New Stanek WND.com column, “Democrats for Life betrays pro-life movement”
Friends sometimes find themselves on opposite sides during political campaigns, when emotions can ride high.
Fortunately, just as opponents usually shake hands afterward, so do those friends.
But the rift that developed during the 2010 election cycle between Democrats for Life and basically the rest of the pro-life movement is irreparable, at least as long as Kristen Day remains its executive director.
Day became incensed when pro-life groups fulfilled their promise to target House pro-life Democrats for electoral defeat who voted for Obamacare sans the Stupak Amendment….
Day began publicly bashing other pro-life groups, convinced their motive was not as stated but rather to function as covert operatives for the Republican Party. From Politics Daily, Nov. 3:
“They [pro-life groups] put all their eggs in one party,” said Kristen Day, executive director for Democrats for Life.… “They don’t want two pro-life parties because most of them want a Republican majority.”…
I suppose all the aforementioned would be forgivable after political passions died down, but then Day went too far…..
Continue reading my column today, “Democrats for Life betrays pro-life movement,” at WorldNetDaily.com.
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.
Amen Jill and thanks for having the guts to say so publically. Ever since Day pulled her stunt of clinging to the turncoats (even before the Susan B. Anthony lawsuit) I said Day should never be allowed on any nationwide telephone conference calls as she was on David Bereit’s all last year while we were in the midst of Obamacare. Then she stumbles into a gathering of pro-life leaders last winter with who, but my State’s turncoat, Sen. Ben Nelson, after he was the 60th vote rushing Obamacare to the floor with Harry Reid on December 20th. The woman has become a convenient tool for the Soros/SEIU/bogus Catholic group thugs that facilitated Obamacare. I suspect her reward for turning on the pro-life movement will more than carry her on to her next job if indeed she ever leaves DFLA. Because I believe DFLA is completely co-opted by those named above.
Good grief. With “friends” like this, who needs enemies?
Right on, Jill! I was the first president of the Florida Chapter of DFLA (when I was a Democrat). I’ve told Kristen for years that she is taking the wrong approach by vilifying pro-life Republicans. Her reply is always that we will just have to respectfully agree to disagree. DFLA is nothing more than window-dressing in the Democrat Party’s claim to be a “big tent.” It is comprised, for the most part, of “social justice” Catholics and Christians who cannot deal with the fact that the Democrat Party has lost its moral compass. I gave up believing in any hope of changing the party six years ago, and I have had restful sleep as a registered Republican ever since. Are the Republicans 100 percent trustworthy? No, but at least we have the opportunity to keep them honest when we vote in their primaries.
Ugh, can we beat this horse any deader?
“Day began publicly bashing other pro-life groups, convinced their motive was not as stated but rather to function as covert operatives for the Republican Party.”
Oh, now how could anyone possibly think that?
I have voted for pro-life Democrats because the Republicans were pro-choice even though I am not a Democrat. My pro-life convictions supercede any party loyalty. Kristen, we need to focus on the BABIES and WOMEN instead of focusing on parties. If you’re pro-life you should be willing to work with other pro-lifers no matter their religion, ethnicity, political affiliation, or whatever else. Nothing matters but ending abortion. The problem is that a lot of pro-life Democrats can’t seem to put their pro-life conivictions before their party.
There’s no such thing as a pro-life democratic politician. Obamacare made that perfectly clear.
Maybe she should take lessons from Rick Santorum – who finally lost even the primary, and Pat Toomey is finally going to be in the Senate.
It is hypocritical to hold Day to a higher standard than Santorum, who just after telling every good catholic and everyone else that they MUST vote for a notorious pro-abort over a 100% pro life challenger in a close race (49/51), writes an “Mea non culpa, end justifies the means” explanation, and is still a darling in most pro-life places. Basically he said that the strategic importance of a senate majority was more important than the “non-negotiables” and has not retracted it, much less with weeping in sackcloth and ashes.
