Sometimes a Republican candidate's position on abortion is loud and clear.
Sometimes it isn't.
Democrats organize an event to try to get GOP candidates to say where they stand on abortion.
Scott Hays' Guest Post is a report on the effort of Democrats in Clackamas County, Oregon to force Republican candidates to report their positions on reproductive health care rights. Clackamas County is Oregon's third most populous county, with about 420,000 people. It includes the close-in suburbs south and east of Portland, plus farm and forested area to their east.
Speaking as citizens, the Democratic activists thought they had a right to know where Republican candidates stood on the abortion issue. As Democratic partisans, they thought it likely that GOP positions would be unpopular. They wanted a campaign event that could move public opinion.
Scott Hays is a retired school teacher. He is Secretary of the Democratic Party of Clackamas County and Chair of its Platform & Resolutions Committee. Political campaigns are more than advertisements. They are also grass root events, organized by citizens like Hays, done with the hope of making a point and getting noticed.
Guest Post by Scott Hays
Our resolution began as a campaign strategy to use in our Clackamas County Commissioner races. We have two Republicans running for two seats and neither has been forthcoming about their position on this issue. For good reason. Both are pro-life (one more radical than the other) and the issue is not a winner with most voters in Clackamas. We hoped to present a resolution in favor of reproductive rights to the County Commission, fully expecting the 3 Republicans to ignore it--whereupon we would launch a letter-writing and public comment campaign demanding to know why they were keeping it secret.
Some of our membership had concerns about the narrowness of the resolution, so we broadened it and wrote to all local jurisdictions in the county. This created a new problem. Taking it directly to each city council in the county would be difficult for the media to cover. We finally opted to do a media event promoting our resolution. We also wanted to spotlight local candidates in very close races, expecting support for the issue to cross party lines.
On Friday, October 14, we gathered ten elected Democratic officials and candidates. The speakers included Jamie McLeod-Skinner – the Democratic candidate for congress whose race has garnered nationwide attention. (She unseated a conservative Democratic incumbent in the primary and is now attempting to keep this a Democratic seat.) Also speaking were Mark Meek, Sonya Fischer, and Libra Forde – candidates for state and county offices – plus representatives of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, Pro-Choice Oregon, and the Portland Chapter of NOW.The speakers asserted that access to abortion and reproductive health care was a fundamental right that should be made by individuals and their health care providers, not politicians. The speakers said that abortion rights are no longer "settled law" in Oregon or nationally – the position of the GOP candidate for governor, who is attempting to sweep the issue under the rug. State Representative Rachel Prusak said, “the same people saying Oregon laws are strong and we don’t have to worry also said we shouldn’t worry that Roe would be overturned.” This is why Clackamas County Democrats say there is urgency to know where local GOP candidates stand. If they win office and are part of GOP majorities, they will be under tremendous pressure to pass extreme laws.
Both KOIN-TV and the Pamplin Media sent reporters, but neither have reported on the event. We are undaunted. We are going to post it on our Party Website and FB page and push it through other avenues of social media. Our resolution puts Democrats of Clackamas County on record in support of measures "necessary to protect a person’s right to abortion and reproductive health care services, and a person’s right to privacy in Oregon." It also sets a standard against which to compare Republicans who refuse to be transparent and forthright about their plans. We are being transparent. We want Republicans to be transparent, too.
As Libra Forde so eloquently pointed out in her presentation, "It is high time we all get together and build a legacy that we can all be proud of. In the future, when this history is told, we have to make sure we are on the right side of history."
NIce post, but talk about "barking up the wrong tree." Media didn't cover this because it is not an issue (or news) in Oregon. Most recent polls show that abortion is only an issue to 5% of voters in America. That's why recent polls show Democrats falling behind. As a researcher, I am always amazed how few people do research and then when they do, they project those results months out. All research is a "snapshot in time" - events create public opinion and that is why looking at old polls is worthless.
Totally understand your position and appreciate it.