I can not believe the Florida GOP chair says health care plan would force abortions. [View All]

[madfloridian]

I wonder sometimes if the Republican leaders are really as clueless as they act...or if they are constantly catering to their clueless base. I can't believe they believe the stuff that comes out of their mouths.

Wait until you hear the reason he thinks this is true, and wait until you hear the explanation of his spokesperson. Ridiculous.

From a Tampa Tribune blog:

Greer stands by accusation of “forced abortions”

That's a ridiculous thing to say.

Florida Republican Party Jim Greer is standing by comments suggesting that President Obama’s health care reform plan could result in “forced, taxpayer-funded abortions,” even though he has also sought to distance himself from disruption at town hall forums on the subject of reform.

In a mailing to Republicans this week, Greer said one question about the reform plan is whether it would cause “the very real probability of forced, tax-payer funded abortions.” He had sent out a previous mailer saying the reform proposal would result in taxpayer-funded abortions, a contention that is wrong according to several independent analyses of the bill.

As justification for the statement that people would be forced to have abortions, Greer pointed to a section of the act that regulates what kind of medical services can be provided by states to needy individuals under the Social Security Act.

I have no idea what he means. Here is the explanation from his spokesperson.

The section says nurse visits to the homes of needy families including first-time pregnant women or children under 2 qualify if the visits are effective at improving maternal or child health, reducing child abuse or “increasing birth intervals between pregnancies.”

The section makes no mention of requiring abortions, making health care coverage dependent on having an abortion, or suggesting that pregnant women have abortions. Asked during a news conference how that could amount to “forced abortions,” Greer responded, “If the procedure is financed by taxpayer funds then the word ‘forced’ would be appropriate.”

A spokeswoman, asked for clarification, said that if nurse visits help poor people increase intervals between pregnancies, “the possibility of forced, tax-payer funded abortions is accurate.”

By increasing the intervals between pregnancies....it is considered to be "forced, tax-payer funded abortions.”

Those are appalling statements from Greer and his spokeswoman.

Jim Greer has had his ups and downs with his far right wing. Once Sarah Palin would not let him on her plane because he said she needed more preparation to be VP

Determined not to be left out of the party, RPOF Chairman Jim Greer flew a chartered plane to Sarah Palin's events in Clearwater and Southwest Florida today.

The McCain campaign had told him there wasn't room in the small plane last week after Greer made what the campaign is regarding as disloyal comments to the New York Times last week, questioning Palin's readiness to be VP. There was room on the plane, however, for Sen. Mel Martinez and Gov. Charlie Crist.

..."Flash forward to a hockey arena in Estero, Florida, near Naples, where Greer just finished speaking to the crowd gathered to see Palin and he's now singing the praises of the Alaska governor. He called her "dynamic'' and said she understands what working Americans are going through "She makes more decisions in one day than Sens Obama and Biden make in a whole year."

He is known for some other outrageous statements. He once said that Democrats would register anything with a heartbeat.

He really said that.

“Don’t be concerned about that because they register anything with a heart beat -- anything -- and our party and these leaders, all of you, have the best turnout-to-vote organization in the nation,” Greer said. “They (the Democrats) might register a lot of people but they’re not going to the polls on election day.”

Surprise, Jim Greer! We did go to the polls after all.

I don't ever remember the Democratic party acting like this GOP party is acting now. I don't think we ever said some of the idiotic things they are saying.

The chairman of the Florida Republican Party is saying that there will be forced abortions funded by taxpayers because of nurse visits to homes that just might increase times between pregnancies for needy families.

That's just pathetic.