Biden says he no longer supports the Hyde Amendment, reversing his long-held position

[ancianita]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by JudyM (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: CNN

"If I believe health care is a right, as I do, I can no longer support an amendment that makes that right dependent on someone's ZIP code," he said.

The Hyde Amendment is a four-decade-old ban on federal dollars being used for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or when the woman's life is in danger.

"But circumstances have changed. I've been working through the final details of my health care plan like others in this race and I've been struggling with the problems that Hyde now presents," Biden said.
He said he wants to achieve "universal coverage" and "provide for the full range of health services women need" through the continued expansion of Medicaid and offering a "public option" that would allow people to join Medicare.

"I can't justify leaving millions of women without access to the care they need and the ability to ... exercise their constitutionally protected right," he said.
"Folks, the times have changed. I don't think these guys are going to let up," Biden said, referring to Republicans.


Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/06/politics/biden-no-longer-supports-hyde-amendment/index.html

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Enough. Let's move on in a more perfect union!

[spooky3]

1. Good news. Nt

[Judi Lynn]

2. Good to see he rethought it, and updated his position! Yay!

[ancianita]

3. Yes, for the sake of more party unity. I hope Rachel, who's on, announces it before she signs off.

[JudyM]

4. Well, that was quick.

[ucrdem]

5. It's not up to him anyway but at least he killed the meme du jour.

Forward!

[ancianita]

6. On to the next media report with all its high horse racey triflings that add up to stalking the Dems

rather than this fake president and his corrupt administration.

[still_one]

7. I have been very rough on Biden on this, and in fact changed my preference from Biden to Undecided.

While I have no doubt that will not stop those who were never enthralled with Biden in the first place, and they will continue to use this against him in one form or another, I applaud him for not just reversing his stance on this, but listening to those of us who wrote to him about this.

The cynics will be cynics, but I prefer to believe that he took the suggestion of Planned Parenthood, and NARAL, and reconsidered his position on the Hyde Amendment.

One thing you do NOT want in a President, is someone who is so stubborn, that they won't change a position no matter how misguided it is.

From my perspective, this reflects very well on him.

Bravo Joe

[ancianita]

8. Thanks for your thoughts. I think it reflects well on him, too. We have to become more unified, and

he's said that the country, now changed, must be respected by its leaders.

I respect that, and he's not even my candidate.

[still_one]

10. Agreed

[Perseus]

12. There is no cynicism but yesterday many people praised Biden's strength of conviction

And someone even told many of us who did not think it was a good thing for Biden to be on the wrong side of things, they told us to "stfu", so now it is a good thing that he changed his views.

The problem is that one cannot have it both ways, one cannot praise his strength of conviction, and then when he changes his mind because of a political backlash, suddenly he is courageous because it takes a strong person to change their mind.

I liked Biden as a VP, but I keep thinking about something someone wrote on the same post where some people were praising Biden's strength, and she pointed out all the great candidates who are running for the Democratic party and are very progressive, who refuse to ponder to the republicans, and are the now and the future of the Democratic party, while Biden is the past, a very good past, but that is it, he is the past.

Of course that is my humble opinion, and I do understand those who support him, you are not wrong, I just think different about the candidate, and I do like him, but not for our nominee.

[Kind of Blue]

15. +1000!

[still_one]

16. I agree with you, and I debated with some of those folks how supporting a bad law was not a sign of

a sign of strength.

I also don't consider his stepping back from this "courageous".

What I do view it as, is a positive attribute that he is not so stubborn as to continue to support a misguided position.

Those who are cynical may attribute it to the pushback he received, but even then I would argue it is still a positive thing because he is not blind to the criticism he received.

Regardless, for whatever reason, he did the right thing

[ananda]

9. Good!

!!!

[Kind of Blue]

11. Good. Personally, I'd like to hear more

fierceness from him. I'd like to feel that he could clap back at 45 as strongly as Warren and Harris in a debate and not the nice guy that he was with Palin and middle of the road fawning of racist Thurmond, not to mention Anita Hill or the schooling he got when he confronted Warren in '05. I'm not sure if he's evolving or just has an intense desire to be president and will say anything. But at least in this early stage it's a modicum of support I'll give him as the most lackluster of candidates.

[Perseus]

13. "has an intense desire to be president and will say anything"

I think he proved you right on that one.

[Kind of Blue]

14. That's my gut feeling about him and I hope circumstances

in many arenas change in the next year or so to knock him off the lead. But I'll vote for him if he remains as such and we know why. I just don't see/feel him in this fight against deconstruction/destruction of democracy because his learning curve is way too high for me.

[IronLionZion]

17. Henry Hyde was such a POS, there's no need for anyone to support his amendment

dude had youthful indiscretions in his 40s while he was trying to take down Bill Clinton

[JudyM]

18. Locking.

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