In 2005 Schumer took women's rights off the table....right out loud.

[madfloridian]

And we are paying the price for that already in judges appointed and laws passed to restrict abortions.

Schumer said we could not afford to worry about issues like that anymore.

I guess today did not surprise me really.

Here is what he said in 2005:

He was at a fundraiser in GA. He admitted that the DSCC would choose the candidates. We already know the DCCC under Rahm did that. I posted today that Florida has made it clear they will pick candidates.

Florida county chairwoman says the party will pick the candidates.

We know they have done this for a while, but he openly admitted that issues no longer mattered.

There was an audio with the transcript...I have heard it but it does not appear to work now.

Schumer says party will pick the candidates

"Let me tell you one other thing we did. We are no longer letting Democrats get in a circle and shoot each other. I was just in Tennessee with Harry and with (...) and we have a primary and I stood up there Harold Ford is running and he can become the first African-American elected in the south to the Senate since reconstruction which would be a great thing for America. There is this young woman whose... not so young... but a nice woman running against him but everyone says she is going to attack him."
"...(unintelligible) we are going to intervene if anyone one democrat attacks another, we're doing that in states where there are primaries. We can't afford to do it anymore. This always happens in the primaries, we would throw up the cards and see where they landed. No more, we are finding the best candidate in every one of the seats where a Republican is vulnerable."

"So I called up Governor...our number one target is Rick Santorum...let him go back to wherever he lives, Maryland, you know you heard about it, he is Pennsylvania but he tried to get exempt from the school tax there cause he lives in Maryland even though he is a registered citizen of Pennsylvania. In any case I called up the Governor of Pennsylvania, Governor Rendell, I said who is the best candidate to beat Santorum. He there is only one person who could beat him but he won't run and B you wouldn't want him to. I said why wouldn't we want him to run, he said he's pro-life. He's a deeply religious Catholic man. Bob Casey."

"I said, those days are over Ed. Yes I'm pro-choice, but we need the best candidate. We can't insist that every democrat check off 18 different issues before they get (unintelligible) we could do that, we can't anymore. And so, we persuaded, Harry using his very...Harry has amazing insights into people...and we together persuaded Bob Casey to run. A poll yesterday...national...all the polls they did...Casey 51 Santorum 40. You should see Santorum nervous and walkin on the floor."

(unintelligible)

"And we're doing this in the other states."

And let me remind you that women are not a minority in the Democratic party. So in effect, Chuck Schumer actually said he did not care what women thought.

I think we are trying to be all things to all people, and we are failing to stand up for things that matter.

Selling out our own base to appeal to the 25% who support Bush

I have felt pretty sad today. I listened to Governor Dean today via streaming from Vermont Public Radio. He did not say much at all. He doesn't say much at all anymore. In order to win, he doesn't speak up for important issues.

That is just about how I feel today, that none of our Democrats say much anymore at all. They intend to win, even if we lose our principles in this party.

When it comes time to stand up, they don't. Schumer and Feinstein let us down in a major way today, but with Schumer it started bigtime in 2005 when he said we did not matter....that the party could not afford to stand for things anymore.

[Double T]

1. Time for schumer to go; need a new Dem replacement.

NY Democrats have been acting bizarre; Clinton, Schumer and Spitzer.

[John Q. Citizen]

2. We can blame the political bosses, or we can vote for Kucinich.

[Karenina]

3. The "nutty" elf

who is the ONLY ONE CONFRONTING REAL ISSUES AND TELLING THE TRUTH.

[Swamp Rat]

4. richtig!

:hi: :loveya:

[madfloridian]

5. What a change from his stance in 1998. What in the world happened?

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9507E6DB1F39F933A0575AC0A96E958260&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/K/Koch,%20Edward%20I.

"Spotlighting one of the clearest points of division between the candidates for Senate, Representative Charles E. Schumer attacked Senator Alfonse M. D'Amato yesterday over his opposition to abortion rights, describing him as an ''extremist'' whose votes in Congress had restricted the rights of women.

''He is so extreme that his voting record is not even right wing,'' said Mr. Schumer, the Brooklyn Democrat who is challenging Mr. D'Amato for his Senate seat. ''It is so far over as to be off the river bank.''

Mr. Schumer, flanked by abortion rights advocates on the steps of the Westchester County Courthouse in White Plains, noted that Mr. D'Amato had, during his 18 years in the Senate, almost invariably opposed legislation that was supported by those who support the right to abortion. That included bills to allow abortion in cases where a woman had become pregnant through rape or incest, and a law Mr. Schumer sponsored that imposed penalties on people who blocked access to abortion clinics.

....." Mr. Schumer said he would continue to hit Mr. D'Amato on the issue of abortion, asserting that it would win votes in the election ahead. ''I think he's going to regret the day he voted to take rights away from women,'' Mr. Schumer said."

What happened?

[madfloridian]

6. Trying to have it both ways on choice...taking no stand. What Harry Reid said.

This is from 2005. Roemer had run for chair of the party as anti-choice, and all of the leaders were rethinking how not to stand up for pro-choice constituents...in other words giving up a long-held stance to win.

For Democrats, Rethinking Abortion Runs Risks

Since its defeats in the November elections, nothing has put the fractured soul of the Democratic Party on display more vividly than abortion. Party leaders, including Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and the new chairman, Howard Dean, have repeatedly signaled an effort to recalibrate the party's thinking about new restrictions on abortion.

