During the travesty that was the Congressional hearing on Planned Parenthood this week, there was plenty of disgusting hypocrisy coming from the Republican side of the aisle. But the winner of the Most Disgusting Hypocrisy Award has to go to my own Congressman, Tim Walberg (MI-07). As he began his remarks and interrogation of Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards, he said this:
I want you to note that I’m wearing a pink tie in solidarity with women’s health issues today.
Indeed, Walberg was wearing a pink tie. But his so-called “solidarity with women’s health issues” ended there. As I noted yesterday, Walberg then proceeded to tell lies about Planned Parenthood that have largely gone unanswered. Not long prior to Tuesday’s hearing, Walberg said in a floor speech, “No matter what party you belong to, we should all agree that taxpayer dollars should not be used for harvesting baby parts for profit.” This, of course, is an insanely obvious lie. Then, during the hearing, he referred to a report commissioned by Planned Parenthood to investigate the veracity of recently-released and highly-edited video meant to give people the impression that Planned Parenthood profits from the sale of fetal tissue. In his comments, he said, “The conclusion of that report says the analysis did not reveal widespread evidence of ‘substantive video manipulation’ and it shows ‘no evidence of audio manipulation.'” This, too, was a provably false statement and you need go no further than the Excutive Summary of the report for that proof.
Here’s video of him patting himself on the back for his pink tie.
Later that day, Walberg, wearing the same tie, proceeded to vote YES on H.R. 3495, the Women’s Public Health and Safety Act, a bill which makes it even easier for states to defund Planned Parenthood and, of course, most negatively impacts poor women.
If that’s “solidarity with women’s health issues, Congressman Walberg, you can keep it. I assure you that sort of solidarity is something American women, particulary poor American women, can do without.
Meanwhile, yet another Planned Parenthood clinic has been the target of domestic terrorism:
A fire Wednesday night at a Planned Parenthood facility in Thousand Oaks was determined to be arson, authorities said.Ventura County sheriff’s Capt. John Reilly said someone likely used a rock to shatter a window at the Planned Parenthood facility in the 1200 block of West Hillcrest Drive, then threw gasoline inside the office and ignited it.
The attack comes more than six weeks after the office was vandalized, he said.
Solidarity here, too, Mr. Walberg?
