Sex education for kindergartners is certainly a hot topic. It's also the subject of a McCain campaign ad that many in the media have called a "lie." In the Hot Topic segment of ABC's The View on Monday (Sept. 22), token conservative Elisabeth Hasselbeck explained that the ad is NOT a lie and Barack Obama did in fact support legislation establishing sex education for kindergartners.
There is an adage that says being a parent is like being pecked to death by a duck. Perhaps the same can be said of Hasselbeck with regard to her fellow View hosts, all liberals who think they are smart. As if on cue, the left-leaning ladies picked apart the points Hasselbeck made in order to continue to defend their favorite candidate, Barack Obama.
The Culture and Media Institute recently addressed the ad issue and detailed the bill's content (click here and here) but the mainstream press has been reluctant to get the word out on the actual facts. Recognizing this, Hasselbeck took the opportunity to use her platform to dispel the "lie" rumor.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: What we hope does leave are campaign ads that McCain and Obama have been throwing around lately. They're accusing each other of doing all kinds of things and some is true, and some is not, some is sort of true. You're standing by one specific ad though, Elisabeth, are you not?
ELISABETH HASSELBECK: There was one ad the Obama campaign and anyone who has spoken about Sen. McCain and his campaign has said the campaign is lying - the McCain campaign - and it's the ad that pertains to the Senate Bill No. 99 -
BARBARA WALTERS: The Illinois Senate.
HASSELBECK: Illinois state bill 99 that dealt with expanding sex education to kindergarteners. And the ad simply stated that Obama supported expanding sex education, teaching sex ed, to kindergartners. And specifically that ad although people want to paint it as a lie, actually is the truth. That bill, number one, supported the expansion of the amount of kids receiving sex education - age-appropriate sex education to kindergartners.
GOLDBERG: That's very important.
HASSELBECK: Right. But it also is determined by whoever is teaching it and becomes a mandate unless otherwise opted out by parents. Number two, it also took out any sort of language -- as directed by Planned Parenthood -- of the link to sex and marriage. They took that out of the existing bill. And then, not until there were 11 points made, and the Obama campaign has since come forward and said this bill was primarily about keeping kids safe from predators - where it wasn't until 11 points down in the bill that it dealt with that. And one of the five sponsors of this bill, ‘cause I just want to get all the information out, when asked if the bill was specifically and primarily about inappropriate touching - as claimed by the Obama camp - this sponsor of the bill, Sen. Martinez said, in quotes, absolutely not. That was not the main focus of this bill. So I think there is a lot of twisting of the truth, and we need to be...
After Hasselbeck stated her case she barely got a word in edgewise as Goldberg, Walters and Joy Behar all jumped to mitigate and qualify every statement to Obama's benefit. Walters and Goldberg did most of the pecking. Both reiterated that this Illinois State Senate bill didn't pass. Both touted the "age appropriate" qualification. Walters noted the opt-out provision (which exists in nearly every sex education program in the nation, but she didn't mention that). When Hasselbeck cited Sen. Martinez's comments that the bill was never intended to be about sexual predators, as Obama has claimed it was, Goldberg said, "Now, does it matter what his take on it was, or is it just what Sen. Martinez's take on it [was]?
That statement in and of itself is revealing. By following Goldberg's logic, voters shouldn't worry about whether their elected officials actually know what the legislation they support says, just what they believe it says. In fact, Hasselbeck later said, "What you support says a lot about you, too" to which Goldberg responded, "Let's not go there."
Goldberg and Walters also did not want to "go" to the issue of Planned Parenthood's involvement.
HASSELBECK: A lot of people have issue with this because in planning the revamping of this bill, which was existing and did include the idea of marriage and waiting until marriage to have sex, and the definition of marriage, many people have issue with it because Planned Parenthood was consulted on this bill.
GOLDBERG and WALTERS: That's not the issue.
WALTERS: Elisabeth, Elisabeth...
But Planned Parenthood's involvement is very important to this issue. The organization's key policy points - eliminating talk of marriage and abstinence until marriage - was written into the legislation. This is the organization that receives more than $300 million in taxpayer money and is responsible for more than 300,000 abortions in 2006. The fact that Obama supported this language and legislation is important. The fact that he supported legislation that failed to pass because it was so radical is also important. But not to the liberal ladies of The View. No, they'd rather defend Obama while asking John McCain if Whoopi needs to be worried about becoming a slave again.
