OK.. can someone briefly explain what Stupak thought he could get out of going against the Party?

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

And what, if anything significant, he DID get? Why did he back down?

Was it all about getting some notoriety? Did he get pork? Support for his campaign? What?

:shrug:

[dhill926]

1. I know one thing he got.....

a primary opponent.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Now the entire country knows he's a fool

That's what he gained.

[yourout]

3. 5 minutes of fame on the national stage.

Lieberman lite.

[Caution]

4. While I disagree with him on the issue...

It is possible that his opposition was due to a deeply held moral conviction on abortion. I'm solidly pro-choice and firmly understand that a fetus is simply not a human being, but there are those on the other side of the issue who actually believe that abortion is murder. If he is such a person, his opposition, holding out for a guarantee that abortions won't be funded makes sense.

And on that note, where can I make a donation to his primary opponent?

[DearAbby]

5. He got a pacifier

looks good for those Anti choice voters in his district. I don't know anything about his district, what the numbers are. But it was a meaningless stunt, for show. Nothing had changed.

[JBoy]

6. He was trying to burnish his anti-choice credibility

He failed because the Repubs are using that as their exit theme - that passing the bill will (somehow) fund abortions.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

10. OK but if so, then why back down? Obviously he doesn't care about Obama's fortunes, or health care.

So if he'd held firm he could have been a right wing hero for sinking the bill.

Now he's just a douchebag goat as far as all parties are concerned.

[JBoy]

11. I think he just folded under intense pressure.

I can imagine there was some serious heat applied.

[Motown_Johnny]

7. Northern Michigan is pretty conservative. He may have helped himself in the general

but he sure as hell hurt himself in the primary

he may not make it to the general

[Kaleva]

9. He's running against someone who got 37% of the vote in a 2008

race for the 105th state house seat.

[Guilded Lilly]

8. Camera time and a quick fix of temporary power. (n/t)

[pnwmom]

12. He's just another preening egomaniac getting to feel powerful. n/t

[kenny blankenship]

13. Foetus fondling cred

Same as all the rest of the foetus fondlers in either party - they want to inflame their religious nutcase constituencies as much as possible without ever actually outlawing abortion since that would prevent them from getting mileage out of the issue.