Well done, as Allahpundit writes at Hot Air:
I have no idea how an answer like this plays among the electorate generally — maybe it’ll be seen as evasive — but among righties on Twitter, who are high-fiving over it as I write this, it’s spun gold. Via Dave Weigel, skip to 8:00 of the clip below for the question and answer. The AP tried to corner Paul on abortion this afternoon by asking him to state definitively which exceptions to a ban he’d support. (In their defense, although firmly pro-life, he has been strategically cagey about his intentions on this subject if elected president.) Paul danced around the AP’s questions; the DNC then dutifully sent the story around to the media, hoping they’d take the baton and keep asking him about it. Sure enough, at his presser in New Hampshire this afternoon, a local reporter asked him about exceptions to abortions bans. Paul was ready for them this time. Watch the clip and see.
And this is no idle tu quoque. The great majority of Americans oppose late-term abortion; the vast majority, maybe a unanimous majority at this point, of Democratic leaders support it without restriction. They are, without exaggeration, absolute fanatics on this subject. And proudly so.
Which brings us to this post at Twitchy: “Debbie Wasserman Schultz is apparently determined to prove that she’s all the horrible things we think she is:”
Little Debbie didn’t like getting called out. So she fired back with this:
“Here’s an answer,” she said in an emailed statement. “I support letting women and their doctors make this decision without government getting involved. Period. End of story. Now your turn, Senator Paul.”
“Period,” eh, Debbie? Meaning what, exactly?
Now on record: DNC comes out for zero restrictions on abortion – including in 7th & 8th months of pregnancy. https://t.co/mXJ6uziAFs
— Brad Dayspring (@BDayspring) April 8, 2015
Wendy Davis got electorally destroyed for having a *less* extreme position than the head of the DNC just admitted to. Take note, @GOP
— CounterMoonbat (@CounterMoonbat) April 8, 2015
As Ace adds, “I think Rand Paul did a smart thing here. He’s not my guy, but he definitely did something smart:”
This should be the standard answer to any media question about the fringier parts of the Republican coalition: I will answer your question the very moment you ask the Democrats about this analogous fringe demand of the Democrat Party.
Come back to me with an answer, and I’ll answer your question.
Allahpundit agrees. “Paul’s response should be a stock answer for any GOP candidate who gets a question on a third-rail social issue going forward:”
We’ll weigh in just as soon as Hillary Clinton does. Want to know what Marco Rubio thinks about abortion exceptions? No problem — just as soon as Hillary tells us when life begins. Want to hear Ted Cruz’s take on gay marriage? He’d be happy to provide it — just as soon as Hillary answers a simple question about how many genders she thinks there are. The wedge question should cut both ways this campaign, whether the media likes it or not.
Welcome to the party, Hillary.
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