Last Saturday night, six presidential hopefuls (Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Jon Huntsman) took the stage in New Hampshire for the 417th debate of this election cycle. Ok, I made that number up, but it sure does feel like it, doesn’t it?
The economy still sucks, Iran has a nuclear program, and we’re dealing with a Mexican drug war along our southern border, so naturally the debate moderators focused on birth control and gay marriage. Wait, what?
Saturday night’s debate was the most social-issue heavy debate thus far, with candidates discussing marriage equality and whether or not states should have the right to ban contraceptives for over an hour before moving onto the economy. Just when things started to get substantive, the debate was cut short and we were moved to post-debate analysis.
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney summed up his feelings on the ridiculous line of questioning when George Stephanopoulos asked him about condoms and states rights. Romney dismissed the question as “silly,” saying that no state wants to ban contraceptives, so why bother asking such a dumb question? He said, “Contraception, it's working just fine. Leave it alone.”
Can we please leave lame hypothetical questions out of the debate and talk about something that matters, like how we can balance the budget, or repealing Obamacare, or lowering gas prices or keeping our country safe from those that will attack us? Republican voters are hungry for a legitimate conversation on issues that are forefront in our minds.
Birth control, gay marriage, and anything falling under the ‘social issue umbrella’ needs to take a backseat right now to economic prosperity and national security. We have a president who is spending our way toward bankruptcy, who bows to foreign leaders, who won’t let us drill our own oil, and who believes that Republicans threaten the very core of what America stands for.
Will these gotcha questions continue in the general election after the GOP has settled on a candidate? Will Diane Sawyer ask Obama if he thinks states should be able to outlaw condoms? Or is that above his pay grade?
Get it together, mainstream media. Start asking some real questions, or your relevancy will become completely obsolete.
Image via fibonacciblue/flickr
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Comments 51
Totally agree with this article!
The job rate has actually improved and is better right now than it has been in about a decade. I see signs advertising jobs all over the place, and I get that alot of them pay less than the assistance that the government is giving people which is why people are not taking them.
There are jobs being advertised "all over the place", but you'd be better off being a government leech. Obama's policies in action - social engineering at it's best.
Civil rights are irrelevant?!?!?!?! *SMH* As long as they aren't YOUR civil rights, I guess they are.
What an ignorant blog. I think Ms. Erikson only brought this up is because the moderate was a known democrat. She is really grasping at straws here. Yes, the economy is important as well as healthcare. But to many registered voters and AMERICANS gay marriage is equally important as well as birth control. It isn't about "birth control" but more or less an abortion matter. Just say it, Jenny. That's the ONLY reason Republicans give a crap about birth control because of abortion. I happen to be an independent who believes in gay marriage but for the most part is also pro life. I see right through this. And tell me again why everyone having health insurance is bad?? Tell that to my dead grandpa who couldn't afford his cancer treatments (with insurance!) because of pre existing conditions etc and choose to die rather than get treatment. Seriously, Jenny, you are so biased you are laughable. That's the thing with both hard core Democrats and Republicans. You'll pretty much find anything to tear apart about the other party. You do know how much credibility is lost when you are so close minded right??
And tell me again why everyone having health insurance is bad??
Because there's no way for the states to pay for it, and it will bankrupt the country.
Tell that to my dead grandpa who couldn't afford his cancer treatments (with insurance!) because of pre existing conditions etc and choose to die rather than get treatment.
If he chose to die instead of getting treatment, what difference does it make if he had the money for the treatment?
But to many registered voters and AMERICANS gay marriage is equally important as well as birth control.
Well, I doubt the EQUALLY important to many voters. What would you rather have, if you had to pick - a job, or an invitation to a gay wedding and condoms? Get real.
Obama is against gay marriage, just like all the candidates in the GOP race except Ron Paul (who I agree with - it should be decided by the states and not be a federal matter). No candidate from either side is proposing banning birth control. Irrelevent issues.
Romney was right. Even if every one of the candidates wanted to outlaw birth control pills, it is not going to happen. Unless the new Republican President believes, like our current President, that Congress and the people are irrelevant, and that the Executive Order is his pass to Dictatorship. And I don't see that happening.
To have a few questions, in a 2-hour debate, on issues like Gay Marriage (why can't we just have "Civil Unions" in this country - for everyone - and be done with it? Those that want to be "married" can then go to their church and have their union blessed into "marriage"), abortion, and other social issues have a place, but not half of the debate or more.
It has been projected that this country is sitting on nearly 20% unemployment, when all unemployed people (not just those on Unemployment) are counted. And our President is refusing to even consider a pipeline that could employ as many as 20,000 people AND bring our fuel prices down. THAT needs to be discussed. Iran has nuclear technology that they are turning into weapons, and they are parking warships off our shores. THESE are the things that need to be discussed.
The MSM refuses to ask these questions, because they're not going to like the answers.
Given the fact that until 1965 (Griswold v. CT) states could and did ban contraceptives (30 of them, actually, banned or limited use) and Romney's stated views on fetal personhood and overturning Roe as well as his opposition to the idea of a Constitutional right to privacy, I think his beliefs about whether or not the government has a right to ban birth control is a relevant question . In fact, Griswold only guaranteed the right to married couples and it wasn't until 1972 (Eisenstadt v Baird) that the Court extended the privacy right to use contraception to all Americans regardless of marital status. I'm not sure if I believe Romney really means most of this or if he's just pandering to the fringe right, but I also don't want to find out.
Also, co-sign the "civl rights are important even if they don't effect you" posters.
Since this was, as Jenny noted, the fourhundredeleventy-ith GOP debate, why shouldn't they spend some significant time devoted to social issues. Yes, the economic and security issues are extremely important, but they are not the only issues people care about. People need to know what the candidates' social policies are and how they will approach these issues if elected. Like it or not, social issues are a part of the deal and some of the candidates have some very narrow views of who counts and who doesn't. People need to know where they stand.
@hoticedcoffee Before you go on the attack think about what I said a little more carefully. I never said Obama was the right choice first of all. I am watching all this unfold very carefully as I have no idea who I am going to vote for yet. I'm well aware he is against gay marriage. Also I agree with a previous post about just let people choose between civil unions and actual marriage. If they want to "marry" in a church then they have to abide by the churches standards. It's a private entity that can establish their own guidelines. It shouldn't be a state or federal issue at all. It should just be. Because people can't make that choice or have any choice for that matter it is an issue. On that note I think a lot more should be left up to the states and the people who live there. If you don't like it you can move to a different state. And the comparison of a job to a gay marriage invitation is totally off base.
Guess what? I don't have a job. Mine was eliminated. I very much want the economy to be fixed and not go to my 500th interview alongside 50+ equally or more qualified other candidates. I'm also not a person who thinks they are too good to take a job. I have two kids and need to justify the cost of childcare. Even the temp agency I reluctantly joined is having trouble finding me work and I have an education and a diverse "skill set", excellent references, and was with my last job for over 10yrs. Besides this country was going bankrupt long before Obamacare which hasn't even been fully inacted yet. Lets go back to NAFTA when we started outsourcing all our jobs. Maybe we should actually start making things in this country again. See the economy is very important to me. Yes, birth control by itself is not really an issue and the question about it being banned is completely ludicrous. But like I said, I think it's more or less tied to an abortion argument in my opinion. Every election these same issues are brought up. Nothing really changes but they are topics to grab an audience.