[Note: Correction appended]
Below is a letter Sharon Gray, a college professor from Vermillion, SD, sent to Dan Pfeiffer, Senator Daschle's deputy campaign manager, in response to his comments reported in today's edition of the Aberdeen American News and the Rapid City Journal:
Dear Dan Pfiefer,
I'm writing to take issue with your comments relating Daschle's "pro-life" record as quoted in the Aberdeen American News and the Rapid City Journal.
"The Ave Marie group is a shadowy group based out of state," said Dan Pfeiffer, deputy campaign manager for Daschle. "Their sole purpose is to distort Sen. Daschle's beliefs. Daschle is opposed to abortion and believes every abortion is a tragedy." Aberdeen American News
First, the Ave Maria group is no more nor less shadowy than any of the other special interest groups serving a very NECESSARY purpose in this post-McCain/Feingold era. They allow individuals to pool their resources and have their small voices heard above the cacaphony and din of political rhetoric. In a perfect world, if the press and media were truly un-biased, perhaps McCain/Feingold wouldn't have had as serious an effect on free speech as it has. But we do not live in a perfect world. And so I, therefore, am grateful for groups such as Ave Maria who to allow those of us with a strong view on particular issues to have our voices heard.
"To assert, as Ave Maria does, that receiving a contribution from a group is a de-facto endorsement of all of that group's policies is absurd....DASHPAC's contributions to EMILY's List were part of Daschle's efforts as Democratic leader in the Senate to elect Democrats, Pfeiffer said." Rapid City Journal
As you well know, Emily's list does not give money to ANY candidate who is not pro-choice. True, they have a three-prong test: Only 1) pro-choice, 2) Democratic, 3) female candidates can receive Emily's list endorsement. But, the ONLY time I have seen an Emily's list candidate have her endorsement pulled is IF she fails to vote pro-choice. So, clearly, that is a requirement: she must vote pro-choice. So, for Daschle to have given $10,000 to Emily's list, he is supporting their mission: to elect pro-choice, Democratic women.Additionally, neither NARAL nor Emily's List would ever dream of inviting a "pro-life" individual to 1) write a letter on their letterhead (regardless of whether it was for Naral or indirectly for Jean Carnahan) or 2) address them at a fundraising gathering (as Daschle did in the video clips (which, by the way, are no longer available at the DashPac website. Is Daschle ashamed of that alliance?)
That brings me to my final point. Anyone who cares strongly about life issues and follows the voting (and writes letters on bills and gets back placating replies) KNOWS that Daschle voted pro-choice 75 out of 83 times. And the 8 "pro-life" votes were only when it was politically expedient to do so. When he voted for the partial birth abortion ban, he voted for the "life or health of the mother" exemption. This even AFTER abortion provider experts testified that the particular procedure is NEVER necessary to protect the life or health of the mother, that it is almost ALWAYS done on healthy fetuses of healthy mothers. In fact, a pro-abortion doctor is quoted as saying he would argue that normal childbirth itself is sometimes dangerous and life-threatening, and therefore would provide the exception that swallows the rule. Daschle voted for the Feinstein amendment which would have effectively gutted the partial birth abortion ban and finally ONLY voted for the ban as we now have it because he knew it was going to pass with or without his vote, and it would NOT resonate well with the voters back in South Dakota if he were unable to "show" that he voted for the ban. That is disingenuous.
I really don't care how a candidate feels "personally" about the issue of abortion. I care how he or she votes. A pro-life candidate is one who votes pro-life and a pro-choice candidate is one who votes pro-choice. Daschle is clearly a pro-choice candidate. His 100% rating from NARAL is irrefutable evidence of that.
I ask that you be forthright with the voters about Daschle's pro-choice voting record. Do not continue to misrepresent Daschle as a "pro-life" candidate when he most certainly is not. His 0% rating from National Right to Life is evidence of that.
Sincerely,
Sharon Gray
CORRECTION: Sharon Gray is a college "instructor," not a college "professor." I regret the error.
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