Adding to that, Congressional Democrats named a professed opponent of abortion rights, Harry Reid of Nevada, as the leader in the Senate. Some Democrats supported another abortion opponent, Timothy J. Roemer, for the party's chairmanship.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has actively recruited at least two abortion opponents to run for the Senate in 2006. And perhaps most symbolically, the party is seeking to enlist Robert P. Casey Jr., Pennsylvania's treasurer, to challenge Senator Rick Santorum, a stalwart foe of abortion rights. Mr. Casey is the son of former Gov. Bob Casey, a hero to abortion opponents inside and outside the Democratic Party. After trying unsuccessfully to have the party's 1992 platform state that Democrats did not support "abortion on demand," Governor Casey denounced the party for refusing to let him speak at its convention in New York on behalf of other Democrats who shared his views.

It's an interesting read about the various groups. But the most shocking is the statement from Harry Reid, yes our very own Harry Reid.

Senator Reid said that he welcomed the new "emphasis on recognizing the diversity of the party." He added, "We have had a lot of pro-life Democrats, but the pro-choice folk haven't reached out to them and haven't protected them."

He acknowledged some complaints from abortion rights groups about the party's shifting rhetoric. "They have to keep their folks geared up, just like people who work for more highways," Mr. Reid said. "That is what they do, just like the pro-life groups."

Just like people who work for more highways? Well, Mr. Reid, how the heck do you feel about birth control?

[madfloridian]

10. Abortion rights groups are like people who work for more highways...

said Reid.

No, sir, that is not a very good comparison. Shame on you.

[Ken Burch]

15. Reid said THAT?

:wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf:

[madfloridian]

17. Yes. he said it. That is how he looks at activist groups.

Sad, huh?

[bbgrunt]

7. Schumer has disappointed on many occassions.

[Solly Mack]

8. that tent might be big enough for people who want to

take my rights away but me womb isn't... and neither is my vote.

[flashl]

9. K&R n/t

[BrklynLib at work]

11. I cannot wait to vote Schumer out of office!!! and replace him with a REAL Progressive who actually

represents my views!!!!

[OzarkDem]

12. Selling out their base to pick up 25% of voters

its a great summary of the pervading ignorance and incompetence of our current Dem leadership.

You have to cut them some slack, however. Most of Dem leadership in Congress is the "B" team - the ones who have been elected time and again from "safe" districts. They apparently don't have a clue about how to appeal to voters and build their base of support.

[madfloridian]

13. It's amazing, isn't it?

:hi:

[madfloridian]

14. Amazing how women, NOT a minority, have rights that are negotiable.

Just saying. Doesn't bode well for those who ARE minorities.

:shrug:

[AuntPatsy]

20. You would think all women from all walks of life from all parties

would be horrified by such comments, but obviously not, all those women that that vote against their own rights should be ashamed, they should be forced to endure watching in Technicolor if it were someone how possible those women in the past who fought what many perceived to be a losing battle for the rights of us all, they should be made to watch how they were literally beaten like dogs, imprisoned for daring to speak their mind, seen as insane for attempting to require the same rights as all man....

I could go on but I honestly do not understand how even religious doctrine could deny what women have had to face and what many still do in order to be treated as equal of men............


I just don't get it, I really don't, especially those that have daughters, to allow their daughters might have to endure such a society again, amazes an sickens me.

And your right, the minorities better get ready to fight all over again to retain their rights as well if this is the case and we are just not that important.

Without us they would not be and thankfully most men know this.

[AuntPatsy]

16. He needs to go, he needs to be made to restate his positions in a room full of women Dems

[Zhade]

18. KICK

for my sisters

[KingFlorez]

19. He didn't take anything off the table

He was just acknowledging that not every viable candidate is going to have a favorable stance. The Senate leadership isn't bringing up any anti-choice bills and they make the agenda, so women's rights weren't taken off the table.

[madfloridian]

21. Reid is not pro-choice, never has been. Schumer was, but said....

we couldn't afford to worry about issues. Those are his words, I did not make them up.

Women are not a minority.

[Hidden Stillness]

22. Schumer has Been an Obstacle to Women's Rights for a Long Time

Schumer has had a disturbing, dismissive attitude toward women and women's rights for a long time--much like the sense you get from Biden (who helped give us Clarence Thomas), where it seems they just do not even think there are women in the world, and are bored and annoyed by the thought of them. Schumer was the one who recommended this Mukasey for Attorney General--a perplexing, baffling, incomprehensible thought--and knew about a very disturbing incident. before anyone knew what Mukasey's answer to the waterboarding/torture question was going to be. This was brought up by Dianne Feinstein and no one else, the male media has not "bothered" to refer to it (I guess it isn't "serious," being only about mere women), and was a concern to, it turns out, no one, it seems. I heard this account once, never again, and so I don't know all the details, but there was a woman on the New York City Police force, I think it was, who was raped by a male cop, the woman was completely abandoned by the force and the Prosecutor, she was fired, no charges were filed, and the male rapist is still with the police force (investigating domestic violence cases, etc., presumably). This was already known by Schumer, who thought it was just fine. Mukasey, as judge, did not correct this outrageous and frightening injustice against this woman, and dismissed the case.

Also, Schumer wrote a really dumbass book a couple of years ago, on "winning-Democrat-style politics," that I heard about on Charlie Rose. There was a brilliant part about appealing to women voters, and Schumer had some whole mental construct of women as "Mrs." something or other, and the real voter to address was "Mr. and Mrs." something or other ("Mr. and Mrs. America," God help us, possibly; don't remember). It was all addressed to the male and the male's concerns, and "Mrs." whatever--the admiring mirror--would presumably agree with everything "master" wanted. It was horrific and I turned the channel. No wonder they lost single women's votes. Schumer has been an angry bigot against women for a long, long time.

[madfloridian]

23. His statements were dismissive....like we don't count.

Like no one counts who thinks issues are important. Kind of sad.