Anti-choice group gives Florida congressman a Phony Baloney award.

[madfloridian]

I hope when things like this happen it will help our party see that the religious right is not going to play ball with us on anything.

Meek, who is running for Senate against Charlie Crist, sent a letter to Nancy Pelosi signed by 4 other Democrats saying that abortion should not be funded in the new health care reform. I guess he thought he was reaching out to them.

The award they presented to him is worded in such an ugly fashion. They have contempt for anyone not just as avid as they are about being against women's rights.

Meek's Phony Baloney award


Picture from the Mimi Herald article

From the National Right to Life: In a letter earlier this week to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, which he co-signed, Meek claimed to seek "common ground" on abortion in the White House-backed healthcare "reform" proposals currently being considered. However, just last week, Meek voted in the House Ways and Means Committee against amendments to prevent the bill from mandating elective abortion coverage and to prevent federal subsidies for elective abortion. Since coming to Congress in 2003, Meek has voted against the pro-life position on the floor of the House 30 times. He has never cast a pro-life vote in Congress on an abortion-related issue, not even partial-birth abortion, parental notification, or fetal homicide.In awarding the "Phony-Baloney Citation," NRLC Federal Legislation Director Douglas Johnson said, "In light of his extreme pro-abortion voting record, Rep. Meek's call for 'common ground' reeks of brazen political posturing, and warrants this special citation."

That is Kendrick Meeks reward for standing with anti-choice Democrats on women's reproductive rights. Here is more about the letter they sent.

Though proposed legislation does not mention abortion, some Republicans argue that the proposed overhaul of the healthcare system could open the door to federal funding of the procedure. Democrats counter that abortion opponents are trying to cook up controversy in an effort to topple the broader reform effort. In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Tuesday, Meek joined four others Democrats in proposing a ``common ground solution'' that would maintain the status quo on abortion policy. Specifically, the government would continue to allow insurers to decide whether to offer abortion coverage -- most do -- and keep federal tax dollars out of it.

"I think it's important that we not let Republicans use this issue to make some sort of political statement and confuse Americans,'' Meek said Wednesday. ``We don't want to find ourselves in a situation where we jeopardize access for women."

Sorry, Kendrick, you are usually a reliably pro-choice Democrat. But they really got ugly with you about that effort to side with them. They don't accept half way efforts. It is all or nothing with them.

[csziggy]

1. LOL, that's what he gets for trying to be a centrist - Pissed off both sides at the same time

[Hello_Kitty]

3. Exactly. They never learn, do they? eom

[madfloridian]

4. Heh heh

So true.

[madfloridian]

8. Both sides. Anti-choice group got angry over that obvious pandering.

Exactly. The other side will not give in the tiniest bit, and they have nothing but contempt for our side when we make meaningless gestures.

[redqueen]

9. You know what they say about what's in the middle of the road. (nt)

[madfloridian]

10. Yellow stripes and dead armadillos.

Jim Hightower:

"There's Nothing in the Middle of the Road but Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos"

Ain't that the truth.

[madfloridian]

12. In fact a push for Hightower's book by that name.

http://www.amazon.com/Theres-Nothing-Middle-Stripes-Armadillos/dp/0060929499

Old one but good one.

[Hello_Kitty]

2. madfloridian, thank you for all the good work you do staying on top of this issue.

:yourock:

Soooo disappointing to see Dems being suckered by "Right to Life". They are nothing but a social conservative arm of the GOP. I always tell candidates that there are 2 surveys you shouldn't even bother doing: NRA and Right To Life. Both of them are a trap. They either won't endorse you or they will, and then turn around and use your answers against you.

[madfloridian]

5. It is an important issue.

:hi:

[madfloridian]

13. Women are fighting in middle east for their rights. Women here sit back...

and rationalize every effort to diminish us. It's a shame.

[madfloridian]

6. Ok with restoring family planning internationally...just not here.

Kendrick Meek is a great guy, but he needs not to do things like this.

"In one key 2005 vote where Meek disagreed with some of the other Democrats who wrote to Pelosi, he favored restoring federal funding to an international family planning agency that serves poor women."

In other countries, just not here.

I understand he is in a difficult situation running against Charlie Crist. But things like this are not the answer.

[madfloridian]

7. More anti-choice Dems stepping up to the plate...again.

This makes it sound like women are the culprits who could hold up the health plan. When did this kind of thinking take such a strong hold in our party.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158514.php

Five centrist House Democrats, led by antiabortion-rights Rep. Tim Ryan (Ohio), on Tuesday issued a proposal that would neither require nor ban private insurers from covering abortion services as long as federal dollars are not used, the Washington Post's "Capitol Briefing" reports. In a letter sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Ryan and Reps. Dale Kildee (Mich.), James Langevin (R.I.), Artur Davis (Ala.) and Kendrick Meek (Fla.) said that their proposal "maintains the current status quo in the private market" and would not "preempt constitutionally permissible" state restrictions related to abortion, such as parental notification laws. The representatives called their proposal a "common ground solution." Current federal law prohibits the use of federal Medicaid funds for abortion services in nearly all circumstances.

..."House Members Step Up Efforts To Exclude Abortion Coverage

Meanwhile, antiabortion-rights House members are intensifying their efforts to exclude abortion coverage from the chamber's health reform bill (HR 3200), which they said includes a "hidden mandate" that would allow federal money to cover the procedure, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports. Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) said that he plans to join other antiabortion-rights House members at a news conference on Wednesday to criticize the legislation. Stupak helped draft a June 25 letter to Pelosi saying that he and 19 other Democrats would not support any health reform bill "unless it explicitly excludes abortion from the scope of any government-defined or subsidized health insurance plan." The bill does not mention abortion, which supporters say means that the legislation is neutral on the issue (Alonso-Zaldivar, AP/Houston Chronicle, 7/22).

Antiabortion-Rights Coalition Launches Campaign

A coalition of antiabortion-rights groups this week is launching a three-week campaign aimed at excluding abortion coverage from health reform legislation, Politico reports. The coalition includes James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family; Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council; Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention; David Bereit of 40 Days for Life; and Charmaine Yoest, president of Americans United for Life. Yoest said AUL intends to send a letter to President Obama on Thursday citing its "belief that the bills are intended to include abortion."

[madfloridian]

11. Kicky for Kendrick.

.

[jmondine]

14. Sarah Palin's scheduled to host the Phoney Baloney's next year