Republican lawmakers in Alabama this week passed the most restrictive abortion law in the country as part of an effort to ultimately force the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider Roe v. Wade. For obvious reasons, Alabama’s new law has thus been one of the biggest political topics of the week and will likely continue to dominate conversations for months to come. For equally obvious reasons, political reporters have been asking elected officials at all levels of government for comment.
As The Hill newspaper reports, Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) doesn’t want to talk about it:
Other Republicans facing tough reelection races in 2020 dodged questions on the Alabama law.
Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), when approached, said he was late to a meeting and referred questions to his office. Aides to Gardner did not respond to a request for comment. [Pols emphasis]
A United States Senator refusing to answer a question about one of the most significant political questions of the 2020 election cycle is not normal. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) is widely considered to be among the most vulnerable Republican incumbents seeking re-election in 2020. Like Gardner, Collins will be running in a state that Democrat Hillary Clinton carried in 2016; unlike Gardner, Collins is actually willing to provide her opinion when asked. Again, from The Hill:
“I’m very much opposed to the Alabama law,” Collins told The Hill. “I think it’s completely inconsistent with Roe v. Wade and will lead to a virtual ban on abortions in Alabama, even for victims of incest and rape.”
“I can’t imagine that any justice could find that to be consistent with the previous precedence,” she told CNN in a separate interview.
When the Denver Post made its stunning decision in March to un-endorse Gardner in a harsh editorial, it had a lot to do with exactly this kind of behavior from Colorado’s junior Senator. At the time, Gardner had just completed a full 180-degree flip on the subject of President Trump’s “emergency declaration” for border wall funding. None of this is new territory for Gardner — his duplicitous nature has merely become impossible to ignore over the years. This is the same Cory Gardner who told Fox 31’s Eli Stokols prior to the 2014 election that “there is no federal personhood bill,” when, in fact, there absolutely was a federal personhood bill (and Gardner was even a co-sponsor in Congress).
Perhaps the most instructive way to consider Gardner’s non-comment on the Alabama abortion law is to look back at that same Fox 31 News interview from September 2014. Here is how Gardner responded to a question about then-Sen. Mark Udall focusing on Gardner’s ever shifting position on abortion:
“This is a political campaign and he is trying to do everything he can to change the subject, to run away.”
This is Cory Gardner.
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Ms. Collins voted for Kavanaugh when it was obvious that he was being nominated to gut Roe vs Wade. She can't claim to be surprised when he votes with the white men from Alabama.
Ms Collins is a lying liar.
Collins is a lying liar who doesn't tell the truth!
I think she is more stupid than dishonest. I will never forget that God awful speech she gave when defending her Kavanaugh vote.
Oh, be fair. The wench is dishonest AND stupid!
Or stupid and dishonest. Take your pick. Either way America is screwed.
I don't think we can overstate the effect and influence of the evangelican Christian right…the American Taliban, if you will.
Weak willed and innately hypocritical sinners, like Collins, couch their hypocrisy in whatever faith and allegiances they profess. The occupant of the Whitest House, is a natural fertilizer for hypocrisy and lies. Zealotry makes ordinarily intelligent people comfortable living in a world of plausible deniabilty and the suspension of disbelief.
T***p supporters are the people in Huxleys' "Brave New World". The intellecual laziness is surpassed only by the unreasonable devotion to hatred and fear. These are the people who easily fall prey to 22,400 repetitions.
The Christian Evangelican Corporate Cabal is an un-named power broker of vast proportions. And it is ginormous. And responsible for this anti-abortion tsunami.
GG – watching this gives you those three minutes back you lost last week…
Now, Corey… what's he supposed to do?
In a state that supports a woman's right to choose.
In a party full of ideological personhood supporters (as long as we're just controlling a woman's body).
He got to run away
I know let Cory reintroduce the personhood amendment. Surely this time it will pass bigly and Cory with adored by all near and far. Presidential aspirations to replace Trump in 2024 won't be too small for big man Cory.
Some gentle reminders:
The Republican National Committee's finance team included Michael Cohen (now in jail), Steve Wynn (under investigation for rape and serial sexual misconduct; just gave another $400k to the committee. So much #wynning) and Elliott Broidy (under federal investigation and forced his mistress to have an abortion).
Meanwhile in Israel, abortion isn't just legal, it's free. So all the anti-abortion #maga-folk praising Alabama and trying to overturn #RoeVWade will start demanding we end all US aid to Israel? Amirite, PoddyMouth?