After Steven Colbert turned Sen. Jon Kyl's "groundbreaking excuseplanation" about lying on the Senate floor into a brief, but very fun, political culture moment, some Senate Dems have decided to get in on the fun.
The first quip came Wednesday from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) in a floor speech defending Planned Parenthood, the program that Kyl attacked last week, claiming that 90 percent of the group’s activities were abortion-related. The actual number is closer to 3 percent. A Kyl staffer defended the comment by explaining it “was not intended to be a factual statement.”
“For my friends and colleagues, this is a factual statement,” Gillibrand said. “Current law already prevents federal money from paying for abortions. This has been the law of the land for over 30 years. Shutting down the government for a political argument is not only outrageous, it is irresponsible. The price for keeping the government open is this assault on women’s rights.”
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A few hours after Gillibrand spoke, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said the spokesperson’s comments were “bizarrely stated.” And, if Kyl’s statement was not intended to be factual, he asked, “Well, what was it intended to be?”
“By providing women with counsel and contraception, Planned Parenthood prevents countless unwanted pregnancies and thereby reduces the number of abortions in this country,” Harkin said. “Lest there be any misunderstanding, I intend this as a factual statement.”
Sen. Barbara Boxer has been tweeting Planned Parenthood truths with the hastag this one:
As of yet, no response from Kyl. At least he knows when he's dug deep enough, apparently.
More discussion in jpmassar's diary.