Newt Gingrich on Saturday used the flap over Rush Limbaugh's controversial denunciations of birth-control advocate Sandra Fluke as a way to attack President Obama for acting "opportunistically" when he called the Georgetown University law student to express his disappointment over Limbaugh's comments.
HAMILTON, Ohio - Newt Gingrich on Saturday used the flap over Rush Limbaugh's controversial denunciations of birth-control advocate Sandra Fluke as a way to attack President Obama for acting "opportunistically" when he called the Georgetown University law student to express his disappointment over Limbaugh's comments.
After Limbaugh described Fluke as "slut" and "prostitute" for advocating for subsidizing birth control, Obama contacted Fluke personally. Numerous conservatives and other GOP presidential candidates have rebuked Limbaugh to varying degrees, but the former House speaker said he saw the issue much differently.
"I think the president will opportunistically do anything he can," Gingrich said in response to a reporter's question after a rally Saturday morning in Hamilton. "I think the most important use of language in the last week has been the president's apology to religious fanatics, and I want to stay focused on what the president has said, and I think what he said was inexcusable and is exactly the wrong policy at a time of life and death, and playing political games is irrelevant as far as I'm concerned."
Gingrich said the debate over requiring certain institutions to provide insurance coverage to cover contraception -- something that prompted Fluke's complaint involving Georgetown, a Jesuit-run institution -- should be over governmental interference in religion.
"It's not about contraception. It's about religious liberty," he said. "It's about the attack on the Catholic Church, and the attack on every right-to-life institution and whether or not the government has the power to dictate to religious organizations."
Gingrich, who is devoting most of his time and resources to winning the Georgia primary, made his final and lone trip to Ohio this week, three days before Super Tuesday. Gingrich also is scheduled to participate in a forum hosted by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, make remarks at a National Rifle Association meeting in Findlay and speak at the Ohio 5th Congressional District Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner at Bowling Green State University.
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HAMILTON, Ohio - Newt Gingrich on Saturday used the flap over Rush Limbaugh's controversial denunciations of birth-control advocate Sandra Fluke as a way to attack President Obama for acting "opportunistically" when he called the Georgetown University law student to express his disappointment over Limbaugh's comments.
After Limbaugh described Fluke as "slut" and "prostitute" for advocating for subsidizing birth control, Obama contacted Fluke personally. Numerous conservatives and other GOP presidential candidates have rebuked Limbaugh to varying degrees, but the former House speaker said he saw the issue much differently.
"I think the president will opportunistically do anything he can," Gingrich said in response to a reporter's question after a rally Saturday morning in Hamilton. "I think the most important use of language in the last week has been the president's apology to religious fanatics, and I want to stay focused on what the president has said, and I think what he said was inexcusable and is exactly the wrong policy at a time of life and death, and playing political games is irrelevant as far as I'm concerned."
Gingrich said the debate over requiring certain institutions to provide insurance coverage to cover contraception -- something that prompted Fluke's complaint involving Georgetown, a Jesuit-run institution -- should be over governmental interference in religion.
"It's not about contraception. It's about religious liberty," he said. "It's about the attack on the Catholic Church, and the attack on every right-to-life institution and whether or not the government has the power to dictate to religious organizations."
Gingrich, who is devoting most of his time and resources to winning the Georgia primary, made his final and lone trip to Ohio this week, three days before Super Tuesday. Gingrich also is scheduled to participate in a forum hosted by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, make remarks at a National Rifle Association meeting in Findlay and speak at the Ohio 5th Congressional District Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner at Bowling Green State University.
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When did Obama apologize to religious fanatics?
Just as it's wrong to support a citizen who stepped forward to say what she thinks in a respectful and well-informed manner. And the people who think it's appropriate to call her names and misrepresent what she said are apparently not fanatics of any kind.
The president's language was inexcusable and yet...'slut' is totally okay?
In the letter, as quoted, Mr. Obama gave his "sincere apologies" and expressed "deep regret for the reported incident."
"The error was inadvertent; I assure you that we will take the appropriate steps to avoid any recurrence, to include holding accountable those responsible," said Mr. Obama, according to the statement.
So, to Gingrich, that is worse than the sludge coming from Limbaugh and others about Fluke.
Dude, if you genuinely cared about embryos' right to life, you would be handing out free birth control left and right. You know what lack of birth control leads to? ABORTIONS, you brainless douchewaffle.
Limbaugh apologizes
Half-assedly, of course.
Limbaugh says he "did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke."
He must think his listeners are even stupider than I do if he expects them to believe that.
That whole "apology" is complete bullshit. All it really says is "I'm sorry I'm losing sponsors" -- and it entirely fails to address or even to acknowledge that his entire tirade was based off of a willful misrepresentation of both Fluke's intent, of basic biology, and of how insurance companies work.
Newt,
Listen, you ignorant, privileged piece of shit: the "attacks on religious liberty" or whatever are about the requirement to, or ability not to, pay for insurance policies that cover contraceptives. Therefore, this is, in fact, about contraception.
If it's not about contraception, why doesn't every Catholic organization that hires employees agree to provide contraceptive coverage in perpetuity so long as the US government refrains from demanding that they do it?
It's about contraception to any person who uses contraception and might ever conceivably work for one of these organizations (remember how we're having a recession with high unemployment and people aren't exactly full of either spare change or the ability to be picky about jobs?), and only someone who flat-out doesn't care about other people would think otherwise.
Edited at 2012-03-04 01:18 am (UTC)
Edited at 2012-03-04 01:50 am (UTC)
As Maryland senator Jamie Raskin said,
“When you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You didn’t place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible.”
It is not an attack on religious liberty. Far from it.
And he apologised? I can hear the false sincerely there. He's not even apologising for the remarks, but rather to prevent further sponsors from dropping his arse.
I'll have to remember that one.
I'm sorry, Newt, are you referring to the President's statement to Afghans regarding the Koran burning, or to his relaxed stance on employer mandated contraception? You'll have to be a bit more specific...