RNC chair ties Obama to 'infanticide': Is the GOP rebrand already ruined?

<div id="mediaarticlebody"><p>Hinting that Democrats support the murder of children may backfire</p><p class="first">So much for that Republican reboot.</p><p>On Wednesday, <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1365038779739_2">Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus</span> wrote an <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.redstate.com%2Freincepriebus%2F2013%2F04%2F03%2Fmedia-covers-up-democrat-backed-planned-parenthoods-support-for-infanticide%2F" rel="nofollow">op-ed</a> for the right-wing site <em>Red State<a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.redstate.com%2Freincepriebus%2F2013%2F04%2F03%2Fmedia-covers-up-democrat-backed-planned-parenthoods-support-for-infanticide%2F" rel="nofollow"/></em> in which he suggested that Democrats "endorse <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1365038779739_3">infanticide</span>" by supporting <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1365038779739_1">Planned Parenthood</span>.</p><p><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Farticle%2Findex%2F242282%2Fthe-daily-gossip-keha-says-she-had-eyeball-sex-with-johnny-depp-and-more" rel="nofollow">SEE MORE: The daily gossip: Ke$ha says she had 'eyeball sex' with Johnny Depp, and more</a></p><p>Priebus did not explicitly accuse Democrats of supporting the murder of children. Rather, in an article called "Media Covers up Democrat-Backed Planned Parenthood’s Support for Infanticide," he accused Planned Parenthood of doing so, and noted that Democrats have vociferously defended the organization's funding, particularly in the run-up to last year's elections.</p><p>The President, the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1365038779739_7">Senate Majority Leader</span>, the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1365038779739_6">House Democratic Leader</span>, and the Chair of the Democratic National Committee...made funding Planned Parenthood an issue in the 2012 campaign. They should now all be held to account for that outspoken support. If the media won’t, then voters must ask the pressing questions: Do these Democrats also believe a newborn has no rights? Do they also endorse infanticide? [<a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.redstate.com%2Freincepriebus%2F2013%2F04%2F03%2Fmedia-covers-up-democrat-backed-planned-parenthoods-support-for-infanticide%2F" rel="nofollow"><em>Red State</em></a>]</p>Priebus arrived at that conclusion by claiming a biased media had spun two recent <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1365038779739_5">abortion</span> stories in Democrats' favor. The media used North Dakota's <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Farticle%2Findex%2F241890%2Fnorth-dakotas-new-six-week-abortion-ban-the-fallout" rel="nofollow">new abortion law</a> to make Republicans seem crazy, he claimed. The media then allegedly refused to cover a Florida legislative hearing at which a Planned Parenthood lobbyist hedged her answers on what should be done with theoretical aborted fetuses that come out of the womb breathing or with a heartbeat.<p><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Farticle%2Findex%2F242303%2Fare-adidas-and-louisville-profiting-off-kevin-wares-horrific-injury" rel="nofollow">SEE MORE: Are Adidas and Louisville profiting off Kevin Ware's horrific injury?</a></p><p>The "born alive" fetus issue is the real sticking point, since Priebus and other abortion foes believe that such fetuses are alive and should be granted more rights. That a Planned Parenthood lobbyist did not definitively say those fetuses should be kept alive, he argued, was a sign the organization — and perhaps the Democrats who've defended it — had condoned infanticide.</p><p>The article comes mere weeks after Priebus called for a major <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1365038779739_4">GOP</span> overhaul in an attempt to broaden its appeal. Part of that effort meant softening the party's message, which, as Priebus himself said, made voters view the party as <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Farticle%2Findex%2F241490%2Fthe-gops-scathing-self-analysis-and-drastic-rebranding-plan%22%3E" of="" out="" rel="nofollow"></p><p><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Farticle%2Findex%2F242283%2Fhow-bobby-jindalwent-from-rising-star-to-gop-afterthought" rel="nofollow">SEE MORE: How Bobby Jindal went from rising star to GOP afterthought</a></p><p>So why would Priebus go out of his way to make such a loaded charge?</p><p>"Rebranding isn't all about apologizing and asking voters to take another look at you," says <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slate.com%2Fblogs%2Fweigel%2F2013%2F04%2F03%2Freince_priebus_wants_the_media_to_rebrand_planned_parenthood_please.html" rel="nofollow"><em>Slate's</em> Dave Weigel.