Pro-life Obamacare Democrats try to block attack ads by pro-life groups
Read my previous post, “Targeted pro-life Obamacare Democrats: “Nowhere to go for help,” for backdrop.
Pro-life groups have been targeting several self-identified pro-life Democrats who nonetheless voted for Obamacare, which allows taxpayer funding of abortions.
And 2 are fighting back. On October 5 OH Rep. Steve Driehaus filed a complaint with the OH Election Commission to block this billboard the Susan B. Anthony List planned to erect several places in his district this week. Click to enlarge:
According to Politico the OEC will rule on October 14 “whether the health care reform bill allows taxpayer funding of abortion,” which should be interesting.
Not that it really matters, because, according to Politico, “the commission doesn’t have the power to order the billboards taken down.” Reported NewAmerican.com, however, “Lamar Advertising, hired to erect them, has agreed to wait for the commission’s ruling before proceeding.”
An October 3 poll showed Driehaus losing by 12 points (53% to 41%) to the guy from whom he snatched the seat in 2008, pro-life Republican hero Steve Chabot, House sponsor of the Born Alive Infants Protection Act.
Meanwhile, according to the Associated Press, attorneys for PA Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (pictured on right in photo with Driehaus, left, and Congressman Bart Stupak, middle, announcing their support of Obamacare) wrote letters to 4 radio stations requesting they pull ads by Americans United for Life that state her vote for Obamacare helped lead to “the largest expansion of taxpayer-funded abortions ever.” Read entire script here. The ad is currently running on 5 stations in Dahlkemper’s district.
An October 7 poll showed Dahlkemper trailing Republican challenger Mike Kelly by 13 points, 49% to 36% – with 15% undecided.
According to Politico just a few minutes ago, Driehaus and Dahlkemper are among 12 incumbent Democrats The Cook Report has moved from the “Toss Up” category to “Lean Republican.” Cook stated it “rarely” moves incumbents like this but:
It’s not that these endangered members’ prospects have suddenly taken a turn for the worse, or even deteriorated gradually over the last several months. Most of these members have trailed all year, and it’s simply exceedingly rare to see a candidate in their position in October come back to win reelection, especially now that early voting will be underway in many states very soon.
And hey, guess what? Alan Grayson is on that list, too.
About the dispute over abortion in Obamacare, SBA List president Marjorie Dannenfelser issued this statement:
It is a fact that Steve Driehaus has voted for a bill that includes taxpayer funding of abortion. His own affidavit refers to an Executive order which purports to undo the harms of the actual bill for which he voted. The bill retains the language which Rep. Bart Stupak referred to as an “accounting gimmick” that allows for federal dollars to go to insurance plans that cover abortion.
AUL noted that the Congressional Research Service agrees taxpayer funded abortion coverage is included in Obamacare.
[Photo via Christian Science Monitor]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
If taxpayer funded abortion coverage is not in Obamacare, there would have been no reason to have an executive order signed. Signing that EO did not change the wording in Obamacare.
Justsnapd8: EXACTLY. And the EO didn’t even stop them all, as we saw when states would have successfully sneaked taxpayer funded abortions into their high risk plans had not astute pro-lifers caught them, forcing Sebelius to rescind them.
Democrats, even PL Democrats, are one thing first and foremost. Democrats.
The EO gave them a convenient means to tow the party line and they were well aware this EO was good for one thing only: Toilet paper.
Their constituents made their disapproval of Obamacare known, with or without abortion, and their response was to kowtow to Nancy Pelosi and Obama… and give their constituents the finger. Its time to pay the piper, or should I say the voters.
So, heck of a year by the pro-lifers – successfully running out any pro-life Democrats out there, and the GOP’s “pledge to America” basically says that social issues aren’t there first topic…so from the front of the pack to the back of the line again!
I want to give a little shout to my pro-life Democrat congressman who did NOT vote for Obamacare. Thanks Dan Lipinski-IL. True, it isn’t going to cost him anything politically to have voted No. In this area, folks vote D without looking. Still, he could have voted for Obamacare and made a few friends in his party. But he didn’t. And he’s proudly touting this fact in his newsletters. God bless you, Congressman.
@Ex-GOP Voter; you can’t be a Democrat & be Pro-Life in Washington. Pelosi might hit you with her gavel.