By Hunter Walker 3/13/12 10:57pm

Fighting Words

Barack Obama (Photo: Getty)

Obama Campaign Says American Women ‘Cannot Trust Mitt Romney’

President Barack Obama’s deputy campaign manager, Stephanie Cutter, released a statement in response to Mitt Romney’s statement today he’d “get rid of” Planned Parenthood as part of his efforts to reduce the debt. Ms. Cutter said Mr. Romney’s pro-life positions prove “American women cannot trust Mitt Romney to stand up for them.”

“Mitt Romney’s comments today that he would ‘get rid of’ Planned Parenthood show how low he is willing to go to pander to the most extreme elements of the Republican base,” Ms. Cutter said. “Planned Parenthood is a vital health care provider for millions of American women, giving them affordable access to life-saving services like mammograms and cervical cancer screenings. Even more offensive is that he would justify on fiscal grounds the elimination of Planned Parenthood, which represents 0.01% of the federal budget, even as he proposes a $5 trillion tax plan that would give massive tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 3/13/12 9:22pm

Much Ado About Abortion

Mitt Romney (Photo: Getty)

Romney Vows To ‘Get Rid Of’ Planned Parenthood

Mitt Romney said he’d “get rid” of Planned Parenthood during a campaign stop in Kirkwood, Missouri today. Mr. Romney made his remarks during an interview with local news station KSDK when he was suggesting programs he would cut as part of his plan to reduce the debt.

“The test is pretty simple. Is the program so critical, it’s worth borrowing money from China to pay for it? And on that basis of course you get rid of Obamacare, that’s the easy one. Planned Parenthood, we’re going to get rid of that. The subsidy for Amtrak, I’d eliminate that. The National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities,” Mr. Romney said. Read More

By Hunter Walker 3/02/12 8:44am

Strongly Worded Letters

Congressman Towns (Photo: Getty)

Ed Towns To Rush Limbaugh: ‘I Will Pray For You’

After Rush Limbaugh went on his radio show yesterday and implied Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke was a “prostitute” and “slut” for testifying on Capitol Hill in favor of President Barack Obama’s contraception coverage rule, he sparked a media firestorm and had a suspicious package delivered to his home, but worst of all, he incurred the wrath of Brooklyn Congressman Ed Towns. Mr. Towns sent Mr. Limbaugh a letter yesterday asking the conservative commentator to apologize for his “vile” remarks.

“I will pray for you, Mr. Limbaugh. I will pray that you watch Ms. Fluke’s eloquent testimony, and that you apologize for stepping so far out of line – even for you,” Mr. Towns wrote. Read More

By Hunter Walker 2/17/12 4:40pm

Snubs

Sandra Fluke (Photo: YouTube)

Sandra Fluke Discusses Being Rejected From House Contraception Hearing

Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke talked to The Politicker today about her rejection from yesterday’s House oversight committee hearing on President Barack Obama’s controversial contraception coverage rule. House Democrats wanted Ms. Fluke to be a witness at the hearing, but the committee’s chair, California Congressman Darrell Issa, denied the request and said she was ”not found to be appropriate or qualified.”

“He said that I was not an appropriate witness or a qualified witness. The appropriate witness part just really struck me because I can’t imagine who would be more appropriate to address this policy than the stories of the women I wanted to share,” Ms. Fluke told The Politicker. “They are the women affected by this policy, they are the appropriate witnesses.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 2/17/12 12:47pm

Contraception Controversy

Kirsten Gillibrand (Photo: Wikimedia)

Gillibrand Joins Outcry Over House Contraception Hearing

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is the latest lawmaker to criticize the House for holding a hearing on President Barack Obama’s controversial contraception coverage rule without including any women on the opening panel. In an email sent to supporters today, Ms. Gillibrand said she was “outraged” by the absence of female speakers at the House oversight committee hearing.

“I don’t know about you but I was outraged yesterday when the House held a hearing on birth control, without including a single woman on the opening panel,” she wrote.  Read More