If anyone really doesn't support these portions of the Democratic Party platform...

[theHandpuppet]

...i.e., protecting reproductive choice and the provisions of the Violence Against Women Act, then I really have to wonder if whether you've wandered into DU by accident or perhaps I've been operating under the mistaken impression that DU is a forum for Democrats and progressives. I simply cannot believe that in 2014, on this forum, feminist men and women are still having to debate whether or not women have a right to reproductive choice or about what constitutes a "real" rape. It's shameful, it's disgusting and it really needs to stop.

DEMOCRATIC PARTY PLATFORM

Women. President Obama—the son of a single mother and the father of two daughters—understands that women aren't a special interest group. They are more than half of this country, and issues that affect women also affect families. That is why the first bill he signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which helps women fight back when they are paid less than men, and why we continue to fight to overcome Republican opposition and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to help stop gender discrimination in pay before it starts. And that is why the Justice Department and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, led by President Obama's appointees, have investigated and prosecuted numerous violations of the nation's civil rights laws, and obtained more than $140 million in relief for victims of gender discrimination. We Democrats will continue to support efforts to ensure that workers can combat gender discrimination in the workplace and to protect women against pregnancy discrimination. And that's why we support passing the Healthy Families Act, broadening the Family and Medical Leave Act, and partnering with states to move toward paid leave.

We understand that economic issues are women's issues, and the challenges of supporting and raising a family are often primarily a woman's responsibility. That's why putting Americans back to work is Job One. That's why the Affordable Care Act especially helps women by guaranteeing they and their families won't become uninsured when they lose their jobs. That's why this administration strengthened Medicare and Medicaid for millions of women and families. And that's why the Affordable Care Act is ending health insurance discrimination against women, and provides women with free access to preventive care, including prenatal screenings, mammograms, cervical cancer screening, breast-feeding supports, and contraception.

We understand that women's rights are civil rights. That's why we reaffirm our support for the ERA, recommit to enforcing Title IX, and will urge ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. That's why we are committed to ending violence against women, why Vice President Joe Biden originally wrote and championed the Violence Against Women Act during his time in the Senate, and why we support reauthorizing and strengthening it now.
The President and the Democratic Party believe that women have a right to control their reproductive choices. Democrats support access to affordable family planning services, and President Obama and Democrats will continue to stand up to Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood health centers. The Affordable Care Act ensures that women have access to contraception in their health insurance plans, and the President has respected the principle of religious liberty. Democrats support evidence-based and age-appropriate sex education.

Protecting A Woman's Right to Choose. The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to make decisions regarding her pregnancy, including a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay. We oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right. Abortion is an intensely personal decision between a woman, her family, her doctor, and her clergy; there is no place for politicians or government to get in the way. We also recognize that health care and education help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and thereby also reduce the need for abortions. We strongly and unequivocally support a woman's decision to have a child by providing affordable health care and ensuring the availability of and access to programs that help women during pregnancy and after the birth of a child, including caring adoption programs.

[upaloopa]

1. It's all in your head. I think sometimes

some posters here have nothing to do all day but to come up with bogus charges and then start some pissing contest thread with them..

[Squinch]

4. I take it then that you haven't noticed it. I definitely have.

"All in your head"..."bogus charges"..."pissing contest"...

You seem upset. And unobservant.

[upaloopa]

8. No that is in your head too

There is a rape culture thread just posted.
We agree there is a rape culture so why the OP.
Because in the poster's head enough people disagree with him that he feels the need to post the OP.
I don't get the need for these types of threads. I guess I should just ignore them but it intrigues me to know what the motive for the posts.
The "privilege" threads and some gunner threads and some feminism threads seem to be what we use to call flame bait.

[Squinch]

10. Posting on topics that are of concern to many members of this community is not flame bait.

Telling people their concerns are imaginary, on the other hand, is.

Seems like a lot of people in this thread are noticing the same thing that you deny exists.

But I guess that must be all in all of our heads.

[upaloopa]

11. There are some topics that are posted over and over

If you come to DU for news or political reasons you run into these same same threads. All I ask is why are they posted over and over. There is nothing new to them. There is nothing to learn from them . They are redundant as if we could post one on the home page and you could tell folks you are referring to it.
On edit:
I think before hand you know you will get "atta boy's" and that reinforcement is what you are after.

