"Glow of Ad Shows Democrats' Dilemma" is he headline on Sheryl Gay Stolberg's article in the New York Times:
The decision by an abortion rights advocacy group to withdraw an advertisement attacking Judge John G. Roberts Jr. signals a deepening conflict within the Democratic Party, which has grappled for months over how much to emphasize abortion and is now divided about how hard to fight Judge Roberts's nomination to the Supreme Court. Some Democrats say the furor over the advertisement, which was placed by Naral Pro-Choice America and which described Judge Roberts as "one whose ideology leads him to excuse violence against other Americans," suggests that they will have a difficult time generating opposition to the nominee, whose legal résumé and charm have won him praise from senators of both parties.
"You could see from Naral pulling their ads down that the public is not going to tolerate going too far," said Bob Kerrey, a former Democratic senator from Nebraska, who says Democrats will face difficulty if they frame the Roberts nomination solely in terms of abortion rights. "By all accounts it looks like he is going to get confirmed. So they are in a very difficult position."
The Times also has this editorial:
Naral Pro-Choice America has withdrawn a cheesy 30-second TV spot unfairly linking Judge John Roberts Jr. with abortion clinic violence. But the episode's sour taste lingers, and it can only make it harder to get senators to pay proper attention during the Supreme Court confirmation process to legitimate concerns about Judge Roberts's approach to issues of personal privacy and reproductive freedom.
Meanwhile, Fox News reports:
The communications director of a major abortion-rights lobby group announced Friday that he was resigning immediately, following an announcement by the organization that it would pull an inflammatory TV ad about Supreme Court nominee John Roberts.
"I've been thinking for a while that I would most likely leave after the Supreme Court nomination fight was over," wrote David E. Seldin, director of communications for NARAL Pro-Choice America, in a letter disclosing his decision to step down |
