Nobody expects objectivity from The Huffington Post – not after a presidential campaign in which every Trump story carried a nasty “disclaimer” that Trump “regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther.” But now they’re warning Trump not to touch federal subsidies for Planned Parenthood’s abortion business.
“Senior politics reporter” Laura Bassett acts as the abortion conglomerate’s publicist in a December 21 story headlined “Some Trump Voters Will Be ‘Pissed Off As Hell’ If He Defunds Planned Parenthood.”
Their evidence is focus groups paid for by Planned Parenthood itself in four states, and a Politico poll. Get a load of the “Trump voters” whose quotes are salted through this thinly disguised press release opposing a defunding bill:
“The guy I voted for, I’d be disappointed if he signed it,” said one middle-aged man in Milwaukee. “He’s making sure the Congress is on his side, but he doesn’t care about all us people who voted for him.”
...
“If he does sign this, it’s gonna cause more disruption in our society,” said a white male Trump supporter in a Las Vegas focus group. “If he doesn’t sign it, it’s gonna make a big statement that he’s fighting for the little ones.”
There's a sure sign you're reading a Planned Parenthood press release at The Huffington Post: the abortionists are "fighting for the little ones"? Another sign: Bassett makes no troublesome references to Planned Parenthood profits from selling dead baby body parts, which is certainly grist for pro-life activists seeking a funding cutoff.
Trump voters also seemed to have no idea of Mike Pence's record:
In video recordings of the focus groups, the Trump voters opposed to defunding the family planning provider appeared surprised that Trump had committed to signing such legislation Some of them were even more surprised to realize his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, has led the fight against Planned Parenthood and reproductive rights for half a decade.
“I’m astounded,” said one Trump supporter in Phoenix, upon hearing about Pence’s anti-abortion record. “I guess I’ve been living in a bubble. He sounds like a tyrant.”
Bassett "reported" that "defunding Planned Parenthood is not going to be a popular move. According to a Politico poll conducted a week before the election, 58 percent of voters ― and slightly more than half of all Trump voters ― oppose stripping reimbursements from the nation’s largest family planning provider."
But that's a little math-impaired: since when is 48 percent "slightly more than half"? Politico's poll (conducted with Harvard's public-health school) found Trump voters split 48 percent to 47 percent on funding Planned Parenthood. Overall, it was 58 percent favoring the PPFA subsidies, and 37 percent against. Here is the carefully worded pro-Planned Parenthood poll question:
“In the election, funding of Planned Parenthood has been an issue. Planned Parenthood is an organization that provides family planning and preventative health services. In addition, it provides some abortion services. Currently the federal government provides funding assistance for some of Planned Parenthood’s health services, but not for abortions. Do you support or oppose ending ALL federal funding to Planned Parenthood because they provide some abortion services?”
Bassett then skipped over the next Politico poll question, since it didn't go well for the abortion lobby: Should Medicaid change policies to let the federal government fund abortions? Overall, it was 56 percent opposing federal funds for abortion, and 38 percent in favor. Trump voters opposed it 77 to 19 percent.
