Donors Oppose Senate Choice Over Abortion

[Rose Siding]

A group of wealthy Hollywood donors is raising money to fight the Democratic leadership's first choice to run for a Senate seat in Rhode Island because that candidate opposes abortion rights.

Victoria Hopper, wife of the actor Dennis Hopper, enlisted 16 actors, producers and philanthropists to sign a letter objecting to the potential candidacy of Representative Jim Langevin, who is being recruited for the 2006 race by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

The letter writers say they support the primary candidacy of Matt Brown, Rhode Island's secretary of state, for the seat now held by Lincoln Chafee, a Republican.

"This is even more important than one precious Senate seat; it is a fight to protect women and families, and a fight for the core and soul of our party," Ms. Hopper wrote in the letter. "Unbelievably, some conservative D.C. Democrats have recruited Representative Jim Langevin, a radically anti-choice candidate."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/28/national/28abort.html?ex=1267333200&en=ee76b8346f59b703&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland

[PROGRESSIVE1]

1. and Langevin is a Liberal on all the other issues and HE CAN WIN!

Langevin is more popular than Chaffee. I support Langevin.

[GOPBasher]

12. See post 11

[Mandate My Ass]

2. Good, I hope they do this in PA too

Casey is also anti-choice.

[David Dunham]

3. It is more important to win the seat. We have a big tent

The Republicans are smart enough to have people with all positions on abortion included among their Senators. Democrats had better follow that example too or we will not win a majority.

[countingbluecars]

5. Heavy sigh

I suppose, but it makes me sad. I thought we were about equal rights for all-including women.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

10. I support Langevin. On the other major issues, he is with us.

[GOPBasher]

13. See post 11

[theHandpuppet]

14. Oh? How does he stand on equal rights for gays?

Or are gays and women expected to "take one on the chin" again so the party can "win" without supporting their rights?

[JerseygirlCT]

25. I disagree

Chafee is probably the least objectionable Republican in the Senate, and a liberal on almost every issue I can think of. Replacing him ought not to be at the top of the list of priorities. Replacing him with an anti-choice candidate (particularly, as someone else has pointed out, in a solidly blue state like RI) is just plain obnoxious.

We have a big tent, we are the big tent. Choice is the ultimate big tent. Against abortion? Don't have one.

[VegasWolf]

4. The letter writer is correct, pro-choice is one of the defining issues

of the democratic party. I, for one, would never vote
for a pro-life candidate under any circumstance. IMO,
repuke lite is not the future. Many liberals will depart
the party for a 3rd party if that happens. Sorry to all
of you democratic pro-lifers, but neither my wife nor I will
vote that way.

[MountainLaurel]

7. Thank you

As a woman of childbearing age, this isn't an issue of a big tent, it's an issue of my being able to access a medical procedure should my contraception fail or an intended pregnancy need to be terminated for medical reasons.

[Maine-ah]

9. "pro-life" is one of the terms we need to change.

It's not that we are "pro-abortion" is it? NO! We are PRO-CHOICE! They are "ANTI-CHOICE" This is one of the terms we need to figure out how to change and get into the MSM. :dem:

[Tyrone Slothrop]

15. No, they are not anti-choice

They are "Anti-women", "anti-rights", and "pro-rapist".

We need more offensive (in both senses of the word) labels for our opponents and talking points.

Any candidate who espouses such a position should be labeled as such.

[HockeyMom]

22. The are ProBIRTH

NOT prolife. Prolife would mean they cared what happens to ALL living human beings. They don't.

[Megahurtz]

6. If Langevin is anti-choice

he needs to get the boot. He has no business representing the Democratic Party. He's probably just another sneaky Repuke plant.

Pro-Choice is one of the forefront issues of the Democratic party and we should stand firm on this issue and not waver for any reason.

I will not waver and I will not vote for any Democrat or anyone else who is anti-choice .

