NARAL Pro-Choice America Spokeswoman: Bernie Sanders is not a champion for women

[Cali_Democrat]

<...>

On Tuesday night, Bernie Sanders found himself on the wrong side of a major women’s organization for the second time in as many weeks. The first dust-up came when Planned Parenthood (along with the pro-LGBT Human Rights Campaign) issued its first-ever presidential endorsement, on behalf of Hillary Clinton. Sanders fired back by calling the nonprofits “part of the establishment” that he’s running to take on. The latest came at an Iowa town hall meeting, where Sanders’ efforts to walk back his Planned Parenthood comments sounded like foot-in-mouth to some feminists, and led a NARAL Pro-Choice America spokeswoman to write: “Senator Sanders once again highlighted the difference between an ally and a champion. … His voting record is sufficient, but it doesn't make him a champion for women. That champion is Hillary.”

<...>

NARAL rightly tweaked Sanders not for what he did say on Tuesday, but for what he didn’t. “When asked a direct question about why he would be the best candidate for women, he ignored the impending crisis that restricts access to abortion,” spokeswoman Kaylie Hanson wrote. Sanders responded to the controversy over his “establishment” comment, but not to the question at hand: of how he would fight for women’s rights in office. He’s made it clear that, in his mind, the economic critique at the center of his campaign trumps the importance of any identity politics, including gender.

But as Hanson points out, access to health care—and especially to birth control and abortion, which allow women to time their families around their economic situations and their careers—“is an economic issue, and one that's fundamental to a woman's ability to succeed.” Sanders had a great opportunity to make that point last night, and thereby to signal that he really deserved Planned Parenthood’s endorsement. Once again, he passed.

Read more:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2016/01/26/bernie_sanders_just_can_t_get_it_right_with_women_s_groups.html

[DURHAM D]

1. So he is still doing the "trickle down". nt

[cali]

2. Funny, that's precisely what Gloria Steinem said he was

Funny, he's got a 100% rating from your organization. Same with PP.

Hillarians are pathetically transparent.

[winter is coming]

21. Yeah, but what does Gloria Steinem know about feminism?

[roguevalley]

37. she even made him an honorary woman. I will never support that dorks of

naral again. Ever.

[beam me up scottie]

3. How did he get that 100 percent rating from NARAL then?

He's been supporting abortion rights his entire career.

Bernie Sanders in 2012:

United Against the War on Women

The history of American democracy, to say the least, has been checkered. Our nation was founded at a time when people of African descent were held in bondage. After slavery was abolished, they were forced to endure legal discrimination for another 100 years.

When our country was formed, women were not just second-class citizens. They were third- or fourth-class citizens. Women couldn't vote or play a significant role in the political life of the nation. Women, in many cases, couldn't own property and were legally regarded as subservient in marriage. The educational and economic opportunities open to women were extremely limited. And, of course, women were unable to have control over their own bodies.

***

We are not returning to the days of back-room abortions, when countless women died or were maimed. The decision about abortion must remain a decision for the woman, her family and physician to make, not the government.

We are not going back to the days when women could not have full access to birth control. Incredibly, here in the year 2012, that is exactly what the Blunt Amendment, which we defeated last month in the Senate, was all about. The Blunt Amendment would have allowed any employer who provided health insurance, or any insurance company, the right to deny coverage for contraception or any other kind of procedure if the employer had a "moral" objection to it. While I am glad that we defeated this horrendous amendment, it certainly was a sad day in our country when every Republican, save one, voted for it.

We are not going back to the days of wide-scale domestic violence, even if 31 Republican men in the Senate recently voted against the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act because it expanded coverage to the gay community and Native Americans.

We are not going back to the days when it was legal for women to be paid less for doing the same work as men, even if the governor of Wisconsin recently signed a bill to repeal that state's pay-equity law.

Further, not only are we going to protect and expand those laws which deal directly with women's rights, we are going to vigorously defend the important laws and programs which protect all working people in our country -- women and men alike.

http://huffpost.com/us/entry/united-against-the-war-on_b_1464730.html

http://www.ontheissues.org/social/Bernie_Sanders_Abortion.htm

Unlike Hillary Bernie never supported a ban on late term abortions, maybe that's why he has a 100% rating from NARAL.

CLINTON: My opponent is wrong. I have said many times that I can support a ban on late-term abortions, including partial-birth abortions, so long as the health and life of the mother is protected. I’ve met women who faced this heart-wrenching decision toward the end of a pregnancy. Of course it’s a horrible procedure. No one would argue with that. But if your life is at stake, if your health is at stake, if the potential for having any more children is at stake, this must be a woman’s choice.

Source: Senate debate in Manhattan , Oct 8, 2000

http://www.ontheissues.org/Cabinet/Hillary_Clinton_Abortion.htm

Bernie trusts women to make their own decisions.

[virtualobserver]

27. Bernie wasn't with us when the Germans attacked Pearl Harbor either

[beam me up scottie]

28. !

