Six on 2020 Elections: Gillibrand’s trip to Georgia showcases the changing politics of abortion; Why Joe Biden Is the Only...
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"Gillibrand – who announced last week that she would only appoint judges who will uphold Roe – vowed to turn the landmark 1973 case into a permanent law if she’s elected president.
She pledged to “make sure that every woman in America, no matter what state she lives in or how much money she has in her pocket, can have guaranteed access to safe, legal abortion.”
Gillibrand went even further: She would seek to guarantee access to the procedure in every state by requiring private insurance companies to cover abortions and creating a federal authority to oversee state restrictions on the procedure. And she wants to end the Hyde Amendment, which bars the use of federal funds including Medicaid to pay for abortions.
Condemning the “nationwide assault on women’s constitutional rights,” Gillibrand told a group of protesters that the fight for abortion access would have to be waged everywhere -- from the courts to statehouses to Congress.
She also called out President Trump by name for nominating “anti-choice extremists” to the Supreme Court. “That is why we must come together to declare that reproductive rights are human rights,” Gillibrand said. “They are civil rights, and they are non-negotiable.”
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"Newsom endorsed Harris on a Friday night in February. Most politicians dump bad news on Friday nights. The two share the same political advisers, but Newsom delivered his nod unceremoniously during an MSNBC interview. Now, he’s cozying up to her rivals.
Why the hedging? For one thing, Newsom’s an experienced politician. He knows it’s smart to keep a wide network of options. But Newsom’s outburst of public praise for Harris’ rivals also reflects the fact that her White House campaign has encountered serious turbulence.
In the days before Newsom’s effusive interview, the tough hits kept coming for Kamala 2020. Politico detailed how Buttigieg’s quick rise has begun to eclipse Harris in her home state. He’s connecting powerfully with California’s LGBT community at sold-out fundraisers. Big California donors who endorsed Harris are showering him with cash. Ouch.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who called Harris a “dear friend,” mugged for the cameras with Buttigieg, calling him “one of my closest mayor friends.” Democratic strategist Garry South, a former Newsom adviser, told Politico: “I think the amazing thing is that nobody is ceding California to Kamala Harris … no one is abandoning California to the native daughter – which tells you something.”
The story came on the heels of a highly-detailed New York Times piece dissecting internal conflict in Harris’ campaign. The notoriously cautious Harris is struggling with the main tension in a Democratic primary: Do you allow the Democratic base to push you left of Bernie Sanders? Or do you plot a more conventional, poll-driven approach to maintain wider appeal in a general election?"
