Long ago, in a swing state far, far away (actually, Jan. 7, 2012, in New Hampshire), debate moderator George Stephanopoulos of ABC News had this exchange with Gov. Mitt Romney…
Stephanopoulos: “Gov. Romney, do you believe that states have the right to ban contraception, or is that trumped by a Constitutional right to privacy?”
Romney: “George, this is an unusual topic that you’re raising: (do) states have a right to ban contraception? I can’t imagine a state banning contraception. I can’t imagine the circumstances where a state would want to do so. And if I were a governor of a state…or a legislator of a state, I would totally and completely oppose any effort to ban contraception. So you’re asking – given that there isn’t any state that wants to do so, and I don’t know of any candidate that wants to do so, so you’re asking could it Constitutionally be done?”
It was a silly question, but one that exemplifies the style that the Left would like to see from debate moderators: challenge a Republican presidential candidate and state Pres. Obama’s objections for him. It also signaled a willingness by the media to emphasize reproductive issues in the presidential campaign, even at the expense of the economy – which is far and away the top issue for voters, according to Gallup.
Now comes the ACLU, promoting an online petition to pressure Martha Raddatz of ABC News, moderator of the upcoming V.P. debate Thursday night, to pull a Stephanopoulos…
“The presidential candidates debated domestic issues for 90 minutes last week and not a word was spoken about a woman’s right to choose, access to contraception or federal funding for family planning services,” according to the ACLU.
“This happened even though the war on women and its consequences have had devastating consequences for millions of women all across America.”
On Friday, appearing in Fairfax, Va., Pres. Obama made sure to note that “…most health plans are beginning to cover the cost of contraceptive care….” That’s a mandate this year from the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, making rules under ObamaCare.
With the latest Pew poll showing Romney now even with Pres. Obama among women, look for an increased urgency from the left to fight the final weeks of the election on the issues of contraception and abortion.
