Reply #26: NARAL occasionally is "locally smart, globally brain-dead"

[Tesha]

NARAL (and/or its local affiliates) occasionally takes positions
that're "locally smart, globally brain-dead". NARAL-NH did it in
1994 when they endorsed Charlie Bass, the Republican challenger
over Dick Swett, the Democratic incumbent for the 2nd CD seat.

Now there's no question that, viewed from his position statements,
Bass had the better positions on abortion rights. But as you'll
recall, 1994 marked the loss of the Democrat's majority in the
Congress, and *THAT* has had a devastating effect on women's
rights in general, and especially on abortion rights. NARAL-NH
would have been far smarter to have endorsed Swett, the guy who
didn't quite fit their position, but who as a member of the
party that generally supported their positions, than to have
endorsed Bass and thereby help lose the whole enchilada.

And it turns out Bass often votes the Republican party line anyway,
contrary to his stated positions before being elected. (In other
words, he lied on his answers to NARAL-NH; wot a shock, ehh?)

Right after the endorsement, I demanded (and received) my NARAL-NH
contribution back, but it took a long time to convince them to quit
calling me to solicit another contribution.

Tesha