Reuters reporter twists Dean comments in her lead off sentence.

[madfloridian]

Look how angry you get when you see the first sentence. Dean never said that at all. That is how you divide.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/03/06/anti_abortion_democrats_may_seek_senate_seats_1110130943/

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New Democratic Party chief Howard Dean is promising to make foes of abortion more welcome, and some potential Senate candidates are already testing that message.

"We are going to embrace pro-life Democrats because pro-life Democrats care about kids after they're born, not just before they're born," Dean said recently in Mississippi as he tried to rekindle Democratic fires in the conservative South."

Dean never meant to make foes of abortion welcome. He never said it. Well done by the reporter.

I am pro-life, and I am pro-choice. Many people are. Word plays like this are cleverly done, and it caused an uproar in another forum. Yet Dean did not say anything but what we discussed here at DU the other night.

[kaitykaity]

1. Corporate media whore skewering a Democrat once again.

Gee I'm shocked. /Sarcasm off.

She must have gone to the same Heather's School of
"Journalism" that produced Ceci Connolley, Katherine
Seelye, Dickie Burke, Jody Wilgoren, and the rest.

:gaack:

[Dookus]

2. There is only an argument to be made

if one reasonably believes "pro-life" does not mean "anti-choice".

[madfloridian]

4. sky is blue, no, it is green.

whatever MF says i am agin it.

[Dookus]

5. You flatter yourself...

now would you like to make an argument that "pro-life" does not, as usually accepted in American vernacular, mean "anti-abortion"?

[mandyky]

15. "accepted in American vernacular" notwithstading,

pro-life means for life, no death penalty, no illegal wars, no abortions

However, I think someone can be pro-life and not anti-contraception, which the current fundie wingnuts tend to want. These same fundie wingnuts think punishing a woman for having sex makes a plus for motherhood, I guess.

This article is just a Nofacts attempt at trying to get people to believe Dean is saying one thing when he is saying just the opposite.

[Dookus]

18. I don't know WHAT he's saying...

if we expand the term "Pro-life" to mean "Pro-choice", then who knows what to think? :shrug:

[w4rma]

19. No, Dookus. I'm pro-life and pro-choice.

I wholeheartedly reject your rhetorical decision that pro-life means anti-choice.

pro-choice - almost no oppressive laws to prevent women from control over their own reproductive health.
pro-life - social programs to help women take care of the baby so that they will not have an abortion over economic reasons. The promotion of adoption programs to help women find a home for the child if they make the choice to carry the child to term but do not want to take care of the child for whatever reason. Anti-death penalty. Anti-elective war. Anti-poverty. Pro-universal health care. Pro-environment.

And I'm sick of the pro-oppression, pro-control, pro-war, anti-environment, pro-greed, pro-death penalty people calling themselves pro-life.

[Dookus]

23. I'm not discussing the

"rightness" of the terminology, but what the terminology is commonly accepted to mean.

If Dean is saying you can dislike abortion, as long as you support Roe v Wade, that's one thing. If he wants to provide support to candidates to who are opposed to Roe, then we have a problem.

[mandyky]

27. In some regions of the country, Dems

are pro-life and they get elected. I think MS is one of those states who have a lot of local and state elected officials who are Dems. Do you really think it is wise of Dean to go into the South telling those Dems that they aren't welcome? We are trying to win in the South. Some issues will be different in the South - Guns, State's rights, etc. The Democratic Party is the big tent party, do all Dems have to accept EVERY plank in the platform? Christ almighty, we let Zell Miller stay in the party even after his treasonous speech at the RNC Convention. Noone asks Joe Lieberman to tone it back.

Howard Dean has been saying the same thing since he became DNC Chair -
"there is room in our party for pro-life Dems, but we do not need to give up our ideals to win those people over". This reporter misrepresented what Dean said - read the post from the person who was there.

[Dookus]

8. If you thought this subject was important enough

to make a new thread on it, why not answer the central question - Are there really large numbers of "pro-life" people who are not anti-choice? Does the term "pro-life" encompass "pro-choice" people?

[Firenze777]

3. thanks for pointing that out

I love how clearly and simply Dean phrases ideas. The anti-Kerry, if you will! And Dean will keep on message......

[FightinNewDem]

6. You miss Dean's point

Dean is absolutely reaching out to abortion opponents.

