(promoted by PCG)
Republicans sitting on the State House's Health Insurance and Environment Committee apparently didn't hear the post-election groaning of Josh Penry, Rob Witwer and others as they begged Republicans to be more inclusive and tolerant.
They voted 6-5 (party line) today against killing a measure that would have banned nearly all abortions in Colorado, with no exception for a woman raped by her father, for example.
Reporters groping for evidence of a post-election move to the middle by Colorado Republicans should look elsewhere. In fact, this legislation shifts the Colorado GOP further to the right on abortion than it's been in years.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Stephen Humphrey, was apparently the most restrictive anti-abortion legislation Colorado has seen since 2007, when Sen. Kent Lambert and Scott Renfroe sponsored a similar abortion ban modeled after a South Dakota measure. Doug Lamborn's attempts to ban late-term abortion in the late 1990's and early 00's look moderate by comparison to Humphrey's bill today.
Still, Republicans Conti, Humphrey, Joshi, Landgraf, and Stephens voted against killing Humphrey's legislation, with Conti voting both ways by joining Democrats (McCann, Schafer, Fields, Ginal, Primavera, Young) in also voting against passage.
Reporters should track down Rep. Kathleen Conti and get her thinking on the measure, because voting both ways might constitute a more inclusive tack and be a sign of a both-ways moderation strategy that's in the works.
As it is, in the absence of Republicans inside or outside the Capitol speaking out against the abortion ban, and with the party-line GOP support of the measure in committee, reporters have to wonder if there's any real passion for change among Colorado Republicans, even among those advocating for it.
Why aren't Penry and Witwer organizing a news conference, for example, denouncing Rep. Humphrey's bill, crying out for GOP inclusiveness, and pointing to a poll just released by Project New America and Keating Research showing that 62 percent of Colorado voters agree that, ‘A woman should be allowed to have an abortion based on her personal values and her doctor's advice.'
As it is, reporters should cover the absence of news conferences like that one.
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Jason,
Can you go ahead and look after your party, and I'll look after mine?
These are Republicans who represent Republicans who oppose abortion. They are representing their constituents. It's really not a big deal.
I care about Republicans and Democrats. Like Obama says, when someone needs a helping hand in America, we extend it, so they have the chance to do something for themselves and others.
As for abortion, it's not just about the Republicans on this committee, but the rest of you.
How about speaking up against an extreme abortion ban like this. If you're like me, you can respect someone for taking a hard-line moral position, as they understand it, but still speak up for the sake of yourself and others, not to mention the benefit of your party.
I'll do no such thing, because I am 100% pro-life. I have found that in politics, the ones who flip-flop around when it gets uncomfortable lose, but if we stick true to our principles, we win over as those who oppose us on certain issues.
I'll stay pro-life, and when the voters aren't distracted by Democrat smear campaigns and back on the issues that matter like jobs, Republicans will win. The rumors of our demise are greatly exaggerated.
Fair enough.
I was thinking this morning about you ArapaGOP, being 100% pro-life.
But polls show that about half the people who say they are "pro-life" are actually "pro-choice" in the sense that they don't like abortion and maybe are against it for themselves but believe it's up to women to make up their own minds.
Is that the kind of "pro-life" you are?
LOL. Yeah, the GOrP is really concerned about jobs. That's why they're introducing these loser bills, sucking up to their loser base who are losing their grip on reality.
Keep it up. At this rate, the GOrP will be history by the next inauguration, dragged under by the stone of extremism.
I don't buy that for a minute…you and your party are" pro-birth". Once the child is born, you immediately lose interest in their care.
I call bullshit…
Copy on that, Duke.
The guy's a bullshitter start to finish. And your point about how a baby's on his/her own the finger snap they're born in agop world is absolutely correct.
So, you are opposed to the death penalty?
First of all, "republicans who represent republicans who oppose abortion" is a non starter.
"republicans who oppose abortion" in any situation not immediately their own are individuals meddling in other peoples' business, and are overstating greatly their own importance. Unless, of course, you and every other know it all busy body out there is prepared to take over the raising of children born into abject poverty. No excuses. No exceptions. Roe v Wade asshole, read about it.
Instead, those of your peyton place, nosey, voyeur, gossip ilk propose cutting of any social safety net for other people, WIK being a prime example, oppose sex ed in school, contraception included in insurance coverage, and morning after protection.
As with most conservatives, you never things through, you never consider cause and affect, consequences, the fact there are opposite reactions to every action. You just "shoot from the hip" about stuff that happens to other people.
Along with being predisposed to a mean spirit concerning others you consider "inferior" to your "station", having a very inflated opinion of your own morals, a greatly exaggerated sense of the importance and accuracy of your ultra conservative pseudo science christ-ee religious "dogma", and a penchant to be an "expert" on every topic, espescially those you nothing about, I think you're lazy. I believe you know about the same as Mourdock and Akin about biology, and you're too old to even consider educating yourself.
You cynically simplify the plight of someone having to make the heart breaking and gut wrienching decision about something you're not even close to being qualified to judge them on.
Typically, and I'll say up front I don't know you or your history, but typically, those who decry the decisions of others as "immoral" or "ungodly" have plenty of past and present decisions in their resumee that are just that.
Republicans only consider other Republicans to be their constituents. Vote for the other guy? Don't vote at all? You're not even a citizen as far as the GOrP is concerned.
I suppose if you don't care about being in the minority for the rest of the party's life, continuing the rightward shift is just fine. Let 'em go – something will fill in the gap sooner or later. If Pat Buchannan hadn't taken one for the team by usurping the Reform Party, there would probably have already been something.
You think Josh Penry has principles? Other than lining his own pockets and feeding his ambition, he has none. No wonder that not even legislative Repubicans pay attention to him.