Tag: fox news debate
U.S. Presidential Candidate Rubio Defends Stance Against Abortion

U.S. Presidential Candidate Rubio Defends Stance Against Abortion

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Florida Senator Marco Rubio on Sunday defended his stance against abortion without exceptions for rape or incest that he was asked about during a debate among Republican presidential candidates on Thursday.

“I personally and deeply believe that all human life is worthy of the protection of our laws. I do. And I believe that irrespective of the conditions by which that life was conceived, or anything else, and for me to be consistent on that belief,” Rubio said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

During Thursday night’s debate, Rubio said he never advocated for exceptions on abortion. However, Rubio co-sponsored the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act in 2013 that aimed to ban late-stage abortions and included exceptions for rape, incest and to save the life of the mother.

On Sunday, Rubio denied any inconsistency. He said that while he does not support such exceptions, he would not rule them out if the overall result is fewer abortions.

“I recognize that in order to have consensus on laws that limit the number of abortions, a lot of people want to see those exceptions,” he said on NBC.

Rubio said he recognized that women have the right to make decisions about their own bodies, but that clashes with “the right of a human being to live.”

“I don’t say it’s easy,” Rubio said. “But when asked to make a decision between two very hard circumstances, I personally reached the decision, if I’m going to err, I’m going to err on the side of life.”

For Rubio, taking a bold stance against exceptions could hurt his standing with women. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee have also said they do not support abortion in any cases.

Democrats seized on his remarks in the debate.

“Hey Marco Rubio, the women of the 21st century can hear you,” Democratic National Committee spokesperson Christina Freundlich said. “When you don’t account for rape or incest, the only thing we see is a candidate with outdated, out of step, and offensive policies of the past. Get with the times or go home.”

(Reporting by Megan Cassella; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Lisa Shumaker)

Photo: U.S. Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio speaks at the Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa, United States, July 18, 2015. REUTERS/Jim Young

Late Night Roundup: Going ‘Wherever’ With Donald Trump

Late Night Roundup: Going ‘Wherever’ With Donald Trump

One subject was the talk of the late night TV shows: Donald Trump’s feud with Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly — and his accusation that she had “blood coming out of her — wherever” at last Thursday’s Republican debate.

Jimmy Fallon performed an impersonation of The Donald, and the explanations he’s given: “Yesterday, I called Megyn Kelly to personally not apologize. When I said blood was coming out of her ‘wherever,’ I obviously meant ‘nose and ears.’ If you think I was talking about something else, you’re a deviant. I was not referring to hormones or menstruation — period.”

Larry Wilmore highlighted Trump’s strong resemblance to a troll doll: “It’s like God bestowed us with this most fantastic troll, to fill the dog days of summer with glorious entertainment.” But after looking at how Trump is still ahead in the polls after the recent display, Larry suddenly had a more serious message: “Okay, America, I am talking to you directly — stop it. Stop it. America, listen to me — stop it.”

Conan O’Brien showed a commercial for a new product: “The Donald Trump Ovulation Test Kit” — and yes, it talks.

Seth Meyers dubbed Trump “The Gift That Keeps on Giving Women the Creeps.” Seth also pointed out that Trump’s comments on women’s health are really serving as an unfortunate distraction — from all the awful things that the other Republicans routinely say about women’s health issues.

The GOP Right Provided Trump’s Warmup Act

The GOP Right Provided Trump’s Warmup Act

There’s this great scene from Law & Order where Detective Briscoe shows a victim’s picture to a prostitute. He asks whether she knew of anyone who had “dated” him.

“I didn’t, but he’s cute,” she says.

“You’ve been at this too long, honey.” Briscoe replies. “He’s dead.”

The political punditry seems unable to agree on whether Donald Trump’s candidacy will survive the billionaire’s latest barrage of rhetorical barbarities. We refer to his attacks on Fox News questioner Megyn Kelly and the infamous “blood” remark.

But all this presupposes that Trump is conducting a real, living candidacy rather than a mega-prank. By all appearances, he is using the Republican fringe’s high tolerance of — nay, appreciation for — off-the-wall comments to expand the Trump brand at no cost to Trump. The billionaire also seems to be whipping up the right wing’s hatred of establishments, including the Republican one, for fun and profit.