(I do have to mention Santorm’s speech at the Detroit Men’s conference where he claimed he was there only because of God’s power – apparently God’s power fizzled out for that period or doesn’t work on people named Pat or something).
If you will not condemn, much less purge a republican until and unless he clearly repents, on what basis do you condemn a democrat that does something similar.
Obamacare only has speculation and what might happen, and although there was good reason to oppose it because it was ambiguous, it didn’t come out and say “Now all abortions will be federally or privately funded by law”.
Spectre had a clear and unambiguous record going in. And what happened with Spectre since that election?
So endorsing a known, “neon sign” pro-abort over a 100% pro-life candidate is not a reason to reject someone, but endorsing a seriously flawed but ambiguous piece of legislation is? (unless you claim either telepathy or prophecy).
Condemn both, or condemn neither, or stop pretending you are anything but a branch of the NRC.
Hmmm…I wonder what part of betraying the pro-life cause during the Obamacare vote does she NOT understand.
Jill,
This is perhaps your most incisive piece, and shows the fruits of prayerful discernment. You are dead on in where Day has crossed the line. The betrayal of confidences and the appearance of names on affidavits bespeaks, at the least, a desperation leading to a “take no prisoners” mentality.
It is clear that she is placing the emphasis on “Democrats” and not on “Life”. In light of all you have written, one wonders what else she has taken from confidential meetings and correspondence and shared with her first and deepest love: The Democrat Party.
Her perception that the pro-life movement is involved in promoting the Republicans pretty much ends any trust I might have had in her. She might as well be writing press releases for Obama/Reid/Pelosi. She has been far too shrill for far too long.
This isn’t politics. This is Kristen.
Wow. I have long suspected that there is something very suspicious about this organization, especially when I read that they essentially have not done anything meaningful – financially – to advance the cause of life; this article notes that they have raised $2,431, and spent “a paltry $308.00,” while giving zero dollars to candidates for federal office: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1010/43185.html By most standards, this would be characteristic of a sham organization. There are other details, too.
In any event, I am advising my boss to discontinue any further communication with this organization. I printed and highlighted the most impactful parts of your article for his review, with my commentary included in the margins.
Don’t trust ANY Democrat to stay faithful to their word when it comes to them supporting conservative, pro-life issues. A Dem is a Dem is a Dem. When the chips are down and the pressure is on, they will cave in to the liberal side and support their party platform, which is essentially Communist.
Democrats seem to embrace the Muslim practice of lying when it is expedient for their cause. Don’t trust them. Period. They will do and say just about anything to accomplish their goal of transforming America into a totally socialistic state.
Abortion has reduced the taxpayer base by over 50 million since 1973, which is helping move this nation to economic failure, which will require government takeover of everything.
Kelsey, it needed to be said and all the more credible coming from Jill who had a personal friendship with Kristen Day. There is absolutely no way I would sit down in my State with someone who did that to the rest of our lobbying organizations and let them have a seat at the strategy table in the future. It’s insane and anyone who has dealt with lobbying and legislation knows it.
I have to disagree with Julie and some others who’ve commented. Obviously bridges have been burned and Democrats for Life faces some serious challenges going forward. That’s not to say that “there’s no such thing as a pro-life Democrat” anymore; they still exist, and some still hold public office, although they took quite a beating in the election (along with the abortion advocates in their party, of course).
But the feud is common knowledge to anyone who’s following pro-life politics, and it’s certainly known to people who are actually involved in pro-life policymaking and lobbying. It’s not something that “needed to be said” as a warning to anyone. And it especially didn’t need to be said on World Net Daily, whose staunchly conservative readership wasn’t exactly lining up to make a donation to Democrats for Life anyway. They’ve probably never even heard of Kristen Day!
But there’s a delicious schadenfreude in reading an article that treats this high-profile stranger like the devil incarnate (or worse, a Planned Parenthood spy). It appeals to a base part of human nature. I like Jill’s writing most of the time, but this doesn’t sit well with me. No offense, Jill.