[beam me up scottie]

49. More, their champion: Clinton Seeking Shared Ground Over Abortion

Clinton Seeking Shared Ground Over Abortions

ALBANY, Jan. 24 - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said on Monday that the opposing sides in the divisive debate over abortion should find "common ground" to prevent unwanted pregnancies and ultimately reduce abortions, which she called a "sad, even tragic choice to many, many women."

In a speech to about 1,000 abortion rights supporters near the New York State Capitol, Mrs. Clinton firmly restated her support for the Supreme Court's ruling in Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide in 1973. But then she quickly shifted gears, offering warm words to opponents of legalized abortion and praising the influence of "religious and moral values" on delaying teenage girls from becoming sexually active.

"There is an opportunity for people of good faith to find common ground in this debate -- we should be able to agree that we want every child born in this country to be wanted, cherished and loved," Mrs. Clinton said.

Mrs. Clinton's remarks were generally well received, though the audience was silent during most of her overtures to anti-abortion groups. Afterward, leaders of those groups were skeptical, given Mrs. Clinton's outspoken support for abortion rights over the years.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/25/nyregion/clinton-seeking-shared-ground-over-abortions.html

[SunSeeker]

4. Calling NARAL and PP leadership part of the "Establishment I am taking on" is NOT championing women.

He is basically using right wing rhetoric against two of the most besieged organizations in this country who work tirelessly for women. It is pretty shameful, and Bernie did not apologize, he just "clarified" that he was referring to their leadership, as if that makes it any better!

[Fawke Em]

7. I'm a woman and I agree with him.

Their leadership is clearly establishment.

Only establishment types would shoot poor women in the foot by choosing to do the unnecessary: slap half their supporters in the face by endorsing another candidate with the same record.

Real people would have understood that keeping your mouth shut until a nominee was in place is the more expedient approach when you rely on donations from supporters of all Democratic candidates.

[farleftlib]

9. Exactly right

Plus, I trust Bernie even more than Hillary on the issues that pertain to women. - all women.

[Autumn]

19. As am I. How did he get that 100% NARAL rating I wonder?

Their leadership is very clearly establishment and crap like this diminishes them greatly.

[SunSeeker]

36. PP and NARAL's leaders are "Real People." Geez.

Just because you disagree with their political strategy to improve the lives of women does not mean you can dehumanize them. They think Hillary will be the better champion for women, and they really want her to win this nomination. They fear that if Bernie wins, we'll have President Trump, and women's rights will rolled back.

They think they are doing what is best to advance women's rights and protect the availability of women's health services. The fact that you disagree with their strategy does not make them establishment, nor subhuman.

[sadoldgirl]

10. Yes, it does.

Leadership is more politically opportunistic than
members are. This is true for unions as well.

Now if NARAL as well as PP had done a vote from
all its members, which they did not do, then Bernie's
criticism would have been wrong. However, that was
not the case.

[SunSeeker]

35. How does bashing PP & NARAL's leadership help women?

[hrmjustin]

5. K&R!

[DefenseLawyer]

6. I think it is a big mistake for these groups to get this deep into the primary fight.

If they want to endorse a candidate, fine. They did that. But going on the attack against the other Democrat takes a pretty short view. Should he happen to win the primary they will have to rebuild a bridge that was unnecessarily burned down.

[cali]

11. I agree. They're damaging their reputations by flinging such dishonest shit-

particularly among millions of millennials.

[virtualobserver]

30. I would not have believed that they would do this to someone with a 100% rating

stepping into a primary race was bad enough, but this is appalling.

[Lorien]

8. This is a steaming pile

As if Hillary has ever done squat for any women other than herself. Women working at Walmart had to sue for equal wages on her watch.

[KingCharlemagne]

12. Bernie Sanders is a champion of the working class, unlike his principal

opponent.

That's 'working class,' meaning women and men who have only their labor to sell and must live by the sweat of their brows.

You might try it sometime.

[SheilaT]

13. Given that virtually all of the recent restrictions on abortion

are being enacted at the state level, there's not really a lot a sitting President can do. NARAL and Planned Parenthood should be working very hard to change the state legislatures. Instead, they're focussing all their energy at a level that won't make a difference.

[MineralMan]

17. Yes, but decisions on those laws are being made by

the Supreme Court. The next President will nominate justices to that court. So, there is a federal aspect to all of this. Congress also fiddles with reproductive rights all the time. We need a President who will squash such meddling. Probably either candidate would do a fine job. One, however, has made it clear that SCOTUS nominations will include people who are strong supporters of reproductive rights.

[SheilaT]

40. Somehow I have a lot of confidence

that the other candidate will likewise nominate people who are also strong supporters of reproductive rights.

And if the Senate remains in the hands of the Republicans (which I sincerely hope doesn't happen) then getting the Senate to approve open supporters of reproductive rights might be tricky. Possibly a better strategy is not to make a big deal of it and nominate people who will be supportive but not quite as in-your-face about it.

