Mass. legislators call on abortion-rights group to rethink backing Obama
A prominent national abortion rights group's endorsement of Barack Obama last week is continuing to cause waves.
After NARAL Pro-Choice America's political committee announced its decision, several state affiliates, including the one in Massachusetts, made clear that they were not involved in the choice and were remaining neutral themselves.
Now, nearly 50 NARAL supporters in the Bay State, headlined by House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, Senate President Therese Murray, and Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston, and other legislators, wrote to NARAL leader Nancy Keenan asking her to retract the endorsement.
They write that Hillary Clinton has "a much stronger record on the issues your organization espouses," and that they are "stunned you would endorse someone who, while in the Illinois Senate, showed his unwillingness to take a stand on reproductive rights by voting 'present' seven times on Republican anti-choice legislation."
The letter ends: "We believe NARAL's endorsement was not only the wrong one, but entirely premature. We encourage you to retract your endorsement and - at the very least - wait until the Democratic nominee is clear. It is imperative we have a pro-choice President in the White House again. To do that, we need party unity. Your endorsement choice and timing do not further that cause."
Yesterday, NARAL released a reply from Keenan in which she explains the reasoning and timing of the endorsement, saying it must reach the millions of new voters attracted by Obama and Clinton now. "To do so effectively, we must be for someone, not just against John McCain," Keenan writes.
"Senator Obama needs an organization like ours to help close the identification gap with key voting constituencies before the fall campaign begins in earnest and people's opinions are already formed about the two candidates," Keenan writes. "We can help ensure a pro-choice victory in November, but only if we act now."
FOON RHEE
Coakley praised Barack Obama as well as Clinton, saying "Either will be a huge improvement for America over what the Republicans have offered for the last eight years and what they offer now for the next four."
But in a statement provided by the Clinton campaign, Coakley said, "Regardless of the outcome of the primary, Mrs. Clinton's energy, stamina, and resolve have changed the course of history for women seeking office, including the presidency, and I dare say, have changed the course of history of presidential politics in the United States."
Coakley was elected a superdelegate at the state Democratic Party convention May 10. Clinton has lost her months-long lead among superdelegates, the elected officials and party leaders whose support she is counting on to win the nomination.
FOON RHEE
McCain disclosed his plans in an interview with the African-American magazine Essence that was released yesterday. Asked how he might reach out to the black community, McCain replied that he would "go to places and venues that would allow me to continue a dialogue with the African-American community. I will go to the NAACP convention."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