</a> "It's about defining the other side as crazy, and working the refs so that they go along."</p><p><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Farticle%2Findex%2F242273%2Fis-this-ancient-roman-ring-the-inspiration-for-the-lord-of-the-rings" rel="nofollow">SEE MORE: Is this ancient Roman ring the inspiration for <em>The Lord of the Rings</em>?</a></p><p>The "infanticide" claim is one that's been leveled against Obama for years. Conservatives claim that Obama, while in the Illinois legislature, opposed abortion bills designed to protect "born alive" fetuses, but that the media has never taken him to task for it.</p><p>"He voted against different iterations of the law three times, then lied about why he did so," says <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Ftownhall.com%2Ftipsheet%2Fguybenson%2F2013%2F04%2F03%2Frnc-chief-hey-did-the-media-miss-planned-parenthoods-endorsement-of-infanticide-n1556950" rel="nofollow"><em>Town Hall</em> </a>political editor Guy Benson. "The media works overtime to make sure every voter is aware of an ignorant statement from a GOP back-bencher, but they've done precious little to expose the president's abortion extremism."</p><p><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Farticle%2Findex%2F242267%2Fthe-gun-control-bill-that-got-a-congresswoman-death-threats" rel="nofollow">SEE MORE: The gun-control bill that got a congresswoman death threats</a></p><p>Obama <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fstory%2F0%2C2933%2C352785%2C00.html" rel="nofollow">was asked</a> about those votes back in 2008, though the notion that the media has never raised such questions has persisted to this day. Newt Gingrich even <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com%2Fblogs%2Fburns-haberman%2F2012%2F02%2Fnewt-media-never-asked-obama-about-infanticide-except-115267.html" rel="nofollow">brought up the issue</a> during a presidential debate last year as a way to distance himself from Mitt Romney.</p><p>Still, even if Priebus wants to redefine Democrats as the real radicals, using abortion to achieve that goal may not be the best idea. When Republicans pursued a number of controversial reproductive rights policies after retaking the House in 2010, Democrats used those efforts as a rallying cry that helped them make up lost ground in 2012.</p><p><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Farticle%2Findex%2F242276%2Fwhy-brittney-griner-should-not-try-to-become-the-first-woman-in-the-nba" rel="nofollow">SEE MORE: Why Brittney Griner should not try to become the first woman in the NBA</a></p><p>"He and his party took a beating in 2012 over Republican opposition to Planned Parenthood, so in the midst of a rebranding campaign, Priebus wants to focus anew on condemning Planned Parenthood?" <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fmaddowblog.msnbc.com%2F_news%2F2013%2F04%2F03%2F17587541-priebuss-rnc-rebranding-effort-takes-a-detour%3Flite" rel="nofollow">asks MSNBC's Steve Benen.</a></p><p>View this article on <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Farticle%2Findex%2F242304%2Frnc-chair-ties-obama-to-infanticide-is-the-gop-rebrand-already-ruined" rel="nofollow">TheWeek.com</a> Get <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=https%3A%2F%2Fsecure.palmcoastd.com%2Fpcd%2FeSv%3FiMagId%3D061DG%26amp%3Bi4Ky%3DIYAH" rel="nofollow">4 Free</a> Issues of The Week</p><p>Other stories from this section:</p><ul><li><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Fbullpen%2Fcolumn%2F242127%2Fmarco-rubio-is-right-dont-rush-immigration-reform" rel="nofollow">Marco Rubio is right: Don't rush immigration reform</a></li><li><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Farticle%2Findex%2F241901%2F10-political-words-we-should-use-more-often" rel="nofollow">10 political words we should use more often</a></li><li><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Farticle%2Findex%2F241899%2Fhillary-super-pac-expands" rel="nofollow">'Hillary super PAC' expands</a></li></ul><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ftheweek" rel="nofollow">Like on Facebook</a> - <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twitter.com%2Ftheweek" rel="nofollow">Follow on Twitter</a> - <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Fhome%2Fnewsletter" rel="nofollow">Sign-up for Daily Newsletter</a></div><img border="0" height="1" src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" width="1" /><br /><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/rnc-chair-ties-obama-infanticide-gop-rebrand-already-211900391.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></p>

RNC chair ties Obama to 'infanticide': Is the GOP rebrand already ruined?

Hinting that Democrats support the murder of children may backfire So much for that Republican reboot. On Wednesday, Republican National Co...

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