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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRifts Over Abortion and Economic Populism Threaten to Divide Democrats
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/04/bernie-sanders-jon-ossoff-abortion-progressive-heath-mello/523770/Democrats are facing their first high-profile tests of whether the party can win back seats in Congress in the Trump era. But rather than unifying in opposition to the new administration, the political left is riven by division over what it means to be progressive.
The same debates that divided Democrats throughout the 2016 presidential primaryover how and when to prioritize economic populism and reproductive rightsthreaten to make it more difficult for Democrats to rally around the very candidates who could help the party make inroads in conservative parts of the country. Controversy over those questions illustrates the challenge Democrats face as they decide which candidates to support, and what transgressions from liberal convictions to let slide, as the party tries to rebuild after being shut out of power in the White House and Congress.
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Ahead of an event on Thursday where Bernie Sanders, the independent Vermont senator who remains the lefts most popular figure, was slated to appear with Representative Keith Ellison, the Democratic National Committees deputy chair, and Heath Mello, an Omaha, Nebraska Democratic mayoral candidate, NARAL Pro-Choice America, an organization that endorsed Hillary Clinton in the presidential primary, harshly criticized the DNC for what it called the partys embrace of an anti-choice candidate.
The statement followed a report in The Wall Street Journal that Mello once supported legislation requiring women to look at ultrasound image of their fetus before receiving an abortion. The liberal website Daily Kos withdrew its endorsement of Mello over the report.
On Thursday, Mello told The Huffington Post, however, that he would never do anything to restrict access to reproductive health care, if elected. Jane Kleeb, the chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party and board member of Our Revolution, a group that emerged out of the embers of the Sanders campaign, said in an interview that The Wall Street Journal and NARAL had mischaracterized Mellos legislative record.
Heath is a strong progressive Democrat, and he is pro-life, and you can be both things, Kleeb said, adding: What Heath did actually was stop a bill to make ultrasounds mandatory by getting Republicans in our legislature to agree to make them voluntary.
Mellos vow did not satisfy NARAL, however. Its not enough to issue a statement for political expediency when your record is full of anti-choice votes, Ilyse Hogue, the organizations president, said in a follow-up statement. The Democratic Partys support of any candidate who does not support the basic rights and freedoms of women is disappointing and politically stupid.
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)Mello is on record as saying that he would not restrict access to abortion.
Will NARAL also campaign against Joe Manchin, another Democrat who supports restrictions on abortion?
flamingdem
(39,313 posts)without knowing his history. Where is the logic?
It's more of the same, anger over the primaries.
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)People at DU will defend Joe Manchin, who has a position on abortion even more right of Mello, but because Sanders endorses Mello the taint of being endorsed by an Independent apparently makes Mello unacceptable.
Demsrule86
(68,556 posts)I have linked the quote below...you can click on certain word and be taken to the NE voting records on each issue...
"Mello is a sponsor of the final version of a 20-week abortion ban approved by the governor in 2010, and cast anti-choice votes in favor of requiring physicians to be physically present for an abortion in order to impede access to telemedicine abortion care, and a law banning insurance plans in the state from covering abortions. He was endorsed in 2010 by anti-choice group Nebraska Right to Life."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/omaha-mayoral-candidate-under-fire-says-he-would-never-do-anything-to-restrict-access-to-reproductive-health-care_us_58f8e868e4b018a9ce590a84
musette_sf
(10,200 posts)O RLY???? Here's gestational slaver Mello's voting record:
LB 1103 Prohibiting Abortions After 20 Weeks of Pregnancy Bill Passed - Senate (44 - 5) Yea
LB 594 Abortion Screening Requirements Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 9) Yea
LB 22 Prohibits Insurance Coverage of Abortion Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 7) Yea
LB 521 Requires Physician Presence During Abortions Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 9) Yea
LB 675 Establishes Procedures for Ultrasounds Performed Prior to Abortions Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 5) Yea
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)Response to flamingdem (Original post)
Post removed
flamingdem
(39,313 posts)Bernie can be.
Proof please!
Cha
(297,188 posts)defend him. I saw a tweet on Al Giordano's Twitter feed from the gop account where they had the vid and were mocking "the unity".
And, from Symome Sanders:.. "In retrospect, she said, Maybe Bernie Sanders isnt the guy for the unity tour."
Why Bernie Sanderss Unity Tour Failed
snip//
The independent senator hit the road with Democratic national chairman Tom Perezand highlighted everything that's tearing the party apart.
https://newrepublic.com/article/142152/bernie-sanderss-unity-tour-failed
The next Unity Tour.. Send People on it who Want to Unify!
flamingdem
(39,313 posts)Thus I will read up on this and try to figure out what happened.
There are a lot of people who want the dems to fail in general so they might be slanting things. What I'm imagining is a bunch of rowdies that didn't deserve this much attention.
