Obama Airs Tough Abortion Ad In Swing States

Politico:

Barack Obama has launched a broadside against John McCain's opposition to abortion rights and moved one of the most divisive issues in modern American politics to the airwaves on a large scale for the first time in this presidential campaign.

Obama's new radio ad, airing widely in at least seven swing states, tells voters McCain "will make abortion illegal." It's airing as McCain courts female voters with the addition of the staunchly anti-abortion governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, to his ticket.

Read the whole story: Politico

Comments

[50centsaday]

Obama "tough" on privacy concerns?
Hardly.

In Iowa in October of 2007, Obama, speaking on abortion, told an audience that it is a privacy concern and the woman should be able to choose.

However, in cases of sexual assault, his Illinois Senate Bill (# 0943) ignores the privacy and choice concerns of the victim.

This bill states that in a sexual assault case, a hospital is required to conduct appropriate medical examinations and laboratory tests, whether the victim wants them or not. This bill replaces the previous version where the woman had to consent to the examinations.

Similarly, this bill requires the hospital to share all of this information with law enforcement authorities, whether the victim wants them to or not. Again, this clause replaces the ‘with the victim’s consent’ clause of the previous version.

[vinny]

Anyone else here tired of abortion being used as a wedge issue? Anyone else here see how this wedge issue distracts us from having conversations about other important matters? Has anyone else here considered how pushing folks away from the Ds on the basis of abortion caused SCOTUS to become MORE conservative?

[mscriblerus]

If it wasn't abortions, it would be something else. But I agree, we've got quite the grocery list of issues that are getting ignored.

[tuttlemsm]

Right. So in order to win more elections, the Democrats should just ignore a 2/3 majority on this issue and just cave in to what the 1/3 minority wants. Just to get the wedge issue out of the way and not push people away from the D's.

Why shouldn't it be the other way around? Maybe those people to whom you allude--- the ones who are otherwise socially progressive, who support Democratic economic policy, and in whose best interest it would be to vote Democratic, but who otherwise vote Republican anyway ONLY because of abortion--- maybe *they're* the ones that ought to put aside the wedge issue, get in step with the majority on abortion, and vote with their brains instead of their hearts for a change.

[pattio66]

The point here is that government has no business in my uterus. Period. Thank GOD there are more of us than there are of those who think government DOES have business in my uterus.

[vinny]

Discussion Qs:

1. So you are saying that would-be embryo - that potential fetus is your own personal property, to with what you will?

2. Do you completely discount the question PERIOD of when life should be protected?

3. Finally, do you think it is possible to form a more coherent position about culture of life issues? Or is the "culture of life" meme simply not valid for a liberal democrat who stands on principles (1) do no harm and (2) help those who are disadvantaged?

Answer the questions directly.

[rzan]

If you support McCain, then you have no room to talk., considering how many Iraqi men, women, children, and yes - fetuses have died in your war. The Republican party is no protector of life.

[Beachrunner]

Obama is wasting his (donor's) money. He should focus on the economy and the war.

All he's doing is fanning the flames of the culture war. What's next? "McCain is going to outlaw homosexual­ity." Stupid.

He should be above this sort of thing. Legal abortion is the law of land, like it or not, and it isn't going to change.

[mjtaylor22]

If McCain was elected by some horrible twist of dark fate for the American People, he would have the opportunity to appoint 2 to 3 Supreme court Justices. teh Law of the land could change very quickly. The republicans have spent all their energy in mudslinging deception while they systematically tear away at the Laws and rights the Americans have protested, fought, bled, and died for to make our country fairer and better and more balanced !
Wake Up America
Enough is Enough
time for a real change
Obama/Biden
08/12

[tuttlemsm]

"Legal abortion is the law of land, like it or not, and it isn't going to change."

It's one Supreme Court Justice away from changing. That makes it a legitimate issue.

In the broader scope of the culture war, the next president is going to likely have the opportunity to appoint two or three justices who will be there for thirty years. Do we want justices that will *take away* more of our rights, or affirm them?

[foxfan]

12 years of Reagan/Bush and 8 years of Bush and abortion is still legal. If McCain is strong enough to make it illegal then we should all vote for him because clearly he has the ability to get things done that other presidents can't.

[Ramirez]

Democrats only:

So how does a president "make abortion illegal"?

[gazissax]

Are you afraid that Republicans will tell you how Bush does it?

[Marichu]

The implication was that to make abortions illegal, Roe v. Wade has to be struck down. This could by done through a Constitutional Amendment. Of course, if there is a democratic majority in both of the houses of Congress, that won't happen.
Another way might be by appointing­/nominatin­g jurists to the Supreme Court who favor a reversal of Roe v. Wade. Again that might be difficult if democrats control both houses of Congress. All this is assuming that democrats take control of Congress in November.
But I'm sure you knew all this.
I am not a democrat, so does that make my response to your question invalid?