[Squinch]

16. Because they are of great concern to half the population.

Obviously, there are many here who are interested in discussing them. If you feel there is nothing new to them and nothing to learn from them, you should pass them by because, evidently, these threads are not for you.

Not everything here has to be for you. And if it is not for you, then it doesn't require that you join in and tell everyone how insignificant you find their concerns. And it doesn't require that you stamp your feet and insist that it doesn't interest you. Not everything here has to interest you.

Those of us who do live with rape culture would probably disagree that there is nothing for you to learn here, especially because you deny that the issues being discussed, issues whose ramifications we experience daily, exist.

But let's all grow up. If this is not interesting to you, maybe you can learn the lesson that everything that is posted on this site does not have to be personally interesting to you. There are other people here. Whose concerns are just as valid as your concerns.

[freshwest]

32. Well stated.

[Cha]

6. I think you're dangerously unobservant..

[upaloopa]

9. And I think you are dangerously imagining things.

Why was the OP started to get into a "debate?"
Am I the target it is after?

[Cha]

14. Whatever.. keep digging.

[freshwest]

17. Ssaw this same process in another thread. Divert to one's self. What's with the mysterious pic, Cha?

This one here:



It isn't your avatar. It only shows up when I am replying to you.

Is it part of your sigline pictures?

Do any of my sigline pictures show up when you reply to me?

TIA.

[Cha]

18. Yeah, it's rampant digging around here, fresh..

Thanks for Noticing.. I finally learned how to do my own avatars after I had my new laptop a bit. I use to have to be satisfied with the offerings. Not that I didn't appreciate them at the time.

What's your avatar about, freshwest?

[freshwest]

19. See, now I only see a heart as your avatar again?

Last edited Sat Mar 22, 2014, 01:08 AM - Edit history (1)

My avatar isn't political. My sigline reflects an attitude adjustment.

[Cha]

22. ..

"See, now I only see a heart as your avatar again?" What do mean?

What "favorite person"?

[freshwest]

25. When I look at your post, I see this as your avatar:

But when I hit reply, I see this as your avatar:



Maybe you changed it today and the DU server hasn't updated it yet?

I remember a question in ATA about that, and it didn't resolve until the servers updated some hours after the avatar was changed.

I'll PM you about the other.

[Cha]

27. Oooooh.. I see you two have

Obamas now.. twice as good.

[Whisp]

12. Flawless Victory of an Epic Failure.

[freshwest]

28. Reminds me of what someone shared with me today, with the 'are you talking about me?' thing:

It's not what they call you, it's what you answer to. ~ Bill Clinton

Or the one about if the shoe doesn't fit, don't wear it.

That subthread had nothing to do with the OP. It was talking about a woman's POV, and women have a right to express their issues by themselves, just as POC do.

It laid out the Democratic Party platform, which was the issue raised, nothing else. One can either argue the party platform or argue DUers don't have a right to support the platform.

And that won't fly.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

33. And a few here ARE Repugnicans and later post from here on their fave right wing websites nt

[malokvale77]

2. Kick and Rec

Unlike the above poster, I don't think it is all in your head.

[freshwest]

21. Yes, and the reason I support the Democrats is right in that platform. It is unique and reflects me.

[hfojvt]

3. How many planks are there in the platform?

How many, if any, of those planks do you disagree with?

In my state, in fact, in my very district, we have "pro life Democrats" actually serving in the legislature. Presumably they, these Democrats in office, would not agree with this "strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to make decisions regarding her pregnancy, including a safe and legal abortion"

And there are more such people in the grass roots, I am told.

Here's another example. Our five term Democratic legislator retired. She was anti-abortion, and yet elected as a Democrat for five terms. Her Democratic successor is pro gun and anti-abortion, and also military reserve. She was called to serve in Afghanistan.

So we precinct people had to elect a replacement. Of course half our precincts are vacant, and then three people used proxies, so there were only four of us, myself and three women, electing this successor. I almost nominated myself for this spot, kinda wanted to, but decided not to. Our choice ended up being between, the "pro life" previous representative and a former Democratic county commissioner who had been defeated in the last primary for the legislature.

