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Rubio: Yes, Hillary, Let's Talk About Abortion Extremism

Guy Benson
Guy Benson  |  August 11, 2015 10:35 AM

Hillary Clinton offered a requisite denunciation of her donor, friend, and fellow government-healthcare-enthusiast-slash-Citizens-United-opponent Donald Trump yesterday, while offering glowing praise for Fox News host Megyn Kelly.  Which, incidentally, sparks a thought: How's this for a modest proposal?


In any case, Hillary didn't want to waste too much time on her pal Trump, so she shifted her fire onto Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, harping on his abortion views.  In Thursday's debate, Rubio stated that he -- like Scott Walker and several other GOP candidates -- opposes abortion even in the cases of rape and incest, a stance with which a large majority of Americans disagrees (even as most favor stronger restrictions on the practice).  Democrats will certainly try to exploit this position in a general election setting; those who share Rubio's ethically-consistent but politically-fraught position must be prepared and equipped with thoughtful, savvy responses.  A campaign aide told me in Cleveland that while Rubio doesn't advocate 'exceptions' provisions, he's happily supported more incremental legislation in the past.  So a general election Rubio may argue something like, "I don't believe that the circumstances of a child's conception should impact the value of her humanity, but I recognize this is a difficult issue. I'm pragmatic and reasonable, so I've been willing to be take modest steps to advance a culture of life."  In the meantime, the Republican offered a glimpse of how he'd parry Hillary's attacks.  In a political jujutsu maneuver, the Florida Senator followed in Carly Fiorina's footsteps by pivoting to an examination of Hillary Clinton's truly radical abortion views:


Yes, let's talk about radicalism. Bring it on. It's refreshing to see Republicans declining to reflexively adopt a defensive crouch on these questions. Articulate your case and go on offense.  Setting aside the abortion issue, Allahpundit thinks Hillary's target selection is revealing: "She’s more interested in discussing Marco Rubio’s answer at the debate about opposing abortion exceptions for rape and incest. The Clintons, at least for now, are still betting that they have more to fear long-term from Rubio than from Trump." Parting question: Given the clear evidence we've already seen, confirmed by the State Department, how does Hillary wriggle out of his verifiably perjurious assertion in response to a federal judge?