Pro-Abortion Group Emily’s List Flip-Flops on Obama Attracting Women
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
August 20, 2008
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — The wealthiest pro-abortion group in the country has flip-flopped on whether pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama can attract women voters to his campaign. Emily’s List founder Ellen Malcolm said, during the Democratic Party primary, that wasn’t possible. Now, she’s changed her tune.
During the height of the Democratic primary in April, Malcolm wasn’t so sure whether Obama had the capacity to match Hillary Clinton, whom her group endorsed, in terms of reaching women.
"I don’t think we can answer that at this point," she said at the time. "I think one of the unanswered questions going forward in the primaries is whether or not Sen. Obama can close the deal with these voters." nat3865.html
Malcolm also made it appear she doesn’t think Obama has the ability to win the votes of lower-income voters.
"I think people make these decisions on a very needs-driven basis, and you can see it in the Clinton polling data. The people that really need help from the government are for Hillary," she said in April.
How times have changed.
After spending more than $1.5 million for Clinton’s failed campaign and funneling in another $855,000 in contributions from the group’s supporters, Malcolm has changed her tune.
Wednesday, she released a poll supposedly showing women voters not support Obama. The Emily’s List survey shows Obama leading with women voters on a 51-39 percent margin.
Still, the poll found that, when pressed about the kind of qualities they want in a candidate, Obama doesn’t fare quite as well.
Asked whether they want a president who provides hope and optimism, or one who provides safety and security, those polled split evenly, 38 percent for each. Those who safety and security backed McCain by 35 points.
Malcolm said that no lingering doubts remain about Obama from her group or the pro-abortion women who supported Clinton.
"The more you like Senator Clinton, the more likely you are to be for Senator Obama," Malcolm said, according to the Washington Post.
"There’s been a tremendous amount of healing … and Senator Clinton deserves a great deal of credit for that," Malcolm said. "She worked hard to bring us together."
Apparently hasn’t been enough healing for Malcolm and her Emily’s List cohorts.
Although the Obama campaign invited a plethora of pro-abortion speakers to the Democratic convention — including Malcolm colleagues Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood and Nancy Keenan of NARAL — Malcolm was left off the speaker’s list.
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