The Wall Street Journal front-pager today, “Planned Parenthood Hits Suburbia,” is a gift to McCain campaign. He should take this issue of PP and run with it.
Senator McCain may not care all that much about social issues, but this works for common sense and fiscal responsibility too: Why does Planned Parenthood, running a surplus, need federal money? Why should the nation’s largest abortion provider, capable of making money on its own, be getting taxpayer subsidies? I don’t think you need to be an anti-abortion activist to be fine with PP being cut off. John McCain should highlight his record on this and run to cut off Planned Parenthood. With increasing questions about its lax practices in regard to minors — nevermind its disregard for the reality of abortion — this is an issue John McCain should put some effort into and get some support for.
I worry that the McCain campaign thinks if they pick, say, Mike Huckabee as his #2, they will have appeased social conservatives. Mike Huckabee, of course, is pro-life, but not conservative (economy) or competent (Holiday Inn Express) on a number of issues. If McCain wants to rally social conservatives, he’s got to do it on substance, on real policy issues. Pledging to work to cut off Planned Parenthood’s access to taxpayer money once and for all would be one such move.
Even if he didn’t succeed (or win), he’d be doing important work putting a spotlight on Planned Parenthood’s flaws and funding. The group has long been treated as as American as apple pie. It’s, of course, not remotely as sweet or harmless. Never has been. Even with eco-friendly exteriors (yes, they’re seeking to distract by getting trendy), they offer more than one poison pill.