Between A Rock And A Teabag
by digby
Old Bart is getting hit from all sides and apparently is considering whether it’s all worth it now that he’s taking fire from both sides for being an incomprehensible turncoat:
Amidst growing speculation he might retire, Rep. Bart Stupak’s (D-Mich.) office declined to rule it out on Wednesday.
Spokeswoman Michelle Begnoche said the congressman is evaluating his options, but that he’s ready to run again if he decides to…
The nine-term congressman became a target of the left after he held out on voting for the healthcare bill until he had a guarantee of tougher language to prevent any federal subsidies from being used for abortion services.
Stupak faces a primary with former Charlevoix County Commissioner Connie Saltonstall, who has the support of NARAL Pro-Choice America, Planned Parenthood and the National Organization for Women (NOW).
Never fear, though. He’s getting lot’s of love from the Democrats who apparently enjoy being blackmailed and are hoping to send the message that they want it to happen again:
First Read reported Wednesday morning that Democratic strategists are urging Stupak to stick around, because his seat would be difficult for the party to hold. That task was made tougher, it said, because of the what Stupak went through when he held out for abortion language in the healthcare bill. In an interview with The Hill, Stupak described it as a “living hell.”
So we’re the ones who are making poor Bart’s life “a living hell” even though his friends in the “pro-life” movement are the ones issuing death threats. And Democratic strategists are giving him sympathy for all the “hell” he went through and begging him to stay on. Good to know.
The Democrats are going to lose seats this fall, no matter what. So they might as well send a little message to their members that there’s a price to pay for trying to destroy the party’s signature legislation and the president’s legacy at the expense of the majority of the party. Letting Stupak twist in the wind would be one way to do that. Instead, they appear to be rewarding him.
At some point, the Democratic party is going to have to recognize that it is a majority female party and learn to be a little bit more respectful.
Help Connie Saltonstall send them a little message they can understand on behalf Democratic women everywhere. This is insulting.
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