Shoot me if you must, but I am merely the messenger here. An outraged one at that.
As you know the right-wing has been trying to manufacture controversy over contraception funding in the stimulus. Most of us think this is contemptible, ridiculous, whatever. And Obama's memorable "I won" line from last week gave many of us hope that Obama would not bend in the face of Republican resistance, would refuse to let them dictate the terms of his administration, and would provide the change we voted for.
According to reports, that won't be the case.
House Democrats are likely to jettison family planning funds for the low-income from an $825 billion economic stimulus bill, officials said late Monday, following a personal appeal from President Barack Obama at a time the administration is courting Republican critics of the legislation.
Several officials said a final decision was expected on Tuesday, coinciding with Obama's scheduled visit to the Capitol for separate meetings with House and Senate Republicans.
That this is even being considered as a possibility is absurd. Republicans lost. They are in no position to demand anything - and Obama and the Congressional Dems would be fools to give in to their whining.
Several Democrats said Monday night that Obama had spoken personally with Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., about removing the provision. Waxman is chairman of the committee with jurisdiction over Medicaid and a close ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
The Democrats who described the likely reversal did so on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to disclose developments not yet made public.
Obama's request to House Democrats underscores the administration's desire to signal a spirit of bipartisanship, a recurring theme for the president in his first week in office.
Henry Waxman's contact info:
DC office: (202) 225-3976 (phone)
LA offices: (323) 651-1040 (phone)
(818) 878-7400 (phone)
(310) 652-3095 (phone)
But even in the face of public activism, Waxman isn't likely to refuse the new president's request.
Why does this battle matter? First, contraception is economic stimulus. Family planning is necessary for American families of all incomes to enjoy financial stability and the ability to plan expenses. If you have an "oops baby" then your finances may suffer severely and unwantedly.
Second, this is a conservative effort to destroy the Obama Administration in the womb. If Obama caves, as now appears likely, then Republicans will have won a truly major victory. They never had a chance to stop the stimulus, but now they will have shown they can dictate some of its terms. They were active in pushing their bullshit talking points to the media - flawed as they were. If Obama is going to cater to their whims, we know from the Bush era how this story ends - Republicans will make more crazy demands, and Democrats will give in to them.
Third, this is part of the conservative effort to attack not just abortion rights, but contraception and the right to privacy. What they have done, and what Obama is about to enable, is something rather stunning - they have made contraception controversial. Sure, some of us might have felt a bit sheepish the first time we bought condoms or picked up the pill at the pharmacy, but we got over it, because it's not controversial or shameful but normal.
Not to the conservatives. They never wanted to stop at rolling back Roe v. Wade - they want to roll back anything smacking of sexual freedom. Griswold v. Connecticut is their true goal, the 1967 case that outlawed bans on contraception and established the right to privacy. If they are going to have a chance at rolling that back, they have to make contraception controversial. And if we are to stop them, we must not yield an inch to them - we must stand up and say "no, you lost, and we are keeping contraception funding."
Obama isn't going to do that. Despite a 77% approval rating and having won a convincing and deserved victory in the November election, he is going to hand the conservatives a major political victory at the cost of family planning services for the Americans who most need government subsidy to access them.
This should be a no-brainer. But it's not. Not for Barack Obama, who I proudly helped elect as president, who appears to prefer making wingnuts happy over doing what we ALL know is the right thing.
We know that Obama's move to appease Republicans - should it materialize as these sources indicate - is wrong. We do. We can lie to each other on this site in the sake of supporting our president, but in our hearts, we know this is wrong. And so we must speak out.
This is not acceptable.
I'm sure this diary will draw out the usual suspects, those who cannot abide Obama criticism. That's fine. I was politically active well before Obama and will be so long after he has left the stage. My politics are fundamental and they are moral. They give way to no man.
Appeasing the right-wing like this is a hugely bad idea - especially at the outset of an administration. Emboldening right-wing bullshit is precisely the wrong move for us and for Obama. It merely ensures they'll continue to pull the same bullshit for the next four years, which will frustrate our goals and eventually alienate the base.
This is not acceptable.
Update [2009-1-27 11:43:38 by eugene]: I see some commenters are repeating the Republican frame that contraception is not stimulus. It warms my heart to see Kossacks so readily repeating wingnuttery. dhonig has offered some valuable links showing that yes, this IS economic stimulus, including a Brookings Institution study showing the economic value of such funding.
I'm amazed that I even have to explain this. Contraception is a widely acknowledged part of economic growth around the world. There's a reason for the repeal of the Mexico City Rule - NGOs use contraception as part of their efforts to alleviate poverty, to help families plan better, to avoid costly unwanted pregnancies.
The money is also part of an effort to close state budget holes. Even contraception funding - simple, obvious, noncontroversial contraception funding - helps states close their gaps and not have to lay off workers and services.
But again, to even have to explain that shows how successful the wingnuts have been, even among Kossacks.
Update [2009-1-27 12:40:30 by eugene]: Over at the Washington Independent Lindsay Beyerstein reminds us that yes, this DOES create jobs:
Democrats argue the proposal is a smart fit for the plan to infuse Medicaid with $87 billion in federal money to shore up reeling state programs. The proposal could create health care jobs and thus offer the economy a boost, perhaps even faster than infrastructure spending. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office says it is a money-saver in the long-term.
The contraception funding helps states keep Medicare staff on payroll and can create new jobs. This can happen in a matter of weeks or months. The Kossacks who are repeating the right-wing lie that this doesn't create jobs, or is not related to job creation, could not possibly be more wrong and are as guilty of repeating lies as were the media outlets that ran with the GOP lie that a CBO study said the stimulus wouldn't work.
Look, I understand that not everyone is willing to criticize Obama. If you want to defend him, however, don't repeat right-wing lies to do so. It's a simple request, really.