Rand Paul has the strategy for defunding Planned Parenthood — don’t make it about Republicans defunding Planned Parenthood, make it about Democrats funding Planned Parenthood.
The media will say the Republicans need 60 votes to defund Planned Parenthood. Paul says, no, the Democrats need 60 votes to fund Planned Parenthood. He called for a separate vote on Planned Parenthood funding to isolate and bring this issue to the forefront. It’s pretty brilliant:
“Now some are saying we don’t have enough votes to defund Planned Parenthood. That gets it exactly wrong. You have to fund Planned Parenthood. So don’t accept the notion that we have to get to 60. The other side has to get to 60. This is not a problem. They do not have 60 votes to fund Planned Parenthood as long as we separate the bills and tell them you go out and get 60 votes to fund Planned Parenthood. … We should hold our ground. If the Democrats want to shut down government over this, then it goes to Democrats. If Democrats want to shut down government? We should point the finger and say ‘if you want to shut down the government over spending money on harvesting organs from babies, so be it.'”
Thomas Valentine is a researcher for APIA and a junior at the Franciscan University of Steubenville.
