Disappointed that the Democratic candidate for MS governor supported the Personhood amendment.

[madfloridian]

I was just reading the First Read article at MSNBC and saw this section:

Big win for Democrats in Ohio and an abortion surprise in Mississippi

In Mississippi, abortion rights advocates scored a somewhat surprising victory as the Associated Press projected that voters would defeat Initiative 26, a proposed amendment to the state’s constitution that would have defined the word “person” to include every human being “from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the functional equivalent thereof.”

With nearly 60 percent of the precincts reporting results, 57 percent of voters were voting “no” on the ballot measure.

A statement from Planned Parenthood cheered the victory, saying “Mississippi voters rejected the so-called ‘personhood’ amendment because they understood it is government gone too far, and would have allowed government to have control over personal decisions that should be left up to a woman, her family, her doctor and her faith….”

Both the Republican and Democratic candidates for governor had backed the measure.

When both parties support measures like this that intrude on the rights of women, it is discouraging.

When we complain about Democrats supporting such measures we are told they have to do so to win in red districts. But that is a sell-out of the women in those districts.

Kudos to the voters on their thumbs down. They knew better than politicians of both parties.

The same thing is happening in the field of education. The Democrats are actually pushing the "reforms" that are harming public schools more than the Republicans are.

It is happening in the cutting of the safety nets for seniors and the disabled. Our party leaders are just as supportive of measures that will cut back on Medicare and Social Security as the Republicans are.

All the while we are told not to worry about these things...these attacks on womens' rights, education, Social Security, and Medicare. We are warned that things would be worse under Republicans.

We are urged to accept the fact that Democrats for 3 years have had to cave to the minority in order to win.

I am having trouble believing that.

[piedmont]

1. I wrote in Eudora Welty this afternoon. Came down to her and Jimmy Buffet.

I wonder how many votes she won today?

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

2. Well, he lost

So if you see him, ask him how his strategy of acting like a Rethug worked for him?

[madfloridian]

3. Who was it that said...

If voters have a choice between Democrats trying to act like Republicans and true Republicans, they will vote for the real Republican.

That is paraphrased.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

4. Harry Truman (n/m)

[madfloridian]

5. Yes, found this about the Blue Dogs losses....

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/3894-they-voted-for-the-real-republican

" Given the choice between a Republican and someone who acts like a Republican, people will vote for the real Republican all the time."
- Harry S. Truman

It was bound to happen sooner or later, the Democrat's majority in Congress was built on a house of cards that was doomed to collapse. The base is strong: progressive and liberal Democrats are re-elected to be real Democrats. The problem is the majority depended on Democrats who acted like Republicans.

..."Going into last Tuesday's election the House Blue Dog caucus had 54 members. 28 of them will not be returning. While that doesn't in itself give the Republicans the majority, when you factor in other moderates who are not necessarily considered Blue Dogs - like Ike Skelton, who also went down in defeat - there is a clear theme developing. Skelton, for example, voted "no" on healthcare, was a hawk on defense and a fiscal conservative.

The theme is that if you were a Democrat who acted like a Republican, your constituents voted for the real Republican this time."

[RainDog]

6. maybe democrats didn't vote for an anti-choice candidate

I don't think I could.

[DFW]

7. This is REALLY significant

It is NOT always necessary to cave to placate a supposedly monolithic "conservative" group of voters.

Mississippi women are women, too, and the Democratic candidate for governor would do well to remember that.
Apparently Mississippi voters remembered that. I was a proud contributor to the "No on 26" campaign, and
I am overjoyed that the Mississippi women were supported by a majority on this crucial issue. We do NOT
have to let vocal radical rightists slowly drag us back to the Dark Ages, and Mississippi just proved it.

[madfloridian]

13. I agree.

In our area the Democrats have pushed good sensible candidates who stood for things out of the races to put in bigots with the D after their names.

They had the help of the national party.

I am proud that MS voted this down, but the Democratic candidate should have stood up for them.

You know what? There was a local election yesterday. They did not send out ballots and we were not even aware. Why weren't we aware? There was not much in the paper. Our county Democrats won't send emails unless we attend 3 meetings in a row. We have been unable to travel that far since hubby was ill. So they have effectively shut out at least half of their Democrats.

[chervilant]

14. Indeed!

"Supposedly monolithic" being the operative phrase here...

