Emily’s List Goes After Obama’s Leadership on Choice
Hillary’s campaign held a press conference this morning with Emily’s List President Ellen Malcolm before the NPR/IPR debate to reinforce their attacks on Obama on abortion yesterday — when Senator Clinton accused Obama of failing to take a stand for choice by voting “present” on several votes in the Illinois Senate.
Malcolm contrasted what she called Hillary’s strong leadership on fighting for Plan B contraception and against John Roberts’ nomination for the Supreme Court with Obama’s presumably less-principled leadership – but admitted, of course, that Obama is just as pro-choice as Hillary is. Take a listen.
doneThe Obama campaign points out, though, that Obama was the only pro-choice Senator — Democrat or Republican — to help raise money to repeal the complete ban on abortion in South Dakota last year. They say Clinton was asked and said no. They also sent over a thank-you note from Malcolm to Obama for his efforts.
And the campaign released a statement from Chicago NOW director Lorna Brett, who devised the strategy on abortion issues that led Obama to vote present, saying “I am a supporter of Hillary Clinton and an Emily’s list donor, but this line of attack is unacceptable. While I was the president of Chicago NOW, Senator Obama worked closely with us, could not have been more supportive of a woman’s right to choose, and there was no bigger champion in Illinois on our issues.”
An Obama spokesperson calls this “a desperate attack that backfired (in a growing list of such attacks lately).”
UPDATE: The Clinton campaign, finally reading this clearly indispensable blog (or at least checking it after Ben Smith of the Politico linked to it) emails to say that while the Chicago NOW director doesn’t like their argument, the entire statewide organization is behind it.
In a statement, IL NOW says it did not recommend the endorsement of Obama for US Senate in 2004, “because he refused to stand up for a woman’s right to choose and repeatedly voted ‘present’ on important legislation.” President Bonnie Grabenhofer says “When we needed someone to take a stand, Senator Obama took a pass. He wasn’t for us then, and we don’t expect him to be now.”
[...] [2007-12-5 11:14:18 by Jerome Armstrong]: The Chicago NOW director doesn’t like this Clinton argument against Obama, but the entire statewide organization is behind [...]
In addition to the pro-choice attitudes of Obama, Emily’s list might want to dig up the current statistics on rape, trafficking and prostitution which have always been women’s issues – and that show disproportionate rates within the black community in most cities – that, by themselves, raise the issue of whether a former community organizer, turned State Senator, turned Federal Senator has done anything to address these problems.
Chicago rates are as high, or higher than any among current statistics.
One would hope that America would not be trying to elect a President for whom these issues are mere numbers, and who doesn’t recognize his abiity or obligation to help women negotiate their lives to avoid the possibility of selling themselves as their only way of survival.
One presumes that any President elected is interested in the welfare of all people, not just men, and that any affiliation with a racial group is done for its benefit, not merely to use to get elected.