Two Sides of the Coin

People don't speak the same language when it comes to politics. The "We are the United States of America and we stand together as one nation" theme that came out of the horrific 9/11/2001 attacks is over. The great KISS song, on their underrated "Unmasked" release called "Two Sides of the Coin" summarizes this. For never before has Ace Frehley singing, "There's two sides of the coin to choose from" been more true in America. When I read the reactions from Republicans and Democrats to the Supreme Court ruling about Hobby Lobby, I wonder what people really think is going on in this world.

First, on the Conservative side, I read this: http://www.redstate.com/2014/06/30/hobby-lobby-decision-misleading-language-left/ which says, in part, this:


There is legal precedent for for-profit companies promoting religious values.  So yes, Hobby Lobby is promoting religious values.  That’s legal.  And employees, if you don’t like it, don’t work there.  No one is forcing you to work for Hobby Lobby.  After all, it’s not like this was a secret – they are one of many Christian-owned companies who recognize the Sabbath and close on Sundays.
I went on to read  this article: http://www.redstate.com/2014/06/30/white-house-understand-happened-hobby-lobby-case/

Based upon the two links above, I know where Republicans seem to be heading on this issue.

On the Democrat side of the aisle, I read this in my First Read from NBC News daily email:
Contraception as a Democratic wedge issue
Turning from the White House and Congress to yesterday's big Hobby Lobby decision at the Supreme Court, we observed that Democratic candidates seemed more excited to talk about the Hobby Lobby case than immigration. Of course, one of main reasons is that the Latino vote will only be a factor in one Senate contest THIS November: Colorado's. But women -- whether they live in Arkansas, Iowa, Michigan, or Oregon -- are going to be the key voting bloc this year, and Democrats see the Hobby Lobby case and contraception in general as wedge issues with female voters. Indeed, back in our March 2014 NBC/WSJ poll, 48% of men said that employers should be able to be exempt from covering birth control on religious grounds, while 46% of them said they should NOT be exempt. By comparison, nearly six-in-10 women -- 59% -- said employers should NOT be exempt, versus 35% who said they should. Overall in that NBC/WSJ poll, 53% of all respondents said employers should not be exempt, and 41% said they should be exempt. It was in 2012 that Democrats first started capitalizing on the politics of contraception, and they continued that in last year's gubernatorial contest in Virginia. If Democrats hold the Senate -- and we stress the word "IF" -- yesterday's court decision could end up being one of the more important turning points. The party has been looking for a reason to rationalize a focus on contraception during this campaign year, the Supreme Court's conservative majority gave it to them. Spend any time with your nose buried in crosstabs from today and 2010, and it is crystal clear this contraception issue has had a negative impact among women for the GOP.
 
Which leads me back to the first link and this text:

This is not an anti-woman ruling.  It is anti-religious discrimination.  Post-Hobby Lobby, women still have access to contraceptives.  They still (unfortunately) have access to abortiofacient drugs.  They can pay for them out of their own pockets.  Companies have had, and thanks to this ruling, still DO have the ability to “practice what they preach” with respect to their religious beliefs.  They are not forcing their religion down the throats of employees or customers.  If the employees don’t like it, they can quit, and customers can go elsewhere.  The irony of this is that the vast majority of Hobby Lobby’s customers are: women.  If this ruling has a profound impact on women, the best thing that women can do is not shop there.  Somehow I don’t think that’s going to happen.

Then, to counter that, Rachel Maddow, my favorite liberal loon, used this misleading subject in the daily email I receive: The GOP's takes a risk celebrating contraception ruling. No one ever said, "Women, you can't have contraception." It doesn't say that!