Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for December 27, 2013
December 26, 2013
December 28, 2013
Transcript:
Trainer: The truth is, gentlemen, most women would choose respect over "sensitivity." Respect for their right to make their own health decisions, to control their own bodies, to... Republican 1: Wait, control their own bodies? Even the lady parts? Trainer: At a minimum, senator. Republican 1: Then where does it end? Republican 2: Exactly! That's a slippery slope, fellah!
Current Gallup polls show 47% of women claim to be pro-choice and 46% say they are pro-life. (It was 50% to 43% earlier this year). That’s not the big majority GBT is implying.
More important, only 26% of Republicans are pro-choice, and those are the folks GOP candidates need to please or they will be replaced in their primaries by more radical candidates.
But in the 2012 presidential elections, 57% of voters said the candidates’ stance on women’s health issues was a major factor in their decision — and of those, 59% voted for Obama versus 31% for Romney. (Kaiser Foundation poll).
When you shine a light on these issues, it shows the ugliness and ignorance of Repub positions, but those are the positions that get GOP candidates through primaries. So, sadly, what they need really are better talking points to get them through the general. Rule one: don’t talk about rape!