If McConnell wanted Dan Sullivan to have principles, he’d give him some.
It’s no secret that I hold Alaska’s junior senator, Dan Sullivan, in low esteem. It’s a low esteem he has earned. For one thing, he’s a carpetbagger. Alaska was just a convenient horse for his raging ambition. He’s a political mercenary. I cannot understand the “charm” some Alaskans seem to see in him. If Dan cares about anything, it’s the elevation of Dan.
Suffice it to say, my opinion of the junior senator was so low he needed to dig a hole to go lower. But this week, Sullivan, Mitch McConnell’s Mini-Me, broke out his shovel. Turns out he’s a more craven political hack than even I thought.
The U.S. Senate voted to allow states to defund Planned Parenthood. The vote was a tie until Mike Pence, our vice president and chief ayatollah, cast the tie-breaker. The Pence vote was no shocker; we already knew that as governor of Indiana, Pence cut Planned Parenthood there, which quickly led to the nation’s fastest-growing HIV epidemic. Pence also signed a law that health facilities pay for funeral or cremation services in cases of miscarriage or abortion — a law stayed by a judge before it could take effect. Thanks to Pence and his fellow travelers in the legislature, Indiana law bestows second-class citizenship on anyone with a vagina.
Lisa Murkowski, our senior senator (who would qualify as a second-class citizen in Indiana), voted on the other side. Sullivan, were he to give a damn about the people he supposedly represents, should have been the deciding vote against the bill. But not Sullivan. He votes the Republican party line every single time. If Mitch McConnell wanted Dan to have principles, he’d give him some.
Did Sullivan know, or care, how many Alaskans use the clinics of Planned Parenthood? Alaska has some of the highest rates in the country for HIV, syphilis, chlamydia and other sexually transmitted diseases. Many poor women in Alaska depend on Planned Parenthood for birth control. Guess what happens when poor women can’t get birth control? They have babies, and many of those women and children will struggle just to get by. I guess Sullivan cares about Alaskans — about as much as any guy from Ohio, or Indiana, can.
And for those of you who aren’t following this closely, this has nothing to do with spending public money on abortions. Federal law already prohibits the spending of any public money on abortions. This is purely a Republican vendetta against Planned Parenthood for daring to protect the right of women to make decisions about their own healthcare.
In a related news item from this week: The undercover anti-abortion activists who created the thoroughly discredited fake news “documentary” about Planned Parenthood selling baby parts look like they are finally on their way to prison. They’ve been indicted on 15 felony charges.
As a soldier in the GOP’s War on Women, Sullivan doesn’t believe that women are entitled to self-determination. Oh, he’ll make murffling noises that he does, but just watch how he votes. Maybe this attitude stems from one of the many patriarchal religions that believe women aren’t the spiritual equals of men. Maybe if uteruses shot bullets instead of babies more men would want to protect the rights of women.
Maybe I don’t care what their reasons are.
The old, testosterone-deficient bulls of the U.S. Senate seem to like nothing better than tormenting poor women. Maybe it restores a sense of virility. That might explain why they spend more time passing legislation to punish American women than they do the murderous misogynists of ISIS.
Dan Sullivan is on the wrong side of the public, and the wrong side of history. In a recent national poll by Quinnipiac University, 70 percent of Americans supported constitutionally protected abortion, and 62 percent opposed funding cuts to Planned Parenthood.
Contrast that with Senate Majority Leader McConnell, whose approval is a humiliating 19 percent in a survey by Public Policy Polling. With him in the basement is House Speaker Paul Ryan, whose approval is 21 percent.
With a boost from Dan Sullivan, women will die, disease will spread and babies will be born into difficult circumstances they don’t deserve. Nice work, Mini-Me.
It is shocking how people, especially women, consistently vote against their own best interests. In fact, it;s discouraging and disgusting. Just look at the percentage of women who voted for our batshit pres? What 53? I need to vomit every time I think about it.