[tlgeiger62]

Great explanation! Thanks Marichu!

[Daisy1111]

Which all points to the fact no president can single-handedly make it illegal.

Which means "O" lies.

A constitutional ammendment? Yeah sure -- ya think all those republican senators and congressmen from liberal states are going to vote for it? Can you find one who will propose such an ammendment in the first place?

Nope -

And for the Court to overturn it there has to be a case moving through the lower courts. What case? Have you seen any cases challenging the core rights provided of RvW in the pipeline?

Nope -

"O" is insulting the intelligence of voters with this ad.

[Ramirez]

If Roe v Wade is overturned, would that make abortion illegal?

[Daisy1111]

Seems noone is raising their hand.

[Knowitall]

Simple, appoint a supreme court judge in the case of a retirement or death, and not have a veto proof majority in the senate.

[maddie0001]

I think it's crucial to point out that the Palins made a choice to continue their pregnancies, a choice Sarah would deny to your daughter if she had the chance. And she's goning to pick Supreme Court judges that agree with her.

Personal and private goes both way, it not just for republicans anymore.

[Daisy1111]

I wonder if O's teenage Mom considered abortion?

I mean, she was impregnated by a married man much older than herself.

And there's no proof she ever married him.

[pattio66]

Senator Obama was born before Roe v Wade, Daisy...yo­u know that.

[jsarets]

More than 80% of Americans believe that abortion should be permitted at least in cases of rape, incest, or risk to the mother's health. The pro-choice side of the issue works on the national level.

The problem is that it doesn't work on the congressional level. Blue Dog Democrats representing the South and Appalachia will have to run away from Obama because their constituencies are disproportionately populated by the other 20%.

It doesn't matter how overwhelming the support for reproductive rights may be in Massachusetts, because it's Virginia we're gunning for in this election, and there's a lot of pro-lifers there.

For a single-parent household in the South, the cost of raising a child born in 2008 is over $16K per year excluding college or over $340K total including public college. Minimum wage is $13K per year. Would this economic argument be considered offensive to Southern Evangelicals?

[wendynyc]

This is sad - the election is again turning to such strong emotional issues - look at all the posts here - this is crazy - no one knows the right answers.
Abortion maybe wrong in most instances and now through better information in schools - hopefully our children and young adults are growing up with a little sense of the effects of unwanted pregnancies.

Better education about this issue at an early age is the right answer - I think this is what Obama was saying about his daughters - he wants them to learn about pre-marital sex and pregnancy and abortions early enough so they do not wind up making wrong choices for themselves.

We do not live in the pre-historic era - according to the extreme right - a woman should become a baby producing factory - how are we then different from the Taliban??

[LadyFist]

Anyone read the comments from the original article? Scary.

[tomjones44]

your not kidding

[jsarets]

Politico is a cesspool of disgusting comments. I'm not a fan of censorship, but if I had to take the pro side of that debate, I would use Politico comments as a compelling example of hateful ignorance that's substantially more damaging than sex or violence.

[Obama08Supporter]

where would I find the comments

[bogues]

Sen. Obama understands that there are some things that only God knows. When he made the statement about being above my pay grade, he was talking about God being the only one who knows for certain when life begins. Only God decides who is sinning and who isn't and only God decides who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. Sarah Palin is very attractive to the hard-right of the Republican Party and that is why McCain picked her. He will be happy to weather the storms that are brewing about her qualifications or lack there of, simply to get the evangelical base secured. Sen. Obama has been deliberately mis-quoted about the partial birth abortion issue and those who do that on this site know who you are. Gov. Palin has a family that is in crisis. She has chosen to go ahead and run with McCain anyway and put her family through all of this. I really do not understand why the christian community are applauding that and bragging about her choice for her daughter. Why are they not asking why the family values were not strong enough to prevent her daughter from getting pregnant out of wed-lock in the first place. It is simply hypocritcal of anyone to want the right to make a choice and then take that right away from someone else.

[KBAR]

When he made the statement about being above my pay grade, he was talking about God being the only one who knows for certain when life begins.

To para phrase Peggy Noonan: Then why do people buy rubbers?

[teronhussein678]

To prevent STD's .........

[supervoter]

Bristol Palin wasn't given a choice. And now she's been stripped of her privacy, too. I am horrified that Governor Palin is putting her daughter through this.