He also is anti-abortion.

Funny thing is, none of the three women said anything about abortion. Hey, I figured THIS was our big chance to put these people on the spot, to ask them about issues that WE care about. Not one of those women seemed to want to challenge them over abortion.

Bottom line - for those six Democrats, including three elected officials, there is no hard line in the sand on abortion.

[Squinch]

5. Kick. This is my largest problem with DU: the fact that my right to determine what happens with

my body is not supported by some members and the administration of this site.

[Cha]

7. K&R thanks tHp

[Lunacee_2013]

13. K&R

Pro-choice all the way, against all forms of sexual assault, for equal pay and for the VAWA.

Don't understand why anyone would be against, or in the case of assault for, those things.

[Starry Messenger]

15. For some reason DU chooses to not strictly observe this plank.

Bigotry against half of humanity, and it's our burden to "educate" those who are obdurately refusing to give a shit about it.

[Squinch]

41. Worse than that: DU has specifically come out against this plank, when the administrators said that

anti-abortion talking points were welcomed here as long as the poster was polite about it.

[theboss]

20. Is anyone here against that?

These seems like the strawiest (?!?!?!?!) of strawmen.

[Squinch]

42. Read through this thread again. You'll find those arguing that we don't need to

support a woman's right to choose, because many elected Democrats don't.

This thread is not unique. There are many here on DU who argue against a woman's right to choose. When this was pointed out to the administrators, they responded that this kind of discussion was welcomed here as long as the posters were polite about it. When asked if the same position would be taken for LGBT rights or civil rights, whether posters who argued against those things were welcomed as long as they were polite about it, the administration did not respond.

So, no. Not a straw man.

[freshwest]

23. AGREED 110%. This is why more women vote Democrat. If people don't get it now, they never will. n/t

[William769]

24. Kick & recommended.

[MannyGoldstein]

26. And "strengthening" Social Security

And "free" trade. Hey, it's "free"! That's good, right?

And unlimited bailouts for bankers. Hey, who doesn't like "unlimited"? It's like a buffet. And you're on the menu.

[Squinch]

43. So because there are things in the Democratic platform that you don't agree with, it isn't

valid to say that we need to support women's rights, especially women's reproductive rights?

I guess that's just more flawless Manny logic.

Heh heh.

[MannyGoldstein]

44. I agree with those things because they're right

Not because they're in the Democratic platform.

I'm not sure why they need to be couched as part of the platform.

[Squinch]

45. Ah. But rather than either leave the thread alone or say something about its subject, namely

women's rights, you felt the most important thing was to steer the point away from discussion of women's rights, and point out what is wrong with the Democratic platform.

Again, flawlessly logical.

Heh heh.

[nomorenomore08]

31. So how far will you go to stop women from obtaining abortions?

You know women in this country are being prosecuted right now for having miscarriages. That's what the belief that a pregnant woman's body is public property leads to.

[Puzzledtraveller]

36. I oppose abortion personally but

my stance goes above just "a womans right to choose" in that I oppose the government telling us what we can and can't do with our bodies. This is just one of the reasons I vote dem. It has always irritated me that this ever had to be a political issue.

[nomorenomore08]

37. Thank you. You're a rational person and I have no problem with you whatsoever.

[cheapdate]

30. Good post. Good reminder of why I'm a Democrat.

[cherokeeprogressive]

34. Did you forget something?

Firearms. We recognize that the individual right to bear arms is an important part of the American tradition, and we will preserve Americans’ Second Amendment right to own and use firearms.

[nomorenomore08]

38. How many people on DU literally advocate banning all firearms? I've seen maybe *two*.

Everyone else supports varying degrees of gun control. I don't think anyone here supports no restriction at all (e.g. being able to buy a machine gun).

[CFLDem]

35. Omg

I could've had a V8.

[mopinko]

39. seems like some folks here agree that a woman is only 3/5th of a person.

2/5th belong to the state, and whoever else wants to stick their noses in.

i think we really should have some sort of compromise on this issue. we really all should be able to agree that in the end a woman gets the final say.

[Small Accumulates]

40. K&R'd with gratitude n/t