Forced Birth Of A Nation

It's your post-July 4th Sunday show rundown!

The Sunday shows were filled with Republicans, and I bet you are surprised! Let's dive in and see what they said before America celebrated the least appropriate Independence Day in memory in light of all the "life, liberty and pursuit of happiness" we recently lost.

Tate Reeves on Fox News Sunday

We begin with an appearance by the governor of Mississippi. While on previous occasions Reeves was interviewed about his party's draconian anti-choice bans and trigger laws as hypotheticals , now, thanks to the Supreme Court, we can experience the reality. So how do you justify anti-choice laws so horrible that they don't make exceptions even for cases of incest or the life of person carrying or the fact your state legislation wants to remove the ONLY exception it made for victims of rape?

If you're Tate Reeves, you don't and try to deflect instead.

“Asked on Fox News if he'd sign a bill removing the exception for rape from his state's abortion ban, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves says "there's a lot of effort ... mainly by the Democrats, to try to talk only about the real small, minor number of exceptions that may exist."”

— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1656856589 

Reeves, by the way, never actually answered if he would sign the bill denying victims of rape the choice to not carry their rapists' baby.

He deflects by saying that Democrats are only focusing on extreme cases like rape, incest, or life of the pregnant person while completely missing why that is. The reason Democrats keep pointing these out is to show Republicans aren't even willing to make exceptions for extreme cases that (by Reeves' own words) are so few in numbers that it should be easy and humane to do so.

Democrats are just letting Republicans show everyone who and what they are: They are a "pro-life" party willing to let people die carrying unviable pregnancies. A "protect the children" party willing to make children abused by a relative forced to give birth. And in Mississippi, if the state legislature gets its way, a party giving more rights to a rapist than their victims .

Kristi Noem on CNN's "State Of The Union"

Speaking of making no exceptions for abortion bans, South Dakota's governor was asked about the case reported by the Indianapolis Star in which a 10-year-old girl had to travel from Ohio to Indiana to have an abortion and whether her state would force another 10-year-old in similar situation to give birth. Noem's answer was not very reassuring.

NOEM: You know what I think is incredible, Dana, in this tragic story? Because I heard about this last night.
What's incredible is that nobody's talking about the pervert, horrible and deranged individual that raped a 10-year-old. [...] And what is it? What are we doing about that? What are we doing about those individuals that do this to these children?

BASH: I agree with you, I mean, of course. That is an important discussion to have you. But the...

NOEM: You rape children, that's an issue that the Supreme Court has weighed in as well.

BASH: Yes. Listen, I totally understand that. But are...

NOEM: And as much as we can talk what we can do for that little girl, I think we also need to be addressing those sick individuals that do this to our children.

BASH: Right. I couldn't agree more.

Do Republican politicians take a special "look over there" training to not answer simple questions?

First, Noem, the original story was mainly about how women had to travel hundreds of miles to get medical care that is only denied thanks to theocratically created "laws" and six overreaching Supreme Court justices. Second, rape is a crime already and the Supreme Court doesn't need to weigh in on it. Even if weighing in on things that are already precedent to reverse them IS this SCOTUS's style.

Bash, for her part, powered through to try to get an answer.

NOEM: So, this...

BASH: But our bodies are our bodies, and women are the ones who get pregnant. And, in this case, it wasn't a woman. It was a girl.

NOEM: It's a child. It's a child.

BASH: Should she have to have — a child. A child. Should she have that baby?

NOEM: And every single life — every single life is precious. This tragedy is horrific. I can't even imagine. I have never had anybody in my family or myself gone through anything like this. I can't imagine.But, in South Dakota, the law today is that the abortions are illegal, except to save the life of the mother.

So the answer was "yes, South Dakota would force a 10-year-old child give birth to another child." What's the point of the filibuster-sized answer then, Noem?

A similar thing happened later in the interview when Noem tried to discredit Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony before the January 6th committee by saying that her testimony was "hearsay," which Bash corrected.

BASH: Governor, what I just played was firsthand — was her — firsthand. She said that she heard President Trump say that. So it's not hearsay.

Bash then asked Noem if she thought Trump bore any responsibility for January 6th, but it was the preceding part of her question that really made a point about credibility.

BASH: [...] But, just for the record, she [Hutchinson] testified under oath to what she did. And we haven't heard anyone dispute that yet under oath. [...]

Exactly! If "anonymous sources" or Trump wanna dispute the sworn testimony, they can go "under oath." But until then, maybe the media should treat them like bullshit from the biggest liars in political history.

Oh, and Noem never answered that question but did confirm she'd enthusiastically vote for Trump if he's the GOP nominee in 2024. Which come to think of it, sorta does answer that question after all.

Have a week!

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