QC
(26,371 posts)Are those Celtic cross pictures taken in Ireland?
QC
(26,371 posts)I took them summer before last when visiting. One if from Sligo, the two close together are in Monasterboice, and the other is in Glendalough.
flamingdem
(39,313 posts)roots and all that. I had lots of photos of them from a trip to Cornwall and a friend saw them and said oh creepy! Very disappointing to hear that attitude but it's embedded in our mostly Christian culture.
QC
(26,371 posts)so stunningly beautiful and so full of warm and welcoming people.
flamingdem
(39,313 posts)so that's intriguing. Will have to make the trip. Interesting that they've kept their language more than the Cornish, and I suspect much more of the Celtic culture.
QC
(26,371 posts)of colonialism. People like W.B. Yeats (from Sligo--he's the reason I went there) and Padriac Pearse and many others worked to revive the language and culture, and closer to our own day groups like the Chieftains revived traditional Irish music. The English really did try to wipe out the whole culture, and they failed, thank God.
flamingdem
(39,313 posts)a minority meaning that they will have funding for language revival. More than anything it seemed to be about finally admitting that the Cornish are not simply Brits in Cornwall. They always knew they were from what I heard "different" in a good way.
QC
(26,371 posts)descendants of Cornish people. They are bringing back their own language (there are bilingual signs everywhere). That's another beautiful place--you should go there if you get a chance.
flamingdem
(39,313 posts)I had no idea this was going on, wonder if he is aware. Maybe it will feel
very familiar there - but with French influenced food.
My father is into the music, the harpists.
QC
(26,371 posts)flamingdem
(39,313 posts)I found this searching for Cornwall and Brittany to learn about the connections -
From yesterday - didn't know about Brian of Brittany
Cornish culture under threat, says Grand Bard
Saturday, 22 April 2017 By Cornish Times in Local People
Launceston has a proud place in Cornwalls story. It is the historic capital of Cornwall and the castle was built by Brian of Brittany, the Breton knight who became the first Earl of Cornwall following the Norman Conquest.
The creation of this earldom recognised Cornwalls historic integrity and laid the foundations for the constitutional differences that make modern Cornwall distinct from England.
With these spirited words Merv Davey, Telynyor an Weryn, Grand Bard of Cornwall, began his Proclamation speech on behalf of the bards of Gorsedh Kernow who had gathered in the town Square today.
Today it is our culture and heritage which is under threat, said the Grand Bard, and despite a potential climbdown on the much-maligned Devonwall issue there are still forces at large today that would deny us our Celtic, global identity and demote Cornwall to a provincial existence on the periphery of a so-called south west region.
Criticising the lack of TV and radio coverage of recent St Pirans Day celebrations, the Grand Bard warned against indifference and negative stereotyping by the media which sometimes led to expressions of intolerance and racism towards Cornish people.
Hekate
(90,673 posts)QC
(26,371 posts)flamingdem
(39,313 posts)magnificent in Gaelic
JudyM
(29,236 posts)QC
(26,371 posts)UTUSN
(70,686 posts)flamingdem
(39,313 posts)We want to win, right?
UTUSN
(70,686 posts)And, haha, your "We want to win, right?"
reminds me of the FEY-POEHLER sketch after the '08, where FEY/Grifter tells POEHLER/Hillary, "You've gotta want to win" and POEHLER says ruefully/bitterly, "Oh, like I don't *want* it!1"
LaydeeBug
(10,291 posts)get the red out
(13,462 posts)It all depends on his votes and what they meant in the context of the legislation. I don't care one bit about someone's personal beliefs, just what they will DO to uphold reproductive rights.
JudyM
(29,236 posts)If you have a rally in which you have the labor movement, and the environmentalists, and Native Americans, and the African American community, and the Latino community coming together, saying, We want this guy to become our next mayor, should I reject going there to Omaha? I dont think so.
flamingdem
(39,313 posts)He endorsed him and held back from calling him a progressive in a red, red area.
Demsrule86
(68,556 posts)flamingdem
(39,313 posts)Can you site any reporting where he or any of his supporter or staff are unhappy with Bernie?
Oh I thought not..
Demsrule86
(68,556 posts)important enough for all this fuss over a anti-choice candidate who voted numerous times against choice...but the mystery is solved. Jane Kleeb is the Democratic chair in Nebraska...and on the board of Our Revolution.
Demsrule86
(68,556 posts)But then I saw that Jane from our revolution is the top Democrat.
Orrex
(63,208 posts)Demsrule86
(68,556 posts)Agreed, a mayors race seems not a good pick for time and money, but one of the our revolution supporters, Jane Kleeb is the chair of the Democrats in Nebraska
Orrex
(63,208 posts)I read your post but missed the message body until after you'd replied to me.
Whoops.
Demsrule86
(68,556 posts):he adbang: