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September 22, 2014 10:13 AM UTC

MSNBC Nails Gardner As Federal Personhood Deadline Passes

  • 49 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols
Cory Gardner.
Cory Gardner.

​MSNBC's Steve Benen reports on the deadline missed by Rep. Cory Gardner last Friday, as noted by our friend Jason Salzman, to remove himself as a co-sponsor of the federal Life at Conception Act before the November elections:

No issue has dogged Rep. Cory Gardner’s (R) Senate campaign in Colorado more than a policy known as “personhood,” which would ban abortions and many common forms of birth control. In a bit of a surprise, the far-right congressman has decided to ride this train straight through to Election Day.
 
Gardner has long been a culture warrior, championing personhood at the state and federal level, even after Colorado voters rejected it (twice). After launching a statewide campaign, the Republican tried to flip-flop on the issue, but Gardner struggled to even do this properly – the congressman announced he no longer supports the state personhood policy, but he would remain a co-sponsor of the federal personhood legislation.
 
With Election Day nearing and Gardner locked in a very close race with Sen. Mark Udall (D), would the conservative Coloradan complete the reversal and walk away from the right-wing legislation? Apparently not. Jason Salzman reported Friday that “the die is cast.”

…There’s simply no ambiguity here. Over a year ago, Gardner signed on to the Life at Conception Act (H.R.1091) as a co-sponsor. The Colorado Republican ostensibly changed his mind about the issue a few months ago, but nevertheless kept his name on the federal personhood bill, despite having ample opportunity to withdraw his support.
 
And now it’s too late to do anything about it.

Now that the House has adjourned until November 12th, there's no opportunity for Gardner to take the formal steps necessary in order to remove himself as a co-sponsor of this legislation. In response to questions about the obvious conflict between Gardner's abandonment of the state Personhood ballot measures and his continued sponsorship of the functionally equivalent federal Life at Conception Act, Gardner has clung to a fictional distinction between the two proposals. Both Personhood and the Life at Conception Act contain the same language conferring rights from "the moment of fertilization" that could result in a ban on certain forms of "abortifacient" birth control.

The fact-checkers have thoroughly debunked Gardner on this point, but Gardner still hasn't changed his answer to the question. The simple remains that the same language that exists in the Personhood abortion bans Gardner has abandoned is in the bill Gardner is still sponsoring. Gardner's abandonment of Personhood is therefore meaningless at best, and a desperate, incomplete attempt to escape his record ahead of a statewide run in the more likely case.

And now he's stuck. The only thing Gardner can hope for now is that the voters won't figure it out until it's too late–that, as GOP consultant Katy Atkinson said, he can "muddy it up" enough to confuse the issue until the election. That was the whole purpose of Gardner's over-the-counter birth control redirection, which has also been dismantled by fact-checkers. But the polls show clearly that this issue has already severely harmed Gardner with women voters, and there's more for them to learn about the story now. Gardner's refusal to acknowledge this ongoing liability opens him to a whole new line of attack.

If anyone can outline a scenario where this ends well on Election Day, we're all ears.

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49 thoughts on “MSNBC Nails Gardner As Federal Personhood Deadline Passes”

  1. Democrats have completely saturated the airwaves with ads about Gardner and abortion. It is Democrats who have beat this issue to death, and Udall has failed to break out. In fact, there are two polls now that have Gardner ahead of Udall with more to come.

    It is not Republicans who have failed in this case, it is Democrats who have failed to distract from the issues that will decide this election.

      1. The awful economy, the disaster of Obamacare, Obama's collapsing foreign policy, and Obama's abuses of power to prop up Obamacare and his failed administration. Here in Colorado, there is Hickenlooper's mismanagement and incompetence, failed gun control, going soft on criminals and pedophiles, feeing the people and economy to death, etc.

        Is that enough to get started? 🙂

        1. The awful economy, the disaster of Obamacare, Obama's collapsing foreign policy, and Obama's abuses of power to prop up Obamacare and his failed administration.

          That is all mythological, made up bullshit. None of it is true.

          Here in Colorado, there is Hickenlooper's mismanagement and incompetence, failed gun control, going soft on criminals and pedophiles, feeing the people and economy to death, etc.

          What the fuck does this have to do with Mark Udall?

          C'mon modster…it's really Benghazi…right?

           

           

           

           

           

           

          1. You forget that Udall also voted for gun control at the federal level. He is tainted.

            Hickenlooper's incompetence could bring down a lot of Democrats this year. If that happens, there's no one to blame but him.

            2. He is tainted.

              taint (t nt) v. taint·ed, taint·ing, taints. v.tr. 1. To affect with or as if with a disease. 2. To affect with decay or putrefaction; spoil.

              Damn,son, that is harsh….

            1. Yep. It's so bad, the wind doesn't even have to be right…

              God how I love watching them squirm and spew and bleat here, day after day, changing nary a mind and convincing no one of anything other than their own narrowmindedness and willingness to lie to achieve their corrupt, anti-American ends.

        3. Moddy, if you cannot accept the fact that the economy is far better off now versus when Obama took office you need to crawl out of your cave and have a look around.

          Refusing to accept reality is not a campaign strategy.

        4. The economy here in Colorado is far from awful. In fact it's pretty great compared to most other states, especially red ones and especially Kansas, right next door, where you righties are completely in charge. With unemployment down, job creation and income moving up and high ratings on positive business environment under a Dem Gov. and Dem majority state legislature, I really don't see how running on economic issues will be very useful for Rs.  What's going to go on the bumper sticker. "Tired of all the economic success? Vote Republican"?

    3. Mod, I think the interesting issue is how the fear caused by the incompetent handling of terrorism, ISIS etc will play with the Dems reworn WAR on Women strategy.  Seems to me the fear caused by failing to deal with the cold cruel world out there is going to make security more important than abortion with many women and will be a game changer.  What is your thinking?

        2. Sustained. WIF and Moddy has no more facts left in their rotten brain. All they come up is with the same tired old debunked lies…

          They can't come up with any fresh materials… and that is why the Democratic wave will be hitting them big in under 45 days. The GOP won't realize what hit them when the office of the Speaker is currently being stripped and fumigated and deodorized for the new Democratic Speaker of the House, Alan Grayson!

           

      2. This is why they're called Dhimmicrats. Muslim violence doesn't matter, only attempts to make women pay $10 a month for the pill.

        After 9/11, soccer moms became security moms. The real world has amazing ways of reminding us what's really important. I just hope Democrat incompetence doesn't cost more American lives before that happens.

        2. You mean like the American lives you cowardly ChickHawks are always so eager to sacrifice in the name of oil, profit, lies, and your own insecurity about your manliness?  Because GOP cowards like you have cost a LOT more lives…..

        4. The Taliban has a lot more in common with Limbaugh, etc, as far as their attitudes on women and sexuality in general than you will ever acknowledge, Modster.

          And I will say, too, that it is disgusting of you to use a picture of a woman scarred by acid to try to make your bogus point  that women should not have access to free contraceptive coverage under the ACA.

          Like you actually give a flying freak what happens to an Islamic women – don't you bigots think anyone who worships Allah must be a terrorist?

      3. " …fear caused by the incompetent handling of terrorism."

        Oh that is fucking rich. 

        1) Bin Laden determined to attack in U.S. memo ignored by Rice, and then the worst terrorist attack in US history occurs at WTC.

        2) Invading the wrong country

        3) Color-coded threat matrix

        4) Mythical WMD's

        5) planes full of cash, courtesy of Paul Bremer

        6) I don't worry about where Bin Laden is

         

        You are a complete fucking moron, Andrew Carnegie.

        1. What a load of bull. I thank God every day a Republican was in the office when 9/11 happened. You can't do that to America and not expect a war. But would Obama have reacted the same way? Judging by his deep respect and schooling in Islam, I have my doubts.

          2. Yeah, because unlike W and the GOP, if a Dem had been in the WH on 9/11, THERE"S A FAR GREATER CHANCE 9/11 WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED AT ALL!

            GOD you termites are hypocrites!

            Listen up, dummy, one more time: 9/11 HAPPENED ON *YOUR WATCH*!!! THE GOP LET IT HAPPEN!!!

            Can you hear us now?

          4. It's only because they were in office that all of the very clear  and unambiguous warnings were ignored. The whole thing might very well never have happened. Condi Rice had more to do with thousands of deaths than HRC had to do with Benghazi. And that's no bull. 

          5. Moddy: let me rephrase what you just said:

             

            YOUR REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT LET IT HAPPEN ON PURPOSE! YOU SUPPORTED BIN LADEN! YOU LOVE TERRORISTS! YOU LOVE ISIS. YOU GOT THAT? YOUR REPUBLICANS ARE A BUNCH OF FUCKING MORONS WHO CAN'T WORK WITH ANYONE.

             

            Wonder if Moddy will get the big fat clue that just slapped him. Probably will whiz by him as usual. Same for WIF.

          6. But would Obama have reacted the same way?

            No… he would have gone after bin Laden and got him then. The Iraq war would never have happened…. and a lot of people would not have died.

          7. "You can't do that to America and not expect a war."

            I hate to break it to you modster but Iraq didn't do anything to us on 9/11. Not one Iraqi was involved.  It was mainly Saudis and Saudi financing. You know. Saudis. Like the princes GW was forever being photographed holding hands with and kissing on the lips.  And while GW was insisting that we had to bring the blessings of democracy and freedom to Iraq there was never the slightest concern over the fact that Saudis had no democracy, no freedom,  women least of all. In other words everything you think you know about 9/11 and the war in Iraq is total bull.

      1. Hey, don't push him about the horsie.  Modster has very kindly refrained from posting the horsie since I complained that it gives me a headache every time I come across it on a thread. That's very nice of Modster. Unlike Piss Ant, he has a redeeming quality or two. I think Modster is just ignorant and easily manipulated. Piss Ant is pure toxic waste.

        1. Agreed…Modster is very, very wrong about stuff, but does not seem to be cruel. The pin head, on the other hand, is is a sociopathic loser with a black stain on his heart.

  2. Gardner will wear this anvil of shame around his pencil-neck for the rest of his failed campaign, and right on through his defeat at the hands of CO female voters.

    Say goodnight, Con Man.

              1. If you're referring to the Cowardly Lyin' troll, yes, he's also very very very stupid, thinking he fools or influences anything or anyone.

                If you meant the composer of the email said troll cited — no. Rather, it's a classic fundraising ploy: Make those on your side nervous and fearful so they'll pony up more $$$. I get twenty or more emails like it — including the very one the very stupid troll attempted to present as representing "reality" — every day.

  3. Moddy-I think your real beef ought be with those who keep putting p'hood on the ballot, not with those who point out legislative positions Cory has taken. Which Dem forced Cory to do that?

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