Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Paul Ryan Is More Extreme On Abortion Than Todd "Legitimate Rape" Akin

I never cease to be amazed at the way politicians - particularly Republican politicians - seem to think that the media and the rest of us are so stupid and moronic that we won't remember previous statements that they've made or actions that they taken.  Even when all kinds of documentation - and even better yet video clips - exist to confirm that they are lying now when they pretend that they never made such statements or took such positions.  I don't know if the phenomenon arises from arrogance, hubris or both.  Paul Ryan is a case in point: even as he tries to distances himself from Todd "Legitimate Rape" Akin, the truth is that Ryan is even more extreme than Akin.  Andrew Sullivan provides a masterful expose on Ryan's extremism and blatant dishonesty.  Here are excerpts:

Ian Millhiser reviews Ryan's record:
The man Mitt Romney wants to be a heartbeat away from the presidency claimed that abortion should be illegal except for “cases in which a doctor deems an abortion necessary to save the mother’s life” as far back as his first House campaign in 1998. Throughout his career Ryan’s view has been consistent and unambiguous — rape survivors are out of luck.
Kate Sheppard says some of the legislation Ryan has supported is even more severe:
Although Ryan's anti-abortion credentials have gotten plenty of coverage since he was announced as Romney's veep choice, the full extent of the measures he's endorsed is breathtaking, and includes cosponsoring a measure that would allow hospitals to deny women access to an abortions even if their life is in immediate danger.
Buzzfeed has dug up video of Ryan railing against abortion health-of-the-mother exemptions. Jamelle Bouie says if "you live in a swing state, don’t be surprised if this video appears with a short endorsement from President Obama":
It’s almost unfair that Todd Akin is the new national symbol of anti-abortion extremism; compared to Ryan, he’s almost a squish. Akin received a 90 percent rating from the National Right to Life Committee during one of his six terms. Ryan has maintained a 100 percent rating throughout the same period.
 Some may claim I'm being unduly harsh on Ryan, but I'm sorry.  I cannot tolerate deliberate liars and there's no other way to describe Ryan.  What makes it all worse is the disgusting way he tries to cloth himself in religious values.  As a Catholic, if Ryan were a truly moral person, he'd be condemning the Church hierarchy in the wake of the sex abuse scandal and calling for a thorough house cleaning.  Instead, he has his nose so far up the Catholic bishops' ponderous asses that it's a miracle he hasn't suffocated.  Ryan is an extremist and modern day Pharisee of the first order.  Oh, and did I mention the word hypocrite?


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