The Smith Douglas More House on Eden Prairie Rd is America's most picturesque Dunn Bros franchise. It's located near a scenic bike trail, so one frequently sees spandexed middle-aged people sipping alfresco in the fenced-in side yard. Jenifer Loon held a meet-and-greet here on Saturday morning. I stopped by to ask her a few questions.
When I arrive, Loon is exchanging apolitical pleasantries with tea-drinking bicyclists. When she's done I ask her, if she's elected, will a constituent be able to expect a response when he emails her concerning her views? She says yes. (This comes as welcome news to those of us long stiff-armed by the incumbent's unreviewable, unilateral blacklisting of the non-kowtowing.)
I remind Loon that when she spoke at the 42B GOP convention, she said she would work to ban abortion except in cases of rape and incest. Prolife Across America has a sign on I35--I tell Loon--which says Embryos Are Babies. 'So you and I agree that that sign is crazy, right?' No, she doesn't believe it's crazy--she respects people who take that viewpoint. 'But what do you think of it,' I inquire. Loon says she really can't say, because she hasn't seen the sign.
'Assume for a moment that I'm telling you the truth--that the sign says Embryos are Babies. Do you agree with that statement, do you disagree with it or are you somewhere in the middle?' The politician tells me she doesn't agree and she doesn't disagree--nor is she somewhere in the middle. While unloading her dumptruckload of bullshit, Loon has an entirely blank, affectless expression. She's not walking away from me, she's not ashamed of herself, she doesn't seem at all riled. She's slightly hunched over, nursing her beverage. She gives every indication she's willing to continue; it's incredibly weird. We go back and forth a few more times; she will reveal nothing about her position on abortion or anything else. She then chides me for 'playing word games'. I remind her that I'm simply requesting a straight answer to a substantive question. To suggest that the question constitutes a word game is nonsensical.
Some Republican readers have occasionally bragged that they are able to get responses from Republican candidates on the issues of the day. I challenge you: Get a straightforward response from Jenifer Loon reacting to 'Embryos Are Babies.' She herself has publicly identified abortion policy as being a key area of emphasis to her candidacy; this question couldn't be more fair, could it?
What does Loon actually believe, on Embryos are Babies? If you believe in allowing rape victims to decide for themselves whether or not to continue their pregnancies, you're denying their fetuses some of the privileges and immunities of babies, right? So why not just tell the truth? Is this Loon's way of saying, 'Naive blogger, the homeowners of 42B are proud of me for having the courage to lie to people like you'? Or is Loon lying simply to avoid reminding the more rabid half of her base that she disagrees with them? Can anyone crack this case?
