RUSH: John Boehner went to the floor of the House today during one-minute speeches. Very seldom does the Speaker actually speak in the House of Representatives. It happens. But mostly the Speaker is a behind-the-scenes marionette pulling the strings, making the trains run on time or late, whichever is the case. This is what Boehner had to say during one-minute speeches on the House floor. It was around noon today, right as this program began, so you might not have heard it because you were all listening to this.

BOEHNER: In recent days, Americans of every faith and political persuasion have mobilized in objection to a rule put forward by the Obama administration that constitutes an unambiguous attack on religious freedom in our country. This rule would require faith-based employers, including Catholic charities, schools, universities, and hospitals, to provide services they believe are immoral. Those services include sterilization, abortion inducing drugs, devices, and contraception. This attack by the federal government on religious freedom in our country must not stand and will not stand.

RUSH: And there you have it, the fiery John Boehner. This attack by the federal government on religious freedom in our country must not stand, and it will not stand. So he’s saying the House will act to reverse the regime’s attack on religious freedom. “If the president does not reverse the department’s attack on religious freedom, the Congress must. The House will approach this matter fairly and deliberately, through regular order and the appropriate legislative channels. … This attack by the federal government on religious freedom in our country must not stand, and will not stand.”

The Washington Post has a story: “Why White House Sees Political Opportunity in the Contraception Battle.” There were some stories yesterday about the White House getting nervous, maybe walking this back. No, they love this. They love this battle. Obama loves — I made the point yesterday — Obama loves tweaking us. Obama loves getting us upset. The media does, too. They have the biggest time doing this. They love doing things just to get a rise out of all of us, including you. And the Washington Post, “Why White House Sees Political Opportunity in the Contraception Battle.”

Now, the article’s based on a chart from a Public Religion Research poll that shows that only a majority of the white evangelicals care about this abortion and contraception stuff. It just isn’t that important to other groups. That’s what the White House thinks. And it’s what the left thinks, by the way. I should tell you this. The left thinks that this stuff on the Catholic Church is not Catholic-wide, that a lot of Catholics don’t care. No big deal. The White House, the media, the Democrats, left, et al, what they think is the only people to get riled about this are white evangelicals and typical pro-lifers, and you know what they think of them. White evangelicals are a bunch of racists and the pro-lifers are a bunch of eggheads.

The bitter clingers, Obama and the left, they love sticking it to that group. They have no respect for them. They think they’re a bunch of hayseeds and hicks, and so the contraception battle, abortion battle, going against the Catholic Church, they think most Catholics are gonna care because they don’t think Catholics are like pro-lifers. They don’t consider Catholics to be evangelicals. Now, here’s more from the Washington Post article. “But while Catholic leadership has blasted the new regulation, polls show that a majority of Catholics are actually more supportive of the provision than the rest of the country.” Did you know that? The Washington Post has a story, polling data which says that a majority of Catholics actually support Obama in forcing Catholic schools to sell contraceptives and the morning-after abortion bill. Did you know that, folks? Yeah, right there, right there in the Washington Post.

“A poll out Tuesday from the Public Religion Research Institute finds 52 percent of Catholic voters agreed with the statement, ’employers should be required to provide their employees with health care plans that cover contraception and birth control at no cost.'”
Now, it doesn’t specify Catholic. It just says — (interruption) Well, Snerdley, it’s a poll. You can take the sample and get any result you want. I’m just telling you, you have a coordinated effort here again with the White House and the media, and this probably left-wing religious group that’s designed to dispirit you and make you think that you are in the minority of 10% of the country. That 90%, “Damn right, if I want an abortion you should pay for it. If I want I birth control pill, you should pay for it. If I want a morning-after pill, you should pay for it.” They want you to think that, if you oppose that as a Catholic, you’re in a small minority of people. This is the whole point of this.

Again, the Public Religion Research Institute finds 52% of Catholic voters agreed with the statement: Employers should be required to provide their employees with — now, the question does not say 52% of Catholic voters agreed with the statement: Catholic institutions should be required. Just the boss. Doesn’t specify Catholic schools or institutions outside the Catholic Church. And, by the way, all this stuff should be provided at no cost. Fifty-two percent. And they say this is pretty much in line with the overall support for the position which hovers at 55%. And, according to that poll, again, from the Public Religion Research Institute, Catholics care almost the least about this. Never mind Bill Donohue, the Catholic League, saying this is war and it might even end up in the streets. Bill Donohue doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Catholics are the least concerned about this, according to this poll. This poll claims that Catholics support Obama’s mandate in Obamacare 58 to 37%.

Which takes us to Jay Carney. The White House press secretary this afternoon says the regime’s not gonna reverse this. We’re not gonna walk this back. He’s asked by Wendell Goler at Fox. “You pushed back strongly on these other points. Are you not interested here finding a compromise on this?”

CARNEY: It is true. and has been true since the day that this was announced, that we intend as an administration, as Secretary Sebelius said, to work with religious groups that have concerns about this, to see if there’s a way to implement that policy, that eases some of those concerns. And both are true, but I wanted to be clear yesterday and I want to be clear today, that the commitment to ensuring that women have access to these important health care services remains very strong.

GOLER: So it’s not a compromise because you won’t walk back from access without a copay?

CARNEY: Correct.

RUSH: Not saying we’re not gonna compromise. No way. There’s nothing for us to compromise. And plus, they’ve got this poll out now in the Washington Post today, which backs ’em up.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Okay, so the Washington Post basically says, via a poll, that Catholics don’t really care about this. This is much ado about nothing. The only people that care about the mandate that Catholic schools and institutions provide abortions, contraceptives, that kind of thing — the only people care about that — are these hick, hayseed pro-lifers and a bunch of white evangelicals. Catholics don’t even care. From the Business Insider: “The Catholic Church has launched a fight against Obama that is unprecedented in American history.” A pull-quote: “And now the bishops are reported to be discussing organizing an enormous march on Washington to protest the law and indirectly the president himself. The truth of the matter,” according to Business Insider, “is the Catholic Church’s bishops have rarely been this united about anything.”

So now you’re faced with a dilemma. Who do you believe here? Here’s the Washington Post with a poll from some outfit called the Public Religion Research Institute that says 52% of Catholics agree with what Obama’s doing and that, of Catholics, they’re the ones that least care about any of this. The only people that do are white evangelicals and the usual pro-life hayseeds. And over here you have Bill Donohue saying it could lead to war in the streets. The Catholic Church has launched a fight against Obama “unprecedented in American history.” Who do you believe here? This is the kind of obfuscation that takes place in the Drive-Bys each and every day. Boy, for an issue that so few people care about, it’s amazing how it won’t go away.