Update [2005-5-20 19:43:50 by Armando]: Kate Michelman is supporting Matt Brown:
“It is a problem when leading Democrats publicly recruit candidates who do not share the core values of the party," Democratic consultant Kate Michelman, the former head of the abortion rights group NARAL, said Thursday. "I don’t think you ever win in the long term by sacrificing core principles. The right wing has never done that.”
Michelman asked, “Can you imagine recruiting people to run for the Senate with a record of opposition to affirmative action or to Brown v. Board of Education (the 1954 school desegregation decision)?”
Michelman is supporting Matt Brown’s candidacy in Rhode Island.
Update [2005-5-20 16:20:12 by Armando]: In the calm rational debate ongoing in this thread, I notice that many commenters are operating under a misapprehension- that the Democratic candidates in this race are NOT pro-choice. These commenters are misinformed. All announced Democratic candidates in this race are strongly pro-choice. Just as important, they will support Harry Reid for Senate Leader. Given the fact that the leadership in the Senate sets the agenda, it is astounding how anyone who purports to be pro-choice could support a Senator who voted for Bill Frist (and when I say Frist I mean James Dobson) for Senate Leader.
Update [2005-5-20 14:57:6 by Armando]: From the diaries by Armando. Remember when markos was criticizing the single issue groups for not understanding that their issues are ONLY defended by Democrats being in power? Here is Exhibit A.
Remember how NARAL helped drive Jim Langevin out of the senate race in Rhode Island? The argument was that we needed to have a pro-choice nominee. Well, Langevin is no longer in the race and guess what? NARAL turned around and endorsed Linc Chafee. So much for NARAL. Thus, as Ezra Klein points out, the Dems had nothing to lose in nominating Langevin. And, as he goes on to note, abortion rights would not have suffered even if he had won.
Here's hoping Langevin reconsiders and enters the race.
"In something of an odd move, NARAL has given Lincoln Chafee their early endorsement, and their first of the 2006 campaign. Stupid stupid stupid. They've been missing the forest throughout the racew, driving Langevin, who could've unseated Chafee, out of the running, and now offering Lincoln their preemptive stamp of approval. Assumedly, this is to prove their independence from the party. But you know what? NARAL isn't actually independent from the party because choice, in reality, isn't actually independent from the Democrats.
That's why Langevin couldn't have done much harm. A Democratic majority is going to protect the right to choose even if one or two of its members are uncomfortable with the concept. A Republican majority is going to work feverishly to abrogate it even if one or two of its members, like Lincoln, support choice. I see where NARAL's coming from on this, but by cutting pro-life Democrats off at the knees they're keeping some Republicans in power, and by doing that, they're helping to sustain the Republican majority, and by doing that they're striking a grievous blow against their cause."
http://ezraklein.typepad.com/blog/