NARAL Pro-Choice America Endorses Obama

It has been a while since a big organization has endorsed a candidate, but today I'm happy to report that reproductive rights leader NARAL endorsed Obama for president. This endorsement recognizes Obama's superior commitment to reproductive rights and women's rights. However, this isn't to say that Hillary is not committed as well, but as the endorsement makes clear, only one Democrat is moving on to the general election, and that is Barack Obama. So this one is a blow for Hillary for two reasons. First, she likes to pretend she has a monopoly on women, which she most definitely does not. This is a blow to her attempts to paint Obama as less committed to reproductive rights, as she often did in earlier primaries (probably until she could no longer afford to distribute the false mailers), despite the record showing that Obama has been just as strong (stronger, actually, see update below) as her on these issues. Secondly, it signals that no one is taking her claims of a road to victory seriously anymore. The writing is on the wall, and the writing says that it is time to come together around our nominee. The press release can be accessed here, and what follows is a message from NARAL president Nancy Keenan:]

Why NARAL Pro-Choice America Endorsed Barack Obama
by Nancy Keenan, President, NARAL Pro-Choice America

I am pleased to announce that today, NARAL Pro-Choice America's political action committee endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president.

I know that most of you are probably thinking, "Why did you decide to endorse Obama, and why are you doing it now?"

Sen. Obama has been a strong advocate for a woman's right to choose throughout his career in public service. Since joining the Senate in 2005, he has worked to unite Americans on both sides of this debate behind commonsense, common-ground ways to prevent unintended pregnancy. He supports legislation to provide our teens with comprehensive sex education, prevent pharmacies from denying women access to their legal birth-control prescriptions, and increase access for family-planning services.

Sen. Obama has said, "A woman's ability to decide how many children to have and when, without interference from the government, is one of the most fundamental rights we possess. It is not just an issue of choice, but equality and opportunity for all women."

Further, I believe Sen. Obama is going to be the Democratic nominee. He leads in pledged delegates, superdelegates, the popular vote, and cash-on-hand. As a former elected official, I know that having the three "m's" of a campaign - money, message and manpower (or womanpower!) - are how we win elections. Sen. Obama will be our next president.

Now, let's take a look at the opposition. Sen. McCain has been getting a free ride for far too long. As even Dan Balz says, until there is a head-to-head, McCain will continue on as the media-maverick darling. We must show voters how extreme McCain really is and contrast his record with that of Sen. Obama, the candidate for the pro-choice majority. NARAL Pro-Choice America is unique in our ability to reach the crucial voting bloc of Republican and independent pro-choice women. These voters are essential to win the White House and we've seen that Obama can inspire them to vote for him in November.

Finally, NARAL Pro-Choice America, as the political leader of the pro-choice movement, felt it was time to take a leadership role. We have been so fortunate to have two fully pro-choice candidates running for the Democratic nomination and to that end, we've consistently praised both Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama for their leadership in standing up for women's reproductive rights. We continue to look forward to working with them in the future. But, for the sake of the reproductive-rights movement, we need to put any perceived differences behind us, and get to work putting Sen. Obama in the White House. We want to let women know that, no doubt about it, we have trust and confidence in Obama's ability and willingness to fight for a woman's right to choose. He's already proven himself in that regard.

We all know that America is a pro-choice nation, and whether you live in a red state or a blue state, whether you're young or you're old, whether you're black, latino, asian, or white, whether you are a man or a woman, we know that Sen. Obama will represent our interests well in the White House and make sure that reproductive choice is protected.

Sen. Obama is the leader who can unify Americans on both sides of our issue. He has reached new generations and energized young voters, independent voters, and Republican voters. He's the candidate of the future, and today we are proud to put the power of NARAL Pro-Choice America's one million strong members, activists and supporters behind Sen. Barack Obama.

Nancy Keenan is president of NARAL Pro-Choice America.

[Update: When Hillary spokesman Howard Wolfson was asked for Hillary's response he answered "surprised", adding that he thought "Senator Clinton's leadership on advocacy and choice issues is second to none." Well I'm sorry Howard, but she is second to one person, Barack Obama. There records are the same, except one thing. Back in 2006 conservatives in South Dakota were trying to pass an abortion ban, and pro-choice groups asked pro-choice senators to help defend reproductive rights, and only one senator stepped forward, and that was Barack Obama, NOT Hillary Clinton. So sorry Hillary, I'd say you are a close second, but second nonetheless. You won't take risks, you do what is politically easy, you pander. Obama didn't, he stepped up to the plate and did what was right, and so he deserves the endorsement more than you, even when you disregard his electoral success and only compare commitment to reproductive rights. He wins.]

Update #2: NARAL is under attack by angry Hillary supporters going all "Judas" on them simply for endorsing a committed pro-choice Democrat! Please go to their website and show your support of Obama and NARAL by fighting back against the hateful and misinformed comments of Hillary's supporters!

Update #3: Phew! NARAL is lucky Edwards just endorsed Obama, now Hillary's rabid supporters will have to split their energy between calling him Judas and calling NARAL Judas. What luck!