Also, can someone clarify the whole SBA/DFLA email disclosure for me? I thought that the SBA List released them first.
Kelsey,
I understand what you are saying, but when individuals such as Johnson speak in an off-the-record meeting, where words are not recorded, and then impugned publicly, that becomes an “ends justify the means” mentality that is reckless and uncharitable.
It also dares those who were in attendance to step forward and begin to disclose the proceedings of such meetings in order to defend the accused. What then of off the record? The purpose of such a meeting in any organization is to foster frank and open exchange of ideas. It is why presidents retain counsel and have executive privilege.
When individuals violate such trust, it is no mere infraction of the rules of etiquette. It is a betrayal of trust, an act of thuggery. Not happy about the rest of her peers’ assessment of pro-life democrats, Day went to hot guns. Who could trust her any more?
Leaks are one thing, egregious at that. Affidavits are orders of magnitude worse. Spreading the word among conservatives about one who does not abide the rules of mutual trust and respect is a protective act.
Day has only herself to blame if she is now regarded as a pariah.
All the Best,
Gerry
Has anyone noticed if Kristen Day is driving around a better car these days??? Maybe jet setting a bit?
Welcome to the ruling class, Kristen. Hope they treat you nice.
All it shows is that Democratic Party leaders moved too far left on some issues and lost the support of moderates. Plenty of anti war folks like myself realize that they are not going to do what we want and they are too radical on spending and abortion. There just aren’t enough moderate Democrats.
It’s a sad day when the content of one of Jill’s posts actually matches the ridiculousness found in the comments of all the posts.
Does that include your comment, Nate?
Sure, Kel.
.
Nate wrote, in reply to Kel,
[Nate]
It’s a sad day when the content of one of Jill’s posts actually matches the ridiculousness found in the comments of all the posts.
[Kel]
Does that include your comment, Nate?
[Nate]
Sure, Kel.
(*???*) Well, all righty, then… self-defeating arguments must be in vogue, this week! File this under the same category as, “Don’t believe me when I say this, because I’m lying!”, I guess.
It seems that Jill is upset that her internal communications with Day may be exposed. If she has nothing to hide, then there should be nothing to fear. I t may actually be the case that she could be exposed as a republican partisan. Then what are we to make of this?
I am one who agrees with Day, that the sba and others who targeted prolife dems got a short term win, but with the long term effect of gutting the Democratic party of any prolife voice. Day is correct in claiming that sba is a republican front; there is no evidence to suggest otherwise.
True prolifers should be working overtime to ensure that BOTH parities are prolife, that’s how this issue will be won. Targeting fellow prolifers because you disagree with their tactical approach (in the healthcare bill), is incredibly short-sighted and mean-spirited, especially when you consider the vehement and aggressive, all-out attack they mounted. Go look up ‘phyric victory”.
The only thing the republican party has to offer me is in executive nominations of Supreme Court justices, which is a determining factor for me. Otherwise, republicans only seem to use prolifers for political advantage, courting their votes, but doing almost nothing when they get elected.
@Valerie-
Hi, Valerie,
Thank you for your service as the first president of the Florida Chapter of DFLA. I am the current president of the Florida Chapter of DFLA, as I suspect you know.
One question: Have you ever heard of the Republicans for Choice?
Just sayin’
Take care,
Freda
Freda Stevens, President
Florida Democrats for Life
Since when did the Pro-Life Movement become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Republican Party? Many of the postions of the Republican Party are not totally Pro-Life. For example, their total opposition to health care reform denies health care to millions of Americans, and thus leads to the early death of many people. I am not saying that Obamacare is perfect, far from it. However the Republican Party did not try to improve Health Care Reform, they merely tried to defeat it. The Republican Party needs to represent all the people, born and unborn, rather than the big insurance companies and “Big Pharma” before I abandon the Democratic Party on all issues!