Komen Public Policy Director, Karen Handel Resigns. Here’s Four More Suspects In The Planned Parenthood Defunding Debacle.
After less than a year on the job as Senior Vice President for Policy at the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Karen Handel resigned today in a bit of a huff (see her resignation letter). She wrote she was “deeply disappointed by the gross mischaracterizations of the strategy, its rationale, and my involvement in it.” ‘Nuff said. She’s got moxie.
She’s been anointed the goat, as in scapegoat, for Komen’s preposterous and coldly calculated policy change that, they maintained, left them no choice but to disqualify Planned Parenthood’s grant status after the 2011 cycle. That 2011 funding, by the way, was for
breast cancer screening, for which it had provided $700,000 in 2011, see Komen Gets Goin’. The policy change balderdash they tried to foist off on the public asserts that if
“an applicant or its affiliates” is under investigation “for financial or administrative improprieties by local, state or federal authorities,” then “the applicant will be ineligible to receive a grant.”
No presumption of innocence there. No understanding of the political reality that any group that wishes to see a Komen grantee denied applicant status will merely gin up an “investigation,” like, for example, the most wild-eyed pro-life cities, towns, and train stops in America. Unintended consequences? Not likely. Komen’s been infected. A cure will be painful.
Yet, dumping the entire mess in Handel’s lap is ludicrous. Yes, she’s a right wing nut who was endorsed by Sarah Palin in her 2010 losing run for the Georgia governorship. Handel is a low-tax, low-spend, “constitutionalist” who strikes a strong pro life stance. She was, however, attacked in 2010 by Georgia Right to Life because she “did not meet the 21st century demands of being pro-life” (i.e. Handel would permit abortion in cases of incest, rape, and when the mother’s life was endangered). During the gubernatorial campaign, however, she did indeed propose defunding Planned Parenthood if elected:
“[S]ince I am pro-life, I do not support the mission of Planned Parenthood,” she wrote when she pledged to eliminate all state funds for breast and cervical cancer screening to the group if she were elected governor.
Apropos Komen, Handel also got some heat from the pro choice crowd during her 2010 campaign for voting, in March 2005, in support of a contract with . . . ta da! . . . Planned parenthood of Georgia. This, while she was Commission Chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. Here’s the relevant record from the Board’s March 16, 2005 Recess Meeting; note the measure passed unanimously:
2. DEPARTMENT: Health and Wellness
SERVICE/COMMODITY: Expanded Family PlanningBID #: 20050002YB
TOTAL AMOUNT OF PURCHASE: $425,568PRIME CONTRACTOR: Planned Parenthood of Georgia(Atlanta, GA)REQUESTED ACTION OF THE BOC: Approval of contract with Planned Parenthood of Georgia to provide familyplanning services in an amount not to exceed$425,568 for the period from date of award throughDecember 31, 2005.
. . . Unrelated items omitted . . .
A. A motion was made by Commissioner Lowe and seconded by Commissioner Riley to approve numbers 1, 2, 3, and 5. The motion carried by a unanimous vote of 7-0-0. Commission Chair Handel, Vice Chair Darnell, and Commissioners Pitts, Riley, Lowe, Boxill, and Edwards voted yes. [emphasis added] FULTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS,RECESS MEETING, pgs. 12-13, March 16, 2005
In addition, the contract was for women’s health services, not abortion services since, in 2005, it was not legal for Planned Parenthood of Georgia to perform abortions.
Here’s how the Political Vine: The Insider’s Source on Georgia Politics, a typical Georgia detractor, characterized Handel’s commission vote:
“PV Provides Some Analysis: Hypothetically, if the terrorist group Hamas applied to a Georgia county for a contract to teach fire safety to school children, would it be okay with you folks if that contract was awarded to them? You know…’cause they do have a lot of experience in causing fires to happen, so, they would likely BE a good teacher to kids in getting them to learn about fire safety, right?”
Hamas?? Yeah, right. Tight analysis. Trenchant logic.
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Cliff Stearns, a certain GOP Congressloon and his September 2011 announcement of a House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee investigation of Planned Parenthood,
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Nancy Goodman Brinker, Komen founder herself, and former Bush II administration Ambassador to Hungary , an enthusiastic conservative Republican party donor (as is her husband Norman, the chairman of Brinker International Restaurants, which owns the chains Chili’s, Maggiano’s, and Macaroni Grill),
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Jane Abraham, Komen’s Advocacy Alliance Board member and the General Chairman of the anti-choice Susan B. Anthony List and of its Political Action Committee, and
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Ari Fleischer, of all people, the right wing former press secretary for George W. Bush, and anti-Planned Parenthood, was deeply involved in interviewing candidates for the position that Handel eventually won. Fleischer, according to Think Progress, a source indicates that “during at least one interview, Planned Parenthood was a major topic of conversation. Fleischer indicated that he had discussed the Planned Parenthood issue with Komen’s CEO, Nancy Brinker, and that she was at her wits end about how to proceed.”
This brouhaha is not going away soon. Suspects abound. And Handel’s no ‘go softly into the night’ type. Here’s an intriguing event, too. Congressloon Stearns, in his press statement after Komen’s reversal of its decision, indicated “I wasn’t involved in either decision.” Well, who suggested he was involved . . .? Hmmmmm. Recall Pilger’s Law:
Amazing how simple it can be to communicate with people and have them understand a certain topic, you made my day.