Emily's List punishes its own who oppose partial-birth abortion

Stephanie Herseth has said she supports the ban on partial-birth abortion, with exceptions for life and health of the mother. Although the ban on partial birth abortions has been signed into law and is now being contested in the federal courts, and is therefore something of a moot point, it is illuminating to observe how Emily's List, one of Herseth's major contributors, behaved toward Senator Mary Landrieu when she voted to support the partial-birth abortion ban.

A September, 2002 piece in the liberal American Prospect headlined "Emily's List Hissed" offers the details:

Republicans have vowed to pour money into Louisiana to unseat Landrieu, who was narrowly elected in 1996 with the backing of Emily's List, in order to retake the Senate. Emily's List, which supports only pro-choice Democratic women, announced in 1997 that it would no longer fund Landrieu thanks to her vote for an amended ban on the so-called partial-birth procedure. So Landrieu, the first woman senator from the South elected in her own right, will need all the Democratic Party dollars she can get.

(Emphasis added.) The TAP piece also contains this quote from Democratic operative Paul Begala:

"Now, I wonder if Emily's List contributors wouldn't rather see their money spent helping, say, Mary Landrieu, one of the few women in the Senate, keep her seat. Well, no dice, says Emily's List. Senator Landrieu, you see, supported the ban on partial-birth abortion. Doesn't matter that her Republican opponents support a total ban on all abortions. Wasn't it Santayana who said: 'Fanaticism consists of redoubling your efforts after you've lost sight of your aim'?"

When uber-Democrat fanatic Paul Begala characterizes Emily's List as engaging in "fanaticism," that's saying something, and it contradicts Stephanie Herseth's protestations that Emily's List is not an extremist group:

Herseth has been criticized for accepting donations from Emily's List, an organization characterized as supporting pro-choice candidates.

But she said it is an organization comprised of individuals from South Dakota and across the country who are interested in seeing more women elected and helps them become more financially viable.

Emily's List has been treated unfairly and it is wrong to suggest it is a radical feminist organization, Herseth said.

It strains credulity that Herseth describes herself as a moderate when she is so beholden to an extremist group like Emily's List. It's no surprise that The Nation's Katrina vanden Heuval is a Herseth fan.