Last Word host Lawrence O’Donnell came in to the office early today to talk birth control mandate on msnbc’s Now with Alex Wagner.
As Lawrence pointed out, most people support birth control these days. “I think it has made America a very happy place to live since it was invented by men who desperately desperately desperately wanted to stop using that old fashioned rubberized contraception,” he said.
O’Donnell told Wagner the argument is more political and more big picture: the government’s involvement in your heath care and where voters live. He suggested President Obama, who is currently in reelection mode, would also pay specific attention to where voters against this mandate live. Should he rush to please if they wouldn’t vote for him in the first place?
“You’re not running for President of the United States,” he said. “You’re running for the President of Pennsylvania. You’re running for the president of about eight states that matter.” He added, “As someone running for president, you say, ‘tell me where they are.”
President Obama’s health care reform law requires all employer health care plans to offer coverage for birth control. But, religious institutions, particularly those affiliated with the Catholic Church, are concerned this new law would forces them to violate their beliefs. (Constitutional expert David Boies called that B.S. from a legal standpoint). Will the election dialogue shift away from the economy to cultural issues? Tweet me your response or drop me a line in the comment section below.
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