The state of Virginia will be having a gubernatorial election this November there is only one Pro-Choice candidate- Creigh Deeds.
I work at an abortion clinic that has decide to publicly endorse Creigh Deeds with signage on our property. A conservative blog caught wind of this and has encouraged calls to the clinic, and campaign HQ in protest, as well as drive by honking, etc. They are insinuating our endorsement is a tactic to "increase buisness" and displaying graphics on the blog claiming, "Abortionists for Deeds Volume Discounts!" Atrocious, I know.
We have been receiving calls in protest, and our signs have been stolen. Apparently our endorsement is "offensive" and "disgusting". I wonder if this would be said about any other buisness?
The sad thing is at this point the Deeds campaign has REQUESTED THAT WE REMOVE THE SIGNS. Don Marks from the Richmond campaign office told our clinic director that, "we didn't want to give the bloggers any more fuel." Are you kidding me? You've just given them a victory.
What kind of message does this send from the "Pro-Choice" candidate?
You can contact the campaign here:
Northern Virginia Headquarters
2001 N. Beauregard St., Suite 420
Alexandria, VA 22311
Phone: (571) 303-2260
http://www.deedsforvirginia.com/contact
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Shame on him for telling a pro choice clinic to remove his sign women made him possible.
And we do not want to go back into bondage.
Nice job speaking for all women who voted for him. Ever thought that maybe there are other reasons women voted for him rather than because of the issue of choice?
And I am sure you'd be so proud of him if he screamed and yelled about choice, yet loses the race because the Republicans can use it to exploit anti-choice votes.
And what the hell does bondage have to do with anything? For a feminist, you're just as bad as the conservatives who walk around screaming, "We Want Our Country Back."
Your comments make pro-choicers look like idiots. Stop it.
I know this isn't going to be a very popular opinion on this site, but if I worked for the Deeds campaign, I'd ask you to take down the signs too.
At the end of the day, the Deeds campaign wants one thing: to win the election. And the last thing the Democratic Party wants in this election - when they're basically neck-and-neck if not a little behind - is for the conversation to be about abortion. Make it about the economy, make it about jobs, make it about transportation... those are issues you can win voters on, particularly if the economy starts turning around soon. Making it about culture war issues like abortion, this year, isn't going to be good for the Deeds campaign in a Bible-belt purple state like VA.
Despite going for Obama in '08, Virginia is still a reddish shade of purple, and an endorsement from an abortion clinic is going to lose them more votes than it's going to win them, and the more news stories there are talking about how Deeds is so pro-choice he's getting endorsements from abortion clinics, the more likely the moderate pro-choicers - the ones who make up that middle 20-30% that's crucial to winning in a state like VA - are going to take another look at Bob McDonnell.
If I worked for the campaign, I'd also ask you to take down this post. The Republicans would like nothing more than for this to become a big story and play downstate - "Creigh Deeds gets an endorsement from an abortion clinic, but is too much a politician to accept it!" The controversy wouldn't be good for the Deeds campaign - not only would they not be having the conversation they want to have, about the economy and jobs, but they'd also be playing defense... and when you're playing defense on a campaign, you're losing.
In the end, the question is why you endorsed Deeds. Did you endorse him because you want him to acknowledge you, or did you endorse him because you want him to win? If you take down the signs, sure, it's a moral victory for the anti-choicers; but if you don't, you risk it being an electoral victory for the anti-choicers. Between the two, I'll take the former over the latter time and time again. The winners of moral victories get to crow a little; the winners of electoral victories get to set policy. I'd rather they feel good about themselves and not hold the governorship, than that they lose this battle and get to set the direction of policy in Virginia for the next four years.
Thank you, James, for succintly raising the issue of the reality of politics.
Sometimes, I get a sense even as feminists - and by default, intelligent people - some people suffer from a lack of understand of the real world. Idealism is nice - but idealism didn't save women's lives, and it sure as hell won't hand Deeds the win.
I’m guessing that Deeds got where he is due in large part to women. You’re asking us to be Mistress out of sight not wife next to you in plain sight .This is why I stopped working for the Democratic machine and voted for Ralph Nader. I bet you don’t by your girlfriend tampons. Too embarrassing
And your votes did a hell of a lot for women in America, right?
There is feminist activism, and there's a reality of politics that you Nader and McKinney fans are way too short-sighted to understand.
If you want to sit around and scream and yell about human rights, join one of those idealistic freshmen clubs on campus. In real politics, you can't expect every political campaign to be a feminist consciouness-raising circle.
Go play in traffic while the rest of us adults work on real political issues and win real political campaigns. It's nice to have feminist values and convictions, but at the end of the day, it's about getting your ass in office before you can really do anything.
The "Democrat machine" has sure done a hell of a lot for women in America since Obama was elected than your pathetic candidate has ever done his entire life.
Nader did quite a bit for everyone earlier in life, before 2000 when he dedicated his remaining years to electing Republicans.
Here's the thing: everyone knows what Deeds stands for in terms of abortion, we don't need to highlight it. In Virginia (I once worked for the Democratic Party there), issues of transportation, jobs, and off-shore drilling are much more important, and are center-staged in a lo of political campaigns.
The issues and messages campaigns choose to and not to talk about are based on whether they can win the issue with voters in accordance with whether they can do so in 30-second commercial spots without stirring up controversies. Raising the abortion issue, I promise you, will no doubt highlight an issue that tugs at the heart of many voters, and could potentially cost Deeds the win.
If you want to take on the abortion and reproductive justice issue, I suggest working with local Plannned Parenthoods in Virginia to try to defeat Ken Cuccinelli in the attorney general election - it's a more appropriate race to engage the abortion debate. He is an anti-choice state senator currently going up against Steve Shannon for the post of attorney general. In the past, he's voted to take away Planned Parenthood fundings and taken up positions against comprehensive sex-ed.
Right, so I should play like a good little girl and do what the menz tell me too?
NO.
I will not be marginalized for being an abortion provider. I will not be treated as less than human. I will not be used for my vote and financial support, just to be cast aside as an untouchable.
1. Men is already the plural form of man. No z needed, or even an s.
2. No one is treating you as less than human by not wanting to raise the profile of abortion as an issue in Virginia.
Right - because it's "the man," telling you this, because women could not possibly have an interest in politics, right?
And sticking to a political strategy means we're marginalizing women or do not respect you as an abortion provider. Great fucking logic.
If you're so damned disappointed with the Democratic Party, go make your own party and see how many votes you get.
It's not "the menz" telling you what to do. It's both women and men who are much smarter and politically aware telling you that you should shut the fuck up because you sound like an idiot.
This was meant for KungfuGurl, and not the original poster. Sorry.