Mitt Romney: Komen Right to Axe Planned Parenthood

Does anybody in the world think this guy's hard-right positions are
his own? Image from Huffington Post

I know that during the primary, a candidate has to appeal to his base; and during the general election, he has to tack to the center. But the base of the GOP right now is so. . .base. . .that coming back to center is going to be a herculean task. Take the recent Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure/Planned Parenthood fiasco of recent days. Komen cuts funding for politcal (anti-abortion) reasons, and America went nuts. It made the SOPA/PIPA fracas of a couple of weeks ago look like nothing. That's two internet uprisings in just a few weeks if you're counting at home.

So, Komen relented (sort of), after the massive public protest, and a severe tarnishing of their brand. You'd think that a Presidential candidate would either steer clear, or side with the winning side of that one. Not Mitt Romney. On the GOP side of the equation this go-around, the standard operating procedure is to double down on extreme positions. Since their base is so very extreme, there isn't anything else they can do. If they want to pander to them, that is.

[Excerpt]

Mitt Romney: Susan G. Komen Was Right to Cut Planned Parenthood

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney thrust himself into the the Susan G. Komen controversy on Monday when he said in a radio interview that he agreed with Komen's decision to cut Planned Parenthood funding. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post

Lizz Winstead on the Susan G. Komen/Planned Parenthood Fracas

You might not know Lizz Winstead by name, but you know of her. She's a comedian, writer, feminist, activist and. . .oh, yeah. . .co-creator of The Daily Show. As I watched the commentary of the Florida Primary on my Twitter feed, I watched Winstead's live reaction to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure decision to defund Planned Parenthood.

If you follow politics at all, you know that Planned Parenthood is a lightning rod of controversy, with constant attacks from the right wing. This is because PP provides abortion services. Though this is only a small part of their mission, they are public enemy #1 to many on the right. There are a couple of ironies here. One being the fact that family planning (contraception, for instance) reduces the need for abortions. But the bigger irony is that PP provides breast cancer screenings and promotes awareness, especially for poor women. Komen's mission is also part of Planned Parenthood's. And by pulling their funding, poor women will be more at risk for breast cancer! Unbelievable. This is far from my issue, but come on.