The Obama campaign just made an extremely bold move

[Onlooker]

Listen to this ad:

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0908/Obamas_abortion_ad.html#comments

Now, think of the timing: Right after the Bristol Palin story and during the Republican Convention.

Is Obama taking the moral issue directly to them? He is going to confront them on a woman's rights over her own body?

Wait until this ad reaches the right wing blogs and the MSM in a bigger way. I think it's going to be a big story, unless Republicans are afraid to touch it with a ten foot poll.

Am I wrong?

[NJmaverick]

1. The Country is divided 50/50 on this issue

the numbers go far more pro choice when you factor in abortions for rape and incest. It may not be a bad idea to go after this issue, with McCain having picked a running mate with radical views on this issue. I like bold, timid hasn't worked for the Dems, so might as well try bold.

[Onlooker]

3. But women aren't divided 50/50

and it's the kind of issue that may sway women to the Democrats, while not changing the vote of most men.

[GrizzlyMan]

4. It's not exactly 50-50

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

[FrenchieCat]

6. And that's not broken out by gender is it?

[NJmaverick]

7. I realize the numbers vary

but for a rough estimate I still think 50/50 is a good start.

[GrizzlyMan]

21. Not when some of these polls show its closer to 60-40

Than 50-50. I think a better starting point would be slightly more people in this country describe themselves pro choice than pro life. That's what the numbers reflect, although I suspect significantly more women would describe themselves as pro choice.

[XemaSab]

8. It depends on how it's framed, and how the question is asked

I would guess most Americans are both anti-abortion and pro-choice, and no, that's not contradictory.

[NJmaverick]

14. It's like divorce

I would wager most Americans would say divorces are bad, but that doesn't stop them from getting one.

[Hansel]

29. Yep. Democrats need to stop letting them ID themselves as "pro-life"

Nearly everyone is pro. People who are pro-choice are pro-life. In fact I would argue most are more pro-life than the so-called "pro-lifers".

Most people calling themselves pro life are just anti-abortion. Their stands on war and the death penalty along with their lack of concern about global warming and health care for children are not "pro-life" stands. And every time we and the media are complacent in allowing them to identify themselves as "pro-life" we allow the subliminal impression that we are "anti-life". Real journalists would have stopped this practice a very long time ago.

They have gotten away with this long ENOUGH.

[VenusRising]

35. That is how my best friend feels exactly.

She would never take away another woman's right to decide what's right for her own body, but my friend is anti-abortion for herself. She even put her life at risk with her last pregnancy because she just couldn't consider that option.

I appreciate that she has that view for her own body, and can still think of other women in the same situation and believe they have the freedom to make a choice.

[kath]

37. It's my understanding that the American public, for decades, has been around 60-65% in favor of

legalized abortion (unless it's changed dramatically in the past few years, which I doubt).

[AtomicKitten]

2. Obama is taking the battle to them.

Faux News has "accidentally" labeled Palin as pro-choice on several occasions, and some former Democratic/current deadenders are under that delusion.

Obama is smart to make the McCain-Palin position on choice crystal clear to voters.

[HooptieWagon]

27. Actually, Palin IS Pro-Choice...as long as the choices are limited to one.

[FrenchieCat]

5. This election IS about the Supreme Court.......

and that should not be whispered. McCain talking about 3 or 4 Scalias? I don't think that's going to go over well with many women or men for that fact. Most men don't necessarily want to end up like Palin's daughter's boyfriend.

[DangerDave921]

9. The man is irrelevant

Even with full abortion rights, that right rests with the mother. The man has no say whatsoever in whether the mom keeps the baby or aborts it.

[FrenchieCat]

13. My point is for each mother forced to go through a pregnancy

there will be a husband, or a boyfriend or someone involved. Those guys will have to pay child support whether the "choose to" or not.

[DangerDave921]

18. Doesn't he take that risk?

When he decides to have sex?

[FrenchieCat]

22. Like children, folks don't think so much at the time of the deed......

[DangerDave921]

26. Tru dat

But my point is that if a woman gets pregnant and decides to keep the baby, the man is out of luck really. He has to pay. So it's not his decision to make. And he better be prepared for that eventuality when he decides to have play time.

[tkmorris]

40. Bad argument

You could say exactly the same about a woman becoming pregnant. They took that risk when they chose to have sex.

[gblady]

24. for me....

bottom line is it's the woman's body, woman's choice...
far too often, I'm not saying always, but FAR too often...
the responsibility is born and shouldered by the woman.

I work in community mental health...see it over and over and over.

[gblady]

25. dupe...

I'm so glad Barack is hitting this one square on.

[apnu]

10. Well Obama did say he wanted to talk about it in his address.

He did say they'd go there, and they went there. Good on them.

