Brewer on Tap for Values Voter Summit
August 23, 2012 - Thursday
If you looked up "backbone" in the dictionary, you might see a picture of Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R-Ariz.). In her three years as Janet Napolitano's successor, Gov. Brewer has spent a lot of time in the spotlight for her unwavering stance on illegal immigration, the family, health care, and the economy. After standing up to President Obama and refusing to compromise on her no-nonsense approach, Jan Brewer became a conservative hero. In three weeks, FRC will welcome Gov. Brewer to the Values Voter Summit for the first time. She'll join Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), former Sen. Rick Santorum, Reps. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), Allen West (R-Fla.), and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Dr. Bill Bennett, Ted Cruz, Dennis Prager, and many others headlining the seventh annual Values Voter Summit. Don't miss this amazing event from September 14-16 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in D.C. If you haven't registered, do so today at ValuesVoterSummit.org or by calling 877-372-2808.
DNC Sets the Stage with Abortion Chiefs
It looks like President Obama plans to run on the only economy he has improved: Planned Parenthood's. Yesterday, his party announced that abortion will indeed be taking center stage at the Democratic National Convention next month with confirmed speakers Nancy Keenan, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America, and Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood. Also gracing the program is Georgetown student Sandra Fluke, who has been the campaign's go-to martyr for the contraception debate. Of course, the timing of these announcements is no accident. Anyone can see that the DNC is hoping to capitalize on Rep. Todd Akin's (R-Mo.) misstep and continue its tired "war on women" routine. If anything, female voters should be insulted. Democrats obviously believe that they can make up for the deficiencies in President Obama's record by stacking the line-up with women.
Alana Goodman picked up on the shallowness of Left's strategy in her column yesterday. "Democrats want the world to know they're going to have women speaking at their convention, which is apparently considered some kind of accomplishment in DNC-land. This may come as a shock to them, but the RNC has the same number of women slated to speak. That wasn't widely promoted in a press release because, in 2012, Americans have become accustomed to women being involved in the political process." One would think that highlighting three pro-choicers is kind of redundant, since the biggest cheerleader for abortion is the one running for reelection. Maybe that's why pundits are calling President Obama the "culture warrior" of the race. From his shameless support of taxpayer-funded abortion to his elevation of groups that cover-up statutory rape and target baby girls for extinction, the White House is determined to make this election about an extreme social agenda that is largely out of touch with women.
Meanwhile, not everyone on the Left is thrilled about the DNC's direction--especially considering the bad publicity Democrats are getting on some of the very issues they champion. Last week, a group letter from the National Organization for Women publicly rebuked the DNC for the convention's anti-child policy, which discriminates against mothers of small children. Even feminist Gloria Steinem weighed in on the controversy, writing that "it is both right and smart for the Democratic Convention to behave as if children exist."
Things got more complicated for Democrats when reports broke that the DNC, which planned to highlight equal pay at the convention, isn't practicing it. According to salary data filed with the Federal Election Commission, female employees at the DNC earn 15% less than their male counterparts. (Among White House staff, the discrepancy is even higher.) And DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz is accusing Republicans of a war on women? The Left is running a campaign of "choice"--and in this election, voters have a clear one.
The 5th Circuit Rules!
While President Obama is trying to bring Planned Parenthood closer, states like Texas are ready to push it out the door. This week, pro-lifers celebrated the biggest victory yet on that front, when the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that it was entirely constitutional for Texas to cut off "family planning" money to Planned Parenthood. In a well-written, well-reasoned ruling, judges upheld the right of states to block groups who perform or promote abortion from taxpayer funds. It was a devastating blow to the Obama administration, which has been fighting in at least four states to roll back policies that sever government contracts with Planned Parenthood. Yesterday's decision overturns the ruling from the lower court and paves the way for Texas officials to move forward with their plan.
"We appreciate the court's ruling and will move to enforce state law banning abortion providers and affiliates from the Women's Health Program as quickly as possible," said a spokeswoman for the state's health commission. Gov. Rick Perry (R-Texas), who refused to budge in the face of the White House's threats, also cheered the decision as "a win for Texas women, our rule of law, and our state's priority to protect life." Although the decision primarily affects Texas, legal experts like FRC's Ken Klukowski think it could create a non-binding precedent for similar suits. Either way, it's an incredible win--one I hope that Texas's brave leaders savor.