Lunch Time at the Last Manatee

++Yesterday the National Council of the AFL-CIO unanimously and "enthusiastically" endorsed President Obama's re-election. Obvious, But consider the AFL-CIO's statements of 2010 when they vowed not to be any party's automatic backer. This year they plan to mobilize millions of their members in a more aggressive campaign than every before. Unions will play a key role in the elections in the Midwest states--

Michigan,Wisconsin,Ohio,Indiana, Illinois and even Pennsylvania.

++Pope Benedict or Cardinal Ratzinger sent the American bishops home from Rome to be more aggressive in the political debate in the United States. The Bishops and Cardinals were told to get heavily involved in the political debate on the questions of abortion, same sex marriage, cohabitation,contraception,and abstinence. Former Religious Right maven Frank Schaeffer at his blog writes that the Catholic Church crossing the line on contraception dooms the social conservatives. He writes about how he personally negotiated the rapprochement between the Catholic Church and the fundamentalist Christians on the issue of abortion and how both sides agreed that the contraception issue doomed their cause. But it doesn't seem to matter with the Pope's edicts. Clearly,the whole Blunt Amendment had the vocal support of the Catholic Church since Senator Rubio co-sponsored because of a letter read from the pulpit.

++So how is the war against the uteri going? The Bloomberg National poll asked about the controversy about access to contraceptives in health insurance plans.

33% thought it was a matter of religious liberty.

62% thought it was solely the matter of a woman's health and contraception.

5% were not sure.

"Do you believe birth control should or should not be part of the political debate?

20% should

77% should not

3% not sure.

Looks like Frank may have been right.

++In the same poll, a majority of women and a plurality of men believe Rush Limbaugh should be fired for his comments about Sandra Fluke. The Army has now dropped Rush but the Department of Defense keeps him on.

++Always sensitive to the mood of the public, Mitt Romney said yesterday,"Planned Parenthood. We'll get rid of that". The rationale was that we should not borrow from China for programs that are not essential--like women's health.

++In the stampede away from the GOP, 77% of women reject the GOP position on birth control.