[Dhalgren]

8. Where does it stop?

Maybe we could get an Alabama senate seat back by running "Big Bubba" Blalock as a Democrat. He is really liberal except for being anti-choice, pro-war, and anti-gay. Otherwize, he's real librul - why, there's even Negroes who go to his club (they work there, but he is not against it!)! Geeezzee....

[GOPBasher]

11. Normally, I wouldn't mind a pro-life candidate, but why

would they do this in Rhode Island? That state is as blue as it gets. We don't need to do that. I can see running pro-lifers in red states, but this is just stupid.

[PurityOfEssence]

21. Rhode Island is the most Catholic state in the union

Those of us who lived there in the early 70s remember the ruckus raised by Roe v. Wade becoming law.

Yes, Rhode Island almost went for McGovern in '72 and is a reliably honorable state for progressive ideals, but abortion is a hot-button issue there, even after all this time.

Rhode Island, although the smallest state, is the second most densely populated one, and the Roman Catholic Church has incredible influence there. Got it?

[HockeyMom]

23. Pharmacists

You must have a lot of pharmacists refusing to dispense the Birth Control Pill too then in Rhode Island.

Former Catholic (birth control, abortion, divorce)

[JerseygirlCT]

26. And many, many R. Catholics are pro-choice

I wouldn't be so quick to assume that R. Catholic must equal anti-choice. That's the official line, but it's not carried through to the folks in the pews.

[GOPBasher]

28. I didn't realize that.

I always thought the Rhode Island was one of the most liberal states on everything, ESPECIALLY social issues. That sucks.

[cally]

16. This is exactly how to handle this

Dems don't have to financially support anti-choice candidates. We can be a big tent but much of the money will not support these candidates. Don't take us for granted DNC. I would vote for any Dem but I will in no way financially support them. I will work against them. I will not support Reid's PAC for that reason even though I do like him. If he created a PAC where he promised to not support anti-abortion candidates, then I may contribute. Dems just need to learn that we don't walk in lock step with the party wishes. I'm not giving up my rights for their power grab.

[Politiclo8]

17. The real way to frame the anti-choicers is............

expose them as being against birth control and the morning after pill. Expose them as extremists and point out all of the bills which have been passed in various states which allow pharmacists not to fill valid prescriptions. I believe that there is a similar bill that is up for discussion in Rhode Island. Where the hell are Planned Parenthood and NARAL?

Along with these laws and abstinence-only education, fewer insurance companies are covering birth control pills in their health care plans. This is only going to result in more unplanned and unwanted pregnancies

I don't know the exact numbers but I doubt that 10% of Americans equate using birth control or the morning after pill to abortion. I doubt even a majority of Catholics agree that birth control equals abortion. If this were not true then all of the anti-choice people would be dumping birth control pills at their rallies or wear signs that have a slash through a container of birth control pills, but they don't because they know they would lose the support a lot of women who think that abortion is wrong but find birth control as an acceptable means of preventing unwanted and unplanned pregnancies.

So why are the Democrats capitulating instill of capsulizing on these extreme laws and ideas?

Democrats should take a tactic from the right wing wackos by exposing the extreme ideas of the anti-choice gangs through direct mailings. I know that the internet is more efficient but not everyone lives in cyberspace especially those people in the red states which the Democrats are supposedly trying to gain more voters.

Of course these direct mail groups would have to be funded through private sources so they can't be directly connected to the Democratic Party. This would be ideal to explain the complex scam of Bush's Social Security hustle and various scandals like GannonGate. Of course I appreciate this website and other websites like Buzzflash but let's be honest these websites just preach to the choir.

[Demeter]

18. Now We Get Some Party Discipline

Sorry, but it has to be done. If the candidate deviates from the basic "If you don't like abortion, don't have one" principle, then he or she is not a candidate for the Democrats. That's tolerance, folks, and MYOB, the two fundamentals for us.

