UPDATED: As the Virginian Pilot and other news outlets are reporting, Taliban Bob McDonnell is trying to defuse the hugely negative press that he and Virginia in general are receiving. Meanwhile, the always lunatic Del. Bob Marshall and the Christianists at The Family Foundation are urging members of the General Assembly to reject Taliban Bob's efforts. Here are brief highlights:
If the reports in the Washington Post are correct, Virginia Governor "Taliban Bob" McDonnell seems to be belatedly realizing that signing the so-called ultrasound bill that Christianists at The Family Foundation are backing - which would require the forced sexual penetration of women against their will before they could have an abortion - would make him radioactive and sink his ambitions to be a vice presidential candidate. One would have thought that Taliban Bob would have thought through this batshitery beforehand. And what about the lunatic "personhood" bill? I guess we will have to wait and see where things develop on that one. Here are highlights from the Post story:
Note Victoria Cobb's comments and the priority given to this dreadful legislation by the Christianists. Whenever there is hate, bigotry and religious extremism in Virginia, time and time again it has Ms. Cobb's fingerprints all over it. When is the Southern Poverty Law Center going to register The Family Foundation as a hate group?
Yielding to opposition from Gov. Bob McDonnell, the House of Delegates on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a substitute for SB484 that requires external ultrasounds rather than those that require a woman to have a probe inserted into her vagina.
McDonnell, considered a possible vice presidential candidate, interjected himself into negotiations over the bill as public criticism increased, holding private meetings with both Republicans and Democrats much of Tuesday.
"Saturday Night Live," "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Rachel Maddow Show" on MSNBC have parodied Republican efforts to restrict abortion. Maddow recently displayed a vaginal probe with “I can see the White House from here” printed on the side, a jab at McDonnell.
Del. Robert Marshall, R-Prince William County, one of the most ardent opponents of abortion in the legislature, urged members of the GOP to stand firm on the ultrasound bill. “Mr. Speaker, instead of confronting the misinformation that has been presented here, some Republicans would like to back away from this,” he said.
If the reports in the Washington Post are correct, Virginia Governor "Taliban Bob" McDonnell seems to be belatedly realizing that signing the so-called ultrasound bill that Christianists at The Family Foundation are backing - which would require the forced sexual penetration of women against their will before they could have an abortion - would make him radioactive and sink his ambitions to be a vice presidential candidate. One would have thought that Taliban Bob would have thought through this batshitery beforehand. And what about the lunatic "personhood" bill? I guess we will have to wait and see where things develop on that one. Here are highlights from the Post story:
RICHMOND — Gov. Robert F. McDonnell is backing off his unconditional support for a bill requiring women to have an ultrasound before an abortion, focusing new attention on one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in Virginia’s General Assembly this year.
Until this weekend, McDonnell (R) and his aides had said the governor would sign the measure if it made it to his desk. McDonnell, who strongly opposes abortion, will no longer make that commitment.
The Virginia legislation has become part of the broader national debate over reproductive rights and has drawn attention to McDonnell, a rising star in his party and a possible vice presidential contender. The legislation has been the topic of cable news shows, was part of a “Saturday Night Live” sketch and drew protesters to Richmond on Monday. McDonnell’s office would say Tuesday only that the governor will “review” the bill if it is approved.
“Something is happening,’’ Jessica Honke, a lobbyist for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, said hopefully. “It’s important for [the governor] to take a long, hard look before he actually does this.”
About 1,200 men and women held a silent protest outside the state Capitol on Monday, wearing hand-decorated T-shirts that bore such messages as “Virginia is for lovers, not probes.’’ Opponents of the measure expect to turn over petitions with 25,000 signatures on Wednesday and are planning a second rally on Thursday.
In the past week, the issue has been featured on left-leaning shows, including “The Rachel Maddow Show” and “PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton.” And “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” arrived in Richmond on Tuesday to film.
The legislation is being used against Republicans outside of the General Assembly. National and state Democrats have criticized U.S. Senate candidate George Allen for his anti-abortion stand and have derided McDonnell, who has hit the campaign trail for presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.
Victoria Cobb, president of the conservative Family Foundation, which considers the ultrasound bill one of its top priorities, said Tuesday that she and her staff were trying to determine what they need to do to persuade the governor to sign the legislation. “It is a change as far as I can tell,” she said of McDonnell’s shift.
Note Victoria Cobb's comments and the priority given to this dreadful legislation by the Christianists. Whenever there is hate, bigotry and religious extremism in Virginia, time and time again it has Ms. Cobb's fingerprints all over it. When is the Southern Poverty Law Center going to register The Family Foundation as a hate group?
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