Face it. Some 24 million viewers didn’t tune in to the Fox News debate just to hear Trump say outrageous things. They wanted to see him make the other candidates suffer.

Trump’s performance led to his banishment from the subsequent RedState debate. Its organizer, Erick Erickson, explained, “I don’t want my daughter in the same room” as Trump.

Sounds chivalrous, but Erickson’s coat of armor is not without chinks. It was Erickson who attributed feminists’ anger to their “being too ugly to get a date.” And he called Michelle Obama a “Marxist harpy wife.”

That armor evidently needs repair, for Erickson now seems hurt by the pro-Trump blowback. “I have emails from people referring to Megyn Kelly as a ‘whore,'” he complained. “I have emails from people referring to me as ‘gay.’ I have emails referring to the president by the N-word and (saying) that Donald Trump is standing up to all of us.”

Imagine such sensitivity coming from the man who writes such blog posts as “Is Obama Shagging Hookers Behind the Media’s Back?” That’s when he’s not writing deep religious tracts.

This is the ballpark Republicans have been playing in. Trump may say things that are dumb and crude, but they’re no dumber or cruder than the musings of the right-wing spokesmen whom party leaders routinely court.

Erickson can portray himself as a bulwark against indecency, but he’s really been Trump’s warmup act. Without his and others’ normalization of lunatic statements, Trump would never have gotten as far as he has.

One feels for the respectable Republicans dragged into these environs. It was sad to see Ohio governor John Kasich pummeled at the Fox News debate for having humanely expanded Medicaid in his state. It was unfortunate but inevitable that someone (this time Rand Paul) would slam New Jersey governor Chris Christie for having publicly hugged President Obama. The context, some may remember, was the president’s visit and offer of federal help after the devastation of Superstorm Sandy.

On the other hand, Christie and other Republicans had no problem sharing the stage with the likes of Erickson.

The Huffington Post last month moved its Trump coverage to the entertainment section from politics. Jay Rosen, a well-known media analyst, praised the decision as “the work of fed-up and free-thinking adults.”

But the move has irked political writers at The Washington Post. Are they merely defending their turf? Or have they been at this too long?

Follow Froma Harrop on Twitter @FromaHarrop. She can be reached at fharrop@gmail.com. To find out more about Froma Harrop and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Web page at www.creators.com.

Photo: Republican presidential candidate and businessman Donald Trump listens to a question at the first official GOP presidential candidates’ debate of the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign in Cleveland, Ohio, August 6, 2015. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)

The Donald Way Up In Post-Debate Polls — Really!

The Donald Way Up In Post-Debate Polls — Really!

A funny thing happened to Donald Trump after the controversy of his loud, public crass remarks aimed at Fox anchor Megyn Kelly: He’s still blowing the competition right out of the water.

A set of national polls conducted through online panels all show The Donald up, with some variation in the field directly below him — but all with strong showings for other anti-establishment candidates like Ben Carson and Ted Cruz as well — and a lousy time for the main establishment candidate Jeb Bush. In addition, Carly Fiorina seems to be doing quite well, benefiting from a wave of publicity after her impressive performance at the underdogs debate.

The NBC News/SurveyMonkey online poll released Sunday evening has Trump at 23 percent, Cruz with 13 percent, Carson at 11 percent, and 8 percent each for Fiorina and Marco Rubio. (Bush missed out on even the top five, getting 7 percent.) The poll was conducted Friday and Saturday.

Morning Consult has Trump at a whopping 32 percent, way ahead of Bush at 11 percent, Carson with 9 percent, and Rubio and Scott Walker with 6 percent each. The poll was conducted from Friday through Sunday.

The new Reuters/Ipsos poll has Trump with 24 percent among Republicans, Bush at 12 percent, and 8 percent each for Carson, Mike Huckabee, and Rubio. This poll was conducted from Thursday night, post-debate, through early Monday.

Another poll, conducted via phone by Democratic-aligned firm Public Policy Polling, has Trump ahead in the crucial early state of Iowa: Trump 19 percent, Carson and Walker at 12 percent each, Bush 11 percent, and Fiorina 10 percent. The poll was done Friday through Sunday.

Photo: U.S. presidential candidate and businessman Donald Trump answers a question at the first official Republican candidates’ debate of the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign in Cleveland, Ohio, in this file photo taken August 6, 2015. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder/Files)