Who won the contraception fight?

Thu Mar 1, 2012 5:46 PM EST

The gender wars are back. The Senate defeated the Blunt Amendment today, which would have allowed employers to refuse to cover health services for their employees—striking right at the heart of the contraceptive controversy. And yesterday, Rush Limbaugh verbally attacked the Georgetown University Law student who House Republicans wouldn’t let testify at a contraception hearing last week. Today, he refused to apologize—and crossed the line even further. Today more than 75 democratic members of Congress sent a letter to Speaker Boehner, calling on Republican leaders to condemn Limbaugh’s comments. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) will weigh in tonight.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Republicans are staying silent after Rush Limbaugh's offensive words about women and birth control. Chris talks to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Let me finish tonight with this. I think the Republican Party has gotten trapped in the way-back machine that Sherman and Mr. Peabody used back in the days of Bullwinkle and Rocky the Squirrel.

They and Rush Limbaugh seem to think that young women using birth control is a matter for hot debate, that they can score points attacking those young people for protecting themselves from pregnancy during their college years. 

Are they crazy?  Are they politically nuts enough to think the way to win votes in 2012 is to head deep into the long-ago territory of attacking people for using birth control? I have not heard a priest give a sermon on this topic since I was in grade school. Why are politicians and their radio ringleader out there in the church tent riling up people about something they put to bed a half century ago at least?

If it was only a old fuddy-duddy argument, that would be one thing.  Listen to Limbaugh - calling a young college student a "slut."  Just listen to him, this man who leads the Republican Party:

Rush Limbaugh: “What does it say about the college coed Susan Fluke [sic], who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex? What does that make her? It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute. She wants to be paid to have sex.”