[DemBones DemBones]

19. The Democratic Party will make a big mistake if it makes

candidates toe the Party line and support legalized abortion on demand. The Republican Party does not make its candidates oppose abortion, why should we make abortion a litmus test?

Some of us liberal Dems oppose the killing done by war, capital punishment, abortion, and euthanasia. Does the Party want us to vote GOP?

I guarantee that if I see a litmus test being applied on this issue, I'll leave the party and re-register as an independent.

[napi21]

24. I agree! We should not have a litmus test!

To demand that any of our candidates be pro choice is just as bad as the Pub extremists demanding that Shrub nominate extreme judges, and put the 10 comandments in public buildings.

I have fought way to may fights with Pubs who said they liked the Dem candidate EXCEPT he was pro-choice. It is wrong to be a single issue voter no matter what side you're on.

[PATRICK]

20. Check out the letter list

I also have a big problem with big donors acting holier than Ben and Jerry and about one red flag issue no less. Check them out. As soon as someone mentions Dennis Hopper I only think of his infomercial schemes for which many settlements were made to people lured into get rich quick nutritional products schemes. Maybe that is why these western living people have anything to do with Rhode island which, if I remember correctly, had the laxest laws on incorporating.

The flag goes up and no one asks WHO owns the hand and is doing the simplistic shouting? And the GD, God-awful, Dem-bashing NYT is at it again in the framing totally.

I'm sorry. Expect your chain to be yanked continuously by suspect(or proven villainous) sources with the net result that a REAL anti-choice, GOP gangster will get the seat. It is so easy to put people unprepared for deceit on the defensive.

What are we, professional party leadership DLC types triangulating ourselves and calling the handwringing and handwashing a cleanliness crusade?

Research, don't react. The Internet is still fast enough to have a LITTLE patience in sorting out the flags, the attacks, the scoops.

If they had any concern about abortion rights they MIGHT have wanted to see what the GOP was going to front. Now they have triangulated the issue against the Democrats in general no matter who runs.

Research. Especially the genesis of the complainers.

[Crowdance]

27. Is this the part where the anti-choice "dems" come out to play?

Reproductive choice is a bottom-line human rights issue. People who do not support it do not deserve our support. The remotest possibility of these people receiving some of my money is why I stopped donating to Democratic groups. I give my money now ONLY to candidates, and only to those who maintain the human decency to recognize women as full human beings.

This guy would deny born, full-fledged human women the right to life and health. He is despicable, as is anyone who would condone his viewpoint. If we can't STARt with a bottom line of what we find acceptable,then what moral use are we as a party?

[Moderator]

29. kick to combine threads

[justy387]

30. Donors Oppose Senate Choice Over Abortion

Source: NYTimes http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/28/national/28abort.html?oref=login

A group of wealthy Hollywood donors is raising money to fight the Democratic leadership's first choice to run for a Senate seat in Rhode Island because that candidate opposes abortion rights.

"This is even more important than one precious Senate seat; it is a fight to protect women and families, and a fight for the core and soul of our party," Ms. Hopper wrote in the letter. "Unbelievably, some conservative D.C. Democrats have recruited Representative Jim Langevin, a radically anti-choice candidate."

Asserting that "money is the biggest and loudest message" to the Democratic leadership, the letter said "that we must not waste precious Democratic resources by fighting against ourselves in the primary process with unsuitable candidates."

Michael Guilfoyle, a spokesman for Mr. Langevin, said, "The support of Rhode Island voters is more important than money from Hollywood."

[justy387]

31. It's ridiculous for the Dems to run somebody so anti-choice

in Rhode Island. The irony is that Linc is one of the GOP's most reliably pro-choice votes. I really like Linc, and would prefer Linc to run as a Democrat than to put Langevin in office.

Pro-choice voters are in a quandary. Should they vote for a solid pro-choice candidates and help keep an anti-choice party in power, or should they vote for an anti-choice guy to return a pro-choice party to power?