[SensibleAmerican]

Ironic because Obama's record on abortion is extreme. He opposed the ban on partial-birth abortion -- a practice a fellow Democrat, the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan, once called "too close to infanticid­e." Obama strongly criticized the Supreme Court decision upholding the partial-birth ban. In the Illinois State Senate, he opposed a bill similar to the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which prevents the killing of infants mistakenly left alive by abortion. And now Obama has oddly claimed that he would not want his daughters to be "punished with a baby" because of a crisis pregnancy -- hardly a welcoming attitude toward new life

[blev1]

It is disappointing to see people misrepresent candidates views to fit into their own perception of the world. Obama does, in fact, support late term abortion bans. He opposes the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act because it does not include language that makes exceptions for the health of the mother, not because he thinks Partial Birth Abortions should be widely available. His opposition to the state law was also based on the language of the bill and not the substance of it. It is not Obama, but the right-wing that is extreme on this issue - the Supreme Court overturned six lower court decisions and established precedent in its ruling, something that rightly deserves criticism. There's nothing wrong with being sensible in limiting late-term abortions, which fanatics on both sides of the issue fail to see.

[Opus007]

+++++NEWSFLASH for the "Flat World Caucus"+++++++

Outlawing abortion does not reduce abortions, just increases the women that die from botched, back alley abortions.
There were fewer abortions in the Clinton Administration and fewer teenage pregancies because of a strong position on sex education.
The devasting economic climate of the Bush administration has forced a greater number of families into making this painful decision. The Clinton Administration economy and policies were far more family friendly.
So if reducing the number of abortions is sincerely your goal you are on the WRONG track!

Is this really so hard to understand? What is so infuriating to me is that these fervent pro-lifers don't seem very concerned about what happens to these babies after they are born. Or they don't seem to care about all the innocent lives lost in our war of choice in Iraq or the genocide in Darfur. If life is as sacred as the Religious Right professes then why are they so Pro-War?

[jakitchen]

Let me share a little info about me. Regarding abortion: I was 15 when I had my first child. Abortion was not an option, because my mother was against it. The pregnancy was a result of incest. My daughter is now 29. We are just now forming a mother/daughter bond.

the way i see it is this: because I wasn't given a choice, i grew up resenting my child. Is that what this country wants, legions of unwanted children. Parents to be with no options.

Obama said at the Saddleback church forum, that we should have programs that promote other means. which is to say, prenatal care, open adoptions and other programs to promote the well being of ALL babies. That is the way to avoid a lot of the unwanted pregnancies.

I am against abortion for myself, but I like the fact that women still have a choice. I do believe that abortion is a very hard choice to make for most women.

[emmaspeaks]

Its about choice, not only abortion. I have a cousin who carried a child who had no spine. This child was going to die within 2 weeks. She made the decision to give it up. She spent months on meds getting over it, but still says she had to. She couldn't go through with the pregnancy. Some would. Some would say that it might live. I believe it is the body that lives and dies, the spirit lives on regardless. It is a choice. and not always an easy one. Same as life support. When do you make the decison. But, it is a decision. No one should force that decision on someone else. No one gets to play god with my life.

[CamJam]

I so sorry you went through that. Thank you for sharing this.

I remember some old books my mom had around boxed up - I came across them one day. I was about 14 years old. One horrible one I came across and I can't remember the name, but I do remember the pics to this day (this happened back in the 1970's when I found these books) - the book had black and white photos of woman that died while trying to give themselves abortions.

[riverhippie]

So you're saying you wish you had aborted your child because it's been hard forming a relationship?

[pattio66]

dude that's way harsh even for me, and I have a pretty thick skin combined with a razor-sharp tongue...

[pattio66]

Thank you for sharing, blessings to you and your daughter. The last line of your post says it all..."abo­rtion is a very hard choice for most women to make." I know a lot of women who have had abortions and it's never a decision made frivolously. But interestingly enough, it's mostly an economic choice...p­erhaps government should enforce child support laws?

[jakitchen]

A televised ad should include that group of teenage girls in MA (I think) where it was reported that they made a pact to get pregnant. I say this to point out the reason we need more than abstinence only programs. These girls, like many others really have no clue what being a parent truly entails.

[emmaspeaks]

so you think the strong consequence would stop this. They need education of all that is entailed. I truly think they should spend a day in a home with a parent who has a baby with colic...or multiple children. Make them think about the consequences. But still have choices. There are many reasons honest people believe differently and should have that right. No one should dictate to me or anyone else when someone becomes alive. The law says a child must take a breath of air for murder charges to be inflicted. I believe it is a body...spi­rit goes on and can leave the body. It is not a one way issue. Don't let the bad apples ruin it for those who need help...inc­est, rape.

[jakitchen]

I was in no way suggesting that we should be dictated to. I was just (poorly I might add) stating one example of why we need other programs in our schools. Abstinence only doesn't work and never will.