There are thousands, perhaps millions of Democrats who disagree with the party line on abortion. They view ending abortion as part of a larger continuum of respect for life in all its forms, as a seamless garment. If you look at the record of folks like Dennis Kucinich and David Bonior (and Bob Casey, Jr and Sr.), you see a pro-life philosophy that is radically different than that espoused by the Ralph Reed's of the world.

Dean is smart enough to realize that these people need to be part of the Democratic mosaic. If we continue to shove people out the door becuase of deviations from the party line, our base is pretty much limited to tenured professors, Barbara Streisand, and a natural foods store owner in Brattleboro.

[madfloridian]

7. Do you have a poll to prove your figures?

Most simply do not care unless the GOP puts out a poll on it.
Most of my neighbors who are GOP just don't care, even if they don't want one themselves.

We allowed it to become a wedge issue.

[wyldwolf]

13. well, the latest CBS poll...

...shows 13% of Dems believe abortion should not be permitted, while 37% want stricter limits.

I would say that qualifies as "thousands, perhaps millions of Democrats who disagree with the party line on abortion."

http://www.pollingreport.com/abortion.htm

[Rose Siding]

9. Professors, Streisand and "a natural foods store owner in Brattleboro"?

Those are the only ones who care about the right of a woman to determine her own healthcare?

[John_H]

12. No, but c'mon. that was a pretty funny line. nt

[Rose Siding]

22. You're lucky! You laugh easily.

IMO, as a stale variation of old riffs done by The Club for Growth and more recently Rep Gibbons and a state auditor in AL, it pales.

[John_H]

11. It's a matter of degree.

Most anti-abortion dems are willing to let courts decide the issue's fate as they work to make abortions rare. Many great lakes blue collar dems (which I grew up as) are devout catholics and would support an amendment to ban abortion, but not if it means having to sign on to the GOP social agenda to do it.

[John_H]

10. can you explain the difference between embrace and welcome?

Or are you just a little uneasy with what Dean said, but can't bring yourelf to direct your unease at him? Dean was in MS, where the gubernatorial candidates from both parties have been coendorsed by National Right to Life since the 80's. Dean was doing what a DNC chair does, which is to expand the party.

Dean knew what he meant by pro-life, so did every Mississippi dem in the audience-even if you prefer to play word games here on DU.

I hate mediawhores as much as anyone on earth, but this is a fair story--perhaps it's intent was to piss off vehmently pro choice dems (which it has done apparently) but it isn't innacurate factually.

[Jacobin]

14. I was there in Jackson and heard that speech

They have TOTALLY twisted what he said.

His speech was excellent and he did not and does not give an inch to the RWers.

In fact, he stated very eloquently that giving in to the RWers is the way to lose elections and said he would not stand for it.

[John_H]

16. Did he say the words the reporter quoted?

If so, can you explain what was innacurate about the story?

[w4rma]

21. These words by the reporter are not a quote

"New Democratic Party chief Howard Dean is promising to make foes of abortion more welcome"

[madfloridian]

17. Thank you so much for posting that.

People just pile on without reading and thinking. I am so glad you enjoyed it. Large crowd for the South, huh?

:hi:
Also there is one on this in LBN which needs some help.

[Jacobin]

26. The place was overflowing with people

All the dinner tables were full and people were giving up seats so others could come in.

EXCELLENT attendance of all kinds of people, particularly for a Mississippi crowd.

I was very glad I went

[MAlibdem]

20. I dunno, usually when im "embraced" i also feel "welcome"

[applegrove]

24. You know when a sociopath has so morphed the world views and

perceptions of things (like they have done to the freepers) they will hear and read what they want to. Very common.

More proof the ***holes in the WH need to be put into MRI machines and tested before they run for another term.

[Grooner Five]

25. I think you're a bit off on this one

If the following quote is accurate, then Dean reached out to Democrats who oppose abortion, with no expansion of the term "Pro-life" needed or implied.

"We are going to embrace pro-life Democrats because pro-life Democrats care about kids after they're born, not just before they're born,"

Unless you think he was playing a mind game on the audience by having some secret definition for the general usage term "Pro-Life" that covertly makes it mean "Pro-Choice."

The Reuters reporter's reporting seems entirely fair to me.

[dsc]

28. actually the reporter isn't too far off the mark

The context of the statement was that abortion opponents would be more welcome (though both the abortion opponents he spoke of and he mean real pro life people). But, in fairness the reporter is less out of line than you think.