time goes on.
It’s hard to “look large” when you are dealing with Trump.
The biggest mistake any Republican can make is allowing Chris Matthews to be in the same room with him. Either keep him out or stuff a sock in his mouth so you have time to answer a question without his motormouth interruptions.
I actually wouldn’t limit that remark to Republicans. Do you remember Moe’s adventures on his show?
I find it entertaining to try to assess who was ruder….Matthews or Trump.
Are you kidding?
Trump would be least-popular major-party nominee in modern times
By Philip Rucker and Robert Costa March 31 at 10:51 AM
If Donald Trump secures the Republican presidential nomination, he would start the general election campaign as the least-popular candidate to represent either party in modern times.
Three-quarters of women view him unfavorably. So do nearly two-thirds of independents, 80 percent of young adults, 85 percent of Hispanics and nearly half of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents.
Those findings, tallied from Washington Post-ABC News polling, fuel Trump’s overall 67 percent unfavorable rating — making Trump more disliked than any major-party nominee in the 32 years the survey has been tracking candidates.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-would-be-least-popular-major-party-nominee-in-modern-times/2016/03/30/b4b077e0-f5e7-11e5-9804-537defcc3cf6_story.html
At this point he would lose by double digits
Moon and Starry,
No, I am not kidding. I have said this many times before: Take conventional wisdom, and throw it out the window for the duration of this cycle.
The press and the talking-heads, “consultants” etc. have been wrong at every turn. Polls? If the polls were to be trusted this far out from a general election, Romney should have beaten Obama.
But you are failing to look at the big picture. Trump vs. Hillary. Even if Hillary isn’t indicted, are you factoring in the investigation, and the inevitable leaks that will occur? So one’s not well-liked. The other’s not well-liked either, and worse, not trustworthy.
If Trump is the nominee, he has a better than 50/50 shot at winning.
I never thought Romney would beat Obama, not by any polls I was seeing.
If that happens, it happens. I will deal with it then.
Until then, the numbers really aren’t on Trump’s side.
I didn’t mention Hillary. She isn’t the only Democrat. I am only speaking of Trump. He had to really change a few things before he can win.
There are many laws going on the books Today that are punishing woman from seeking Legal Abortions –
Transvaginal ultrasound (medically not necessary)
multiple visits in order to get treatment (wasting time and money)
requiring facilities to adhere to a standard that is more restrictive than surgery centers
requiring inaccurate information to be read to a patient
are those laws not punishing a woman who is seeking a legal abortion?
What I heard was about illegal abortions – if there is no punishment, how is it deterred?
@MoonHowler
I’m kind of thinking along the lines of what the Cruz campaign said: The reason Donald Trump flubbed this “pro-life” question, is that he’s always been “pro-choice”. That is the irony here. If you look at the records, statements, and positions held by the remaining GOP candidates objectively and over time, Trump is the only “pro-choice” candidate.
But I’m not going to fall for the “THIS is where the Trump campaign crashed”. Been said too many times during the last 8 months.
I expect his followers are of questionable pedigree also when it comes to reproductive rights issues.
I have been pro-choice my most of my life…meaning I don’t think the government should make that deeply personal decision for women. It started over the Thalidomide scare. I don’t separate the issues into pigeon holes. Its all a personal decision. Contraception, access, abortion, sterilization….all of it.
I could have answered that question far better than he did. He flubbed it because he has no regard really for anyone but himself.
@MoonHowler
“I didn’t mention Hillary. She isn’t the only Democrat. I am only speaking of Trump. He had to really change a few things before he can win.”
Hillary is the only Democrat. The way the Democrat nomination process is rigged, with all of those “Super Delegates”, Hillary is the nominee. Barring a Federal Indictment, the “Super Delegates” will back her all the way to that Kabuki Theater they call a convention.
Perhaps it’s the prospect of having to choose between two of the worst candidates either party could field, that you don’t want to consider the “Hillary Effect” in the campaign calculus.
I have paid very little attention to the Decocrats. The GOP has been far too entertaining. Kasich is the only one who would not be an embarrassment. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t agree with his policies but I could live with him for 4 years if I had to.
@Steve Thomas
Based on all evidence currently available, Donald Trump does not have a better than 50% chance of winning the general election. The RCP average of recent Trump v. Clinton polls gives Clinton a 10 point advantage.
Source: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_clinton-5491.html
This exceeds the 7.2 point advantage Barack Obama had in 2008 which was not a very competitive election. Other elections with 7-9 point advantages were 1996 and 1988, neither of which were competitive either.
While polls are almost certain to change over the next eight months, both Clinton and Trump have exceptionally high recognition and opinions have been set. An indictment of Clinton would undoubtedly hurt her poll numbers, but it is difficult to see how that turns into an electoral win for Trump. Clinton benefits from the so-called ‘Blue Firewall’ of states that are exceedingly unlikely to be competitive.
Lastly, Trump has a significant portion of Republican voters who state they will never support him as a candidate. 40% of male and 47% of female Republicans. While some of those are likely to change their minds if Trump does become the nominee, it puts Trump at a disadvantage vis-a-vis a generic Republican candidate.
Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/examining-trump-s-problem-female-voters-n544901
Republicans carry the millstone of having given Trump a forum to say all those outrageous non-PC things. Like from an old uncle, bigotry can be dismissed in small doses and maybe even cute if we can make fun of it behind his back. But if Republicans validate Trumps messaging by giving him the nomination, the party has gone to the dark side and I will punish every politician who claims to be Republican.
I hope a new coalition rises from the ashes of Republicans around the Jack Kemp school of compassionate conservatism. Ryan seems most capable of articulating the view of an engaged government that uses market forces to accomplish public good.
However if Clinton wins, we will have 4 to 8 more years of loathing this time because of sex instead of race, so I don’t expect a political realignment until some more baby boomers become senile and their children start filling out their absentee ballots.
yea,if it isn’t white with external genitalia, bring on the hate…..
I mean people even love Trump. Yuck. ewwwwww. Just ewwwwwwww!
The economy is humming along real well. The incumbent party has a clear advantage when economic times are good. The pockets of voters who disagree are a minority.