[madfloridian]

15. Or even "supposedly"....for them to even assume we all believe that way...

is astounding. It's the legacy of the DLC and the continued legacy of Clinton's Third Way thinking.

And yes the Clintons did work with Tony Blair and others to found the Third Way in the late 90s.

"The lofty chatfests symbolize the intimate political relationship between Clinton, a "new Democrat," and Blair, creator of new Labour. Each claims to embody a type of politics that is not just a poll-driven centrism but a "third way," a favorite Blair slogan and a phrase that Clinton highlighted in this year's State of the Union message. "Both governments have to react to challenges like globalization and better education for workers, and we have similar perspectives on what's needed," says White House aide Sidney Blumenthal, who organizes the meetings with his British counterpart, David Miliband, Blair's policy chief.

On the agenda for Chequers are social security, welfare, crime, health policy and education, with eight to 10 participants from each side."

[chervilant]

16. And,

isn't it rather ironic how many more DUers are finally acknowledging the obvious disconnect between our current crop of 'democratic' leaders and the Democratic Party Platform?!

"Third Way," my shiny hiney.

[Solly Mack]

8. k/r

[tcaudilllg]

9. When candidates are nominated who don't support the platform

That's the clearest possible sign that the party is no longer under left-wing control. We need to start taking a hard line... make the interior of this party a battlefield.

[Bucky]

10. Democratic leaders are, for the most part, spineless. They'll only fight RWers if we force 'em to.

[madfloridian]

18. Unfortunately most party leaders do not want to fight back.

They fall back on being bipartisan.

[a2liberal]

11. K&R (n/t)

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[madfloridian]

17. The candidate's statement on the personhood amendment....

"Personhood Amendment

Johnny DuPree supports the Personhood Amendment. While he has concerns about some of the ramifications, such as on in-vitro fertilization and birth control, he ultimately supports the amendment because he believes life begins at conception."

http://www.johnnydupree.com/issues/ballotinitiatives.php

There are problems with the concept of life beginning at conception. Voting for such anyway takes power from women. It takes away the right to many forms of birth control, and it puts the life of women at risk.

[madfloridian]

19. We take things like this so lightly now.

Most seem not to care about the selling out of seniors, teachers, women....in fact when we question we are made to feel guilty. When did we stop caring what the party leaders stand for and support?

[midnight]

26. Wisconsin Republicans approve Governor Scott Walker plan for Medicaid cuts

MADISON — Medicaid cuts expected to result in about 65,000 poor people leaving the health insurance programs have been approved by the Legislature’s Republican-controlled budget committee.

All Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee voted Thursday to approve the plan by Gov. Scott Walker’s administration.

All four Democrats opposed it.

The plan now heads to President Barack Obama’s administration for approval.http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20111110/APC0101/111110069&located=rss


This is what was in our news papers yesterday.... I have the feeling that Walker's Alec legislation will get the green light from Obama? I hope I'm wrong, but I can't count on Obama to defend those on a fixed income....

[blkmusclmachine]

20. And DOMA, & DADT, & MSM consolidation, & Union busting, & attacks on Safety net, & ...

They used to call it "triangulation." Today the betrayal is called "bi-partisanship." But ever notice that "bi-partisanship" NEVER comes back our way? The "Third Way/New Democrats" use "bi-partisanship" as a cover to pass GOP legislation when it's their "turn" in the WH

[rpannier]

21. Another politician who believed the Democrats had nowhere to go, so he'd embrace republikkan ideals

Now he has nowhere to go, but home

[madfloridian]

22. I think too many political leaders think just that way.

Unfortunately, the really discouraged electorate doesn't have to go anywhere....just stay home.

And that is not a good thing.

[loyalsister]

23. Are these comments coming from MS?

or even a southern region? I have a friend from MS who finds it frustrating, but points out that all of her neighbors are anti-choice and somehow have to be convinced to vote for Democrats.

[madfloridian]

24. Yes, I live in the south.

And I believe that if our party stood up and spoke up about how women's rights are being harmed, how they could be in danger because of these new amendments...I think many would easily understand.

But since our side often takes the same positions as the right wing in order to win....then the people only hear one side.

Why have two parties if one stands for nothing?

[loyalsister]

25. But what about the rights of females who are aborted?

is the tripe I usually hear when I make that argument.