Mitch McCTurtle successfully filibustered 79 Obama judges in 6 years. In the entire history of the republic up until McCTurtle’s reign of terror,only 68 judges had been filibustered.
Sullivan looks like a thug. He looks like he is mentally carving up whoever he is talking to. Yikes!
I’ve heard Alaska is a vast, uninhabited landmass. I can see from afar iowa just how uninhabited the Mudflats be. I feel like Jupiter must feel-all alone in the evening sky of the Mudflats. All the melting sea ice has made Alaskans disappear.
Alaskans are all outside reveling in breakup mikey 🙂
sometimes I think it is the call of the outdoors which keeps too many of us distracted until we end up with doofs like Mr Sullivan “protecting our interests”…
I’ve been poking sticks in the garden beds for a week ( marking how many more inches have thawed each day), walking muddy trails which were sheets of ice for months, watching icefalls turn back into waterfalls, and watching avalanches
Birds are everywhere, bears are waking up, and there’s a lot of cleaning up to do.
Winter Taku winds brought great gobs of spruce needles and glacial flour or till (powdered rock dust created by the grinding of the glaciers which have retreated here) which turns into something almost concrete-like .
Thanks Shannyn- good job!
Laughed myself silly over rebuttal editorial in ADN about how rude you were to Mr Sullivan. I know a couple three folks I like just fine personally but that isn’t adequate to the question when they make decisions on our assembly or in the Leg which harm us.
Aloha to you, Ms Pi. I skipped onion planting because it was supposed to freeze tonight. It was in the 60s yesterday and 33 and snow shower/rain mix today. I will plant next week after the temp dips into the mid 20s tonight. Then I will plant a bunch of red Pontiac spuds. And after that the sky is the limit.
Spring is coming I can feel it its cold breath down the back of my sweatshirt. Take care my friend. 🙂
We have hit 50+ for 2 days now- daytime temp. You’ve never seen so many people running around in shorts and tee shirts 🙂
Here’s hoping your last wintry blast has moved through and planting the garden is possible. I have lil spinach and lettuces growing outside under double row cover .
Best spring wishes back atcha mikey!
See the gas giant on celestial display after sunset this evening in the Eastern sky. Not that gas giant- we’re talking Jupiter not stoopider. Drumpf is still in Drumpf Dump South as far as any one cares.
Jupiter looks truly magnificent all alone in the early evening sky.
Let’s try her this way- Old Mitch McCPunchyfaced Turtle sez Dems have a different standard for wingnut justice appointees. They sure as hell do. ALL wingnut appointees are humiliated by having to face Senate bi-partisan hearings and then are humiliated even further by an up or down vote. Those BASTARD LIBERALS! Wingnuts saved Merrick Garland the rigors of either a hearing or a vote.
Now poor Neil GOSUCK will have to content himself with a lifetime appointed cushy government job even though Libs filibustered his up or down vote. Wingnuts don’t bother with rules. Winning is all they care about. The ends justify the means.
http://crooksandliars.com/2017/04/watch-john-mccain-calling-his-own-self
McCain on dummies voting to use the nukular option which he then voted for. The stoopid is strong in the wingnut party.
ps good to know Hi Ate Us was a was just temporary. I missed you guys.
With high prices in Alaska, Carpetbagger Dan’s federal largesse would go further in Ohio or one of the other lower 48. Maybe the people who know him the best knew enough not to vote for him in Ohio.
Speaking of PP, Marsha Blackburn, inquisitor from Tennessee had a 15 month inquisition into PP and found nothing lurid or illegal about PP’s actions. I mean they couldn’t hang PP for all them baby parts wingnuts swore was being sold because edited videos said so. Still she recommended defunding PP out of spite because she has no open mind and used her office to grandstand for the base. I don’t know how women consistently get lead to vote against their very best interests, but it happens all too often. And the GOP war on women continues.