Rand Paul: I'll Answer Your Wedge-Issue Question About Abortion, The Moment You Ask Debbie Wasserman-Schultz if It's Okay to "Kill a Seven-Pound Baby That Isn't Born Yet"

Oh yes.

When quizzed on his about his views on abortion, Republican Kentucky Senator Rand Paul avoided the gotcha game and told NH1 reporter Paul Steinhauser to ask DNC head Debbie Wasserman Schultz if it was okay to "kill a 7-pound baby in the uterus." "Why don't we ask the DNC: Is it okay to kill a 7 pound baby in the uterus?" Paul reportedly said. "You go back and you ask Debbie Wasserman Schultz if she's okay with killing a seven pound baby that is not born yet. Ask her when life begins, and you ask Debbie when it's okay to protect life. When you get an answer from Debbie, get back to me."

I was just writing about the need to do this, after the press could not stop talking about Scott Walker's non-answer on evolution.

Both parties, I noted, have unpopular, niche, even weird stuff in their agendas, because they both seek the support of fringe groups. And when I say "fringe," I do not mean it, as it is typically meant, in a derogatory way; I mean simply that these are groups whose preferred politics are not reflected in the existing politics.

They are Out Groups. They have failed to convince the Insiders to make their preferences policies (so far).

They have political agendas that do not match up with the mainstream; that is, in fact, why their political agendas are political agendas and not political facts -- why they have to ask for a policy, rather than already having their preferred policy in place.



Anyway, this piece discussed "men" -- women to men transsexuals -- who were complaining that abortion rights were discussed as a women's issue, when in fact, they asserted, many "men," such as themselves, could also get pregnant.

So they want abortion crusaders to say head-scratching things like any woman, or any man, who gets pregnant has the right to an abortion.

I noted then that the right media talks about such strange and florid agenda items on the left, but the Democrat-controlled media, of course, never does.

They want to discuss endlessly our odder-sounding or more "extreme" fringe demands; but they absolutely refuse to discuss the Democrats' oddest-sounding and most extreme fringe demands.

I was discussing this a few weeks ago with someone (forget who), in the context of the media's great interest in Scott Walker's views on evolution. I pointed out that the media, if it really cares so much about evolution, could ask Keith Ellison about it; I don't know his actual views, but I know Muslims generally do not believe in evolution. I also pointed out that, if the media really cared about candidates' views on religious doctrine, they could ask supposedly-Christian Democrats like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton if they really believed Christ died for our sins. Obviously, a Christian should have no problem answering this in the affirmative. But a "Yes" answer from Hillary Clinton would be very problematic among her caucus, wouldn't it? (From what I can gather, Clinton really is a Christian, or at least bothers to go to church occasionally; still, the answer would be very embarrassing and difficult for her politically). So if the media just wants to "find out what candidates" think, why not questions like that? Anyway, the person I was talking to suggested a similar such question which would be very, very #Problematic for Hillary or Obama to answer: How many Sexes are there? See, the problem is, most Democrats are not batshit crazy Gender Warriors who believe the answer is three or seven or 3 pi -- some number greater than 2, in any event. Most Democrats, and all independents, think the answer is "2," and would think anyone thinking the answer is anything but 2 is a crazyperson. But the incredibly militant sexual left is insistent that there are many genders. So such a question is difficult for a Democrat to answer. It's a politically relevant question, given the changes in the law and the claims (probably right) that the "Trans" sexuality issue is going to be "the next civil rights issue," as many on the left predict, but the media will not ask the question, precisely because no answer is a good answer for a Democrat, and any answer will tend to alienate either the extreme militant sexual-left base, or the moderates needed to win elections. They love asking exactly that sort of question of Republicans -- the evolution question is designed to force Republicans to choose between their Biblical literalist supporters and their less literalist supporters -- but they absolutely refuse to ask Democrats designed to produce the same sort of cleavage in their fragile coalition. So, any one out there who likes putting microphones in front of politician's faces: Ask Democrats how many genders their are. Let's start making these Wedge Issue/Gaffe controversies ourselves for the Democrats, given that the DNC owned-and-operated media will not oblige us.

I think Rand Paul did a smart thing here. He's not my guy, but he definitely did something smart.

This should be the standard answer to any media question about the fringier parts of the Republican coalition: I will answer your question the very moment you ask the Democrats about this analogous fringe demand of the Democrat Party.

Come back to me with an answer, and I'll answer your question.

Oh, and caveat: If you ask the Democrat the question in an obligatory manner, and don't bother to ask the obvious follow-up questions to get past the first answer (which is always a hot ball of stinky gas), then that's the exact sort of answer I'll give you, refusing to answer the follow-up questions you wish to ask me but not your Beloved Democrat Politician.

Update: Who's "Extreme" Here?

FYI: a 20-week abortion ban is more popular *among women* than DWS's position. Like, by far. http://t.co/ruSgRzL4ro pic.twitter.com/rMPrtnGX6Z — Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) April 8, 2015





Update: Rand Gets Results.