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Powerful forced birther group throw DeSantis under the bus [1]

['Daily Kos Staff']

Date: 2023-08-01

One of the nation’s leading forced-birth political organizations, the powerful Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, has declared Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s position on abortion “unacceptable.” They cite a recent interview he had with Megyn Kelly, in which he refused to endorse a national abortion ban. That means a national abortion ban is so politically unpopular that even a candidate as inept as DeSantis recognizes it and won’t commit.

DeSantis told Kelly that he would be a “pro-life president,” but emphasized, “We are running on doing things that I know I can accomplish.” The nation, he says, isn’t ready for a total ban. “I really believe, right now in our society, it’s really a bottom-up movement and that’s where we’ve had most success—Iowa, South Carolina, Florida,” he said. “And I think you’re going to continue to see a lot of good battles there.”

That, the group’s president Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement, isn’t good enough. Her group is pressing a national 15-week ban. “The pro-life movement and the American people deserve a president who will boldly advocate this consensus and will work to gather the votes necessary in Congress,” Dannenfelser said, adding, “Gov. DeSantis’s dismissal of this task is unacceptable to prolife voters.”

This isn’t the first time DeSantis, who claims he is “proud to be pro-life,” has been a weasel when it comes to abortion. He signed a draconian six-week abortion ban in April, right after the Florida Legislature passed it and with the Republicans who pushed it in attendance. His office, however, waited until 11 PM that night to issue the press release and the photo. Since then, DeSantis has refused to say he would sign the same ban for the nation if he’s elected president.

“I’m pro-life. I will be a pro-life president. And we will support pro-life policies,” he told CNN’s Jake Tapper earlier this month. “At the same time, I look at what’s going on in the Congress, and, you know, I don’t see them, you know, making very much headway. I think the danger from Congress is if we lose the election, they’re gonna try to nationalize abortion up until the moment of birth.”

DeSantis tried that with Tucker Carlson at the Family Leadership Council in early July. “So I mean, of course, I want to sign pro life legislation. I think it’s something that we need to develop a culture of life in this country,” he said when Carlson pressed him on a national six-week ban. “I don’t think Rome is built in a day. I think it’s going to take time to make progress in some parts of the country.”

What’s got to be humiliating DeSantis (if that’s even possible at this point) is that Donald Trump is getting away with committing to nothing when it comes to abortion, beyond telling the forced birthers, “I will fight for you like no president ever,” and the vague, "There of course remains a vital role for the federal government in protecting unborn life."

Trump met with Dannenfelser and Sen. Lindsey Graham back in May, after one of his campaign spokespeople said he believed that abortion was up to the states and the organization chastised him for it. So all Trump had to do was take this meeting, make no solid commitments, and have Dannenfelser claim the meeting was “terrific” and praise him because he “reiterated that any federal legislation protecting these children would need to include the exceptions for life of the mother and in cases of rape and incest.”

DeSantis can’t even get credit from the forced birthers for signing the six-week ban. Seems like everybody is kicking the Florida man while he’s down.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/1/2184424/-Kicking-him-when-he-s-down-DeSantis-dissed-by-forced-birthers

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