[NCTraveler]

14. There is a difference in championing and supporting. Some do not want to make that distinction....

for obvious reasons. Sanders supports women. Clinton champions women's rights.

[Bleacher Creature]

15. Thank you. It's sad that it took 14 responses to get there.

[cali]

16. Except for women in Iraq and Libya.

Women in both countries were terribly damaged, not to mention killed, by wars Hillary championed. And so were children.

[workinclasszero]

20. Woman and children are killed everyday in America

Because Bernie Sanders blocked a bill to hold gun manufacturers responsible for the death and destruction their products produce.

He also voted against command sense gun laws like the Brady bill.

Bernie Sanders has much innocent blood on his hands IMO.

[morningfog]

22. Over one million Iraqi civilians were killed thanks to Hillary's IWR vote.

Comparing body counts is not going to advance your cause.

[workinclasszero]

25. Do want the gun death stats in America since Bernie voted the NRA

way?

Really?

[beam me up scottie]

32. All of the ones that are a direct result of his votes yes.

In order to compare it to Hillary's support of the Iraq war you need to demonstrate that those deaths were caused by a vote for/against a bill that would have prevented all of them.

Proceed.

[workinclasszero]

38. If you all hold Hillary responsible for every death

caused by Bushs war, I'll hold Bernie responsible for all the innocent people in this country who needlessly die because he was/is carrying water for the NRA.

[beam me up scottie]

39. Nope, not good enough.

If you're going to play the blame game you have to show proof that his vote(s) helped cause those deaths.

I don't hold Hillary solely responsible but she didn't just vote for the war she promoted it by parroting Bush's lies.

She should have known better and after it was all over she said we gave Iraq the "gift" of freedom.

[beam me up scottie]

23. How is that bill responsible for millions of deaths?

Be specific, how would defeating that bill have curbed gun violence?

[tammywammy]

24. I'm thinking it's purposeful obtuseness

Stating there's a difference between supporter and champion/advocate shouldn't be controversial.

[ieoeja]

34. You would think a champion's voting record would be 100% too.

But hers is not.

You would think a champion for women's rights would not try to shame women who have abortions. But Clinton does.

With a champion that weak, we would be better off letting the supporter fight.

[Starry Messenger]

18. k&r

[Hell Hath No Fury]

26. I don't want a "champion for women" --

What I need is a champion of across the board Justice, be it it gender, sexual orientation, racial, economic, or environmental.

I am thrilled to have Bernie in that role.

[fredamae]

29. Well, heres the thing

I disagree with their statement without also seeing Sanders decades long efforts - I have heard Sanders express support for womens health care and our rights for at Least a decade since I first heard about him.

As a woman, I confidently and fully Trust Sanders to protect not just my rights, my daughters-in-law rights but also the rights of my 5 granddaughters.

[Beacool]

31. Well, they are only returning the favor.

Sanders should have been gracious when they endorsed his opponent. Calling them "part of the establishment" was not a wise move. Taking it back after the backlash does not negate his initial statement.

[Jefferson23]

33. The youth vote won't forget this bullshit. n/t

[Autumn]

41. Neither will some of we older ones who know better to believe Kaylie Hanson's spew.

We know Bernie's record and I will remember this.

[Jefferson23]

43. +1. n/t

[Metric System]

42. It's funny how little Bernie Sanders' name means to gay rights, civil rights and women's rights

groups. Yes, he's been on the right side of issues for many years, but he was hardly at the forefront of any of these movements, as his supporters would lead you to believe.

[beam me up scottie]

44. Well we know Hillary was at the forefront of one civil rights movement - blocking it:

[Warren DeMontague]

46. See! She was AT THE FOREFRONT, there!

The forefront on the wrong side, yes, but AT THE FOREFRONT!

[beam me up scottie]

47. Walked right into that one. :)

[Warren DeMontague]

48. Im sure it meant a lot more before he decided to run competitively when it is HER TURN

That's the real 'crime' the guy has committed. The only one, in fact.

[Warren DeMontague]

45. Disappointing that they're more concerned with "identity politics" than with the actual legislative

Record.

Yes, I know, vote for Hillary because she's Hillary! Oh, and did we mention the two x chromosomes?

Silly. But, obviously Hillary cannot run on the issues.

[madfloridian]

50. More about that spokesperson for NARAL

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511072779

[last1standing]

51. Then she's a crass liar who wants to keep the status quo of women slowly losing their rights.

I'm getting tired of these 1%er hacks who have taken over organizations stabbing staunch supporters in the belly. Time to clean

[ecstatic]

52. He could never make that case. At the end of the day,

he has ONE issue that he cares about. Everything else is a distraction. He's admitted as much for the past 40 years. I'll give him credit for trying (or pretending?) to expand his platform to include the cultural issues that he used to dismiss... but, as the saying goes, you can't teach an old dog new tricks.

[jfern]

53. Bernie only has a 100% NARAL rating? Not good enough, Bernie!