The Patriot Post® · Philadelphia: The City of Motherly Love?

By Tony Perkins ·
https://patriotpost.us/opinion/43946-philadelphia-the-city-of-motherly-love-2016-07-26

It looks like Hillary Clinton plans to run on the only economy this president has improved: Planned Parenthood’s. Over the weekend, the campaign announced that abortion will be taking center stage at the Democratic National Convention this week in Philadelphia with confirmed speakers Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood (whose group enjoys at least a million dollars a day from taxpayers) and Ilsye Hogue, president of NARAL. Of course, highlighting these organizations is somewhat redundant, since the biggest cheerleader for abortion is the one running for election.

Despite the country’s growing resistance, Clinton seems intent on following the president into some of the most radical terrain on abortion ever broached. From her shameless support of taxpayer-funded abortion to her elevation of groups that illegally sell baby body parts, the former First Lady is determined to make this election about an extreme social agenda that’s increasingly out of touch with women. Meanwhile, not everyone is thrilled about the DNC’s direction — including the Democrats’ own base. While Hillary shamelessly promotes abortion right up to the moment of birth, polling shows it’s a far cry from voters’ position on the issue. Almost eight in 10 Americans (78 percent) would limit abortion to the first trimester — including 62 percent who call themselves “pro-choice.”

Ignoring the growing gap, Clinton is rushing to embrace what more people are calling the “abortion-ization” of the Democratic Party without any regard to the political consequences. Just how big of a stranglehold does abortion have on the DNC? Politico reports […] that the leading candidate for the DNC chairmanship is none other than Stephanie Schriock, the president of Emily’s List. And the Democrats’ party platform tells a similar story. For the first time in history, Democrats have called for overturning the Hyde and Helms amendments, demanding that federal taxpayers fund abortion-on-demand at home and abroad. Not surprisingly, the Left’s radical push for abortion coverage makes absolutely no exemptions for religious groups — nor does it offer even the barest of conscience protections for anyone in the medical community.

The GOP’s platform couldn’t be more different. Under it, Republicans reiterate their support for the walls between taxpayers and the dark world of abortion, calling on Congress to make the Hyde amendment permanent in all walks of government funding — including Obamacare. The Republicans, meanwhile, insisted on defending the First Amendment rights of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and organizations when it comes to issues like abortion funding, procedures, drugs, and health insurance. The Democrats support Planned Parenthood by name. The Republicans, for the first time, call for the defunding of Planned Parenthood for committing abortions, selling baby parts, and deceiving women with faulty consent forms.

Perhaps most tellingly, the Democrats pieced together their radical platform where they like doing most of their work: in secret. Unfortunately for them, it’s no secret where the party is heading. The Left is running a campaign of “choice” — and in this election, voters have a clear one.

Originally published here.

20,000 Leaks under the DNC

Democrats in Philadelphia are feeling the heat — and it has nothing to do with the thermometer. The Democratic National Convention opened [yesterday] under clouds of controversy after more than 20,000 of the party’s internal emails were leaked to the public, sending the Left’s crisis management team into overdrive. And while a lot has been made of the smears against rival Bernie Sanders, there were plenty of surprising subplots buried in the pages and pages of exchanges — including the major role the DNC played in attacking North Carolina.

Party operatives were seemingly obsessed with the state’s H.B. 2, which gave business owners and others the right to set their own bathroom policies. To the amazement of most people, the DNC made North Carolina’s debate a top priority, even sending out flurries of political briefings on strategy, polling, and messaging to Democrats across the country in an attempt to push the false narrative that the bill is bad for business. From the beginning, Governor Pat McCrory (R-N.C.) has insisted that there’s been a well-coordinated campaign from Washington, D.C. and California to slander North Carolina — and now, he has proof.

In one particularly offensive email, the DNC’s broadcast media director calls McCrory a “moronic little bigot of a Tar Heel governor” and describes the law as a distraction “from their epic failings as human beings.” “No idea who else on Comm_D would have relevant information for crafting a decent hit piece on the pro-prejudice backwater of the NC statehouse, but if you do, feel free to slack it to me!” he solicited. When news broke that some bands had canceled their concerts in the state, Democrats cheered, calling the news “great” and “awesome.” Despite the fact that the argument had no basis in fact, the DNC also helped to push a false narrative that North Carolina was losing revenue over the bill’s passage and urged Democrats to pressure companies to boycott the Republican National Convention over the issue. That’s how fanatical the DNC is with the transgender politics of H.B. 2.

Frankly, it all goes back to the president, who made bathrooms the top priority of this White House when the dad of two daughters ordered every public school in America to throw open their shower and locker room doors to any gender. People are literally dying in our streets from terrorist attacks — and what’s the Democrats’ biggest focus? Toilets. And if you ask two-thirds of Americans, that’s exactly where their agenda belongs.

Originally published here.

Fair Facts Win in Fairfax

President Obama has gotten away with a lot of things in the past two terms, but his bathroom order may not be one of them. Parents, state leaders, and school boards are ramping up their opposition in some of the least likely places. Fairfax County, home to one of the biggest school districts in the nation, was out in front of even President Obama — making special privileges for confused students part of their policy way back in 2015.

Now, thanks to a flood of complaints, the liberal board is having second thoughts. Last Tuesday, members shelved their plans to make the open restroom, shower, and locker room rules part of their official handbook. The liberal media was apoplectic. In a scathing editorial, the Washington Post shamed the board for daring to weigh the decision more carefully. Arguing that it should be transgender students — not the population at large — whose safety comes first, Post editors blasted members for taking the privacy of non-transgender students (99.5 percent of most schools) into account.

Elsewhere, Fort Worth, Texas, is showing similar caution. Although it was one of the first districts to jump on the president’s bandwagon, the superintendent has come full circle, reversing his earlier decision in a major victory for parents. With help from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), who released a formal legal opinion on the White House’s edict last month, Fort Worth reconsidered its rush into gender-free bathrooms. With 21 states now suing the Obama administration, the Left knows that its agenda is in deep trouble. Of course, some businesses — like the NBA — are racing to placate LGBT activists anyway, despite the fact that very few of those executives have the same policy they’re advocating.

When the NBA announced its move out of Charlotte for the 2017 All-Star Game, its hypocrisy wasn’t lost on fans. If the League is so enamored with the transgender agenda, why don’t they adopt it themselves? Because they know that people will be repulsed if they force those same rules on every arena in America. With two-thirds opposed to a gender free-for-all, the Left knows it has to operate outside of public opinion — and, in most cases, the law.

As we’ve seen for years, the liberal philosophy relies on the heavy hand of government to impose on the nation what voters would never choose for themselves. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi admitted as much when she talked about same-sex marriage. Liberals need the courts and lawless officials to provide the victories that they “could not get legislatively.” No wonder the Left’s beliefs are incompatible with the free market — there’s nothing free about them!

Originally published here.