What did he say? Oh yeah "We can agree to keep a woman's right to choose while reducing the number of abortions." Kick ass Big O, kick ass.

[CakeGrrl]

11. It should be big. McCain/Palin need to be called out on their policies

Obama is not going to lose votes over this. It's pretty clear that he's pro-choice and voters know that.

But people who think McCain is a "maverick" because he's pro-choice or who believe Palin is pro-choice because she's a woman need to be educated. Quickly and clearly.

[CTyankee]

32. Planned Parenthood has already field tested this on McCain.

They found that lots of women who were leaning to McCain dropped their support when they learned of his anti-choice stance. Obama's people are smart. They wouldn't go with this if they didn't know it could move some numbers. AT LAST!

[flamingdem]

12. Aha! Very smart to get voters attention on Roe vs. Wade right now

Give it to them. Obama/Biden 08!

[msallied]

15. Good on him! The Republicans should not own this issue.

There is not a goddamn thing wrong with protecting women's rights.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

16. Ugh.

Hot button social issues like abortion are nothing but a buzzkill. I'm sorry, but that's the truth.

If we run on the economy and a better foriegn policy abroad, we win no doubt. If we run on abortion, we lose.

[beachmom]

17. That ad was in the works BEFORE the Palin pick. It ends up a lot of

women think McCain is pro-choice, and need that notion corrected.

[Arrowhead2k1]

19. Guys, we are going to war now.

Grab your helmets.

[Life Long Dem]

20. He's telling you how to handle this and how he will handle this

without dragging the party into the mud and making Obama look dirty.

Obama is doing it the right way. That's the end result correct - Bringing it to congress and the courts.

[ebdarcy]

23. I like it. I'm sick of the other side getting to frame and claim issues.

This is not something to back away from. I heard the ad yesterday on a country radio station. If anything, it made me respect and admire the Obama campaign even more. I'm sick of running away from the religious right. Democrats are right on this issue, and it's about time we state it in unambiguous terms.

[Onlooker]

28. I agree

For the first time in a very long time, the Democrats are really running as Democrats. I'm so sick of the "while I'm personally against abortion I believe blah, blah, blah." Obama is making abortion an issue, and he's doing it at such an interesting time (Brisol Palin, Repub convention) that I think the MSM will pick it up. They certainly should.

[Fla Dem]

31. Yes it has to be made clear that NO ONE favors abortions.......

but the Democrats believe it is the woman's choice, not the government. This has been framed by the right for so long that the left favors abortions, instead of it being a womans choice issue.

[chicagoexpat]

30. caveat, it's always been accepted wisdom that abortion issue hurts liberals

It's not who supports which side the most, it's which side supports their side ONLY.

The hard core people who are anti-choice will base their vote only on that one issue

This group is larger than the core pro-choice group who will vote according to that one issue

It turns into a net gain for the right wing candidates

[Tommy_Carcetti]

36. Agreed.

The abortion issue is a wedge issue that drives a lot of people who might agree with a good number of Democratic policies on the economy and even foriegn policy to vote Republican. I grew up in an area notorious for that thinking--socially conservative, but economically moderate to liberal.

With the economy being as bad as it is, those people were beginning to abandon that single issue voting line of thinking and consider the greater good.

Highlighting the abortion issue now risks sending them back to the wings of the Republicans.

People who favor abortion rights were going to vote Obama no matter what. No sense in trying to exasperate this ugly wedge issue and cut off our noses to spite our faces.

[Chloroplast]

33. I see the ad as a ploy to get Palin to talk about how religion shapes her life.

This is a risk that has the potential to pay off BIG. I'm excited.

[RiverStone]

34. Good move and good ad!

This is something we can't be shy about proclaiming to the country. McBush as pres would set back a woman's reproductive freedom for a generation.

Women need to understand that the pukes will legislate morality, and this would only be the beginning.

Kudo's to the Obama camp for taking this head on!

[Madam Mossfern]

38. It's disappointing in that

it doesn't say what the result of banning all abortions would be. I remember the day's of back alley coat hangar abortions, where women/girls died or ended up sterile from scarring and infection. If you make abortion illegal, the the wealthy and privileged will have access by traveling to other countries, but the poorer women will either have to bear an unwanted baby or risk their lives with an illegal abortion.

This point needs to be made...this has to be put to the less educated blue collar demographic...that THEIR right to chose to have or NOT have an abortion will be taken away, but the elite will still be able to do whatever they wish.

[Bucky]

39. It's VERY tricky. Many people are both anti-abortion AND pro-choice

It's as hot an issue as slavery was in the 1850s. It's an issue that sends people into conniptions whenever it's brought up, but the chance for a compromised solution to the problem--even if a compromise is somehow possible--will never come to be because the two leading views on the issue are culturally irreconcileable.