As for Carter, show me how he is opposed to overturning Roe v. Wade. Since his beliefs about abortion (that it should only be allowed for rape, incest and the life of the mother) are inconsistent with Roe, I don’t see how he could not oppose Roe.

Just from 2008:

Bob Casey, Jr.
Joe Manchin
Joe Sestak
Bill Ritter

These are just four names I recognized as people who are against abortion. There probably are more.

It makes no sense to be for criminalizing abortion, like these four are, without being against Roe. So there’s really no need to show that they are explicitly opposed to Roe.

OK, to borrow a phrase, you’ve moved the goalposts, but just who are the pro-life Democrats who have address the Democratic conventions? Who and how many pro-life Democratic candidates have run for president since Roe v. Wade?

Your whole argument seems to be based on the idea that Jimmy Carter, who was a pro-abortion president, told Laura Ingraham that he now has second thoughts. That’s a pretty thin reed to hang on to, especially since Carter is opposed to repealing Roe v. Wade. But I’m anxious to read your list of pro-life Democrats who have addressed the Democratic Convention since 1973, and how many of those have called for a repeal of Roe v.Wade?

Again, you need to follow the thread of an exchange. It began with the idea that one often hears that the Republican Party is not a welcoming, big tent party, and yet the Democratic party, the alleged “big tent” party, does not welcome dissent on abortion, gay rights or affirmative action. The facts speak for themselves: the Republican Party is consistently pro-life and the Democrat Party consistently pro-abortion. That’s how this all began, and it’s a very simple point.

Has there been a pro-abortion speech delivered at the Republican convention since Roe was handed down in 1973, and will this year be different?

Jimmy Carter does not favor overturning Roe v. Wade. He argues that the party needs to de-emphasize the issue, and he says that Jesus Christ was opposed to abortion and he (Carter) would like to see fewer abortions.

I don’t think you quite understand the history of the “life of the mother” exception that Carter cited — it is an escape clause that has been used for decades to justify abortion in order to preserve the mother’s “quality of life.” This “life” exception is a major contributor to the millions of abortions that have occurred since 1973.

Additionally, Carter is not asking the Democratic Party to reverse its 2008 platform which states:

“The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right.” If Carter was committed to ending abortion, as you seem to suggest, he would have to ask for the repeal of Roe v. Wade, and he has indicated he is unwilling to go that far.

No one has addressed the Democratic Convention since 1973 asking for the repeal of Roe v. Wade. No one has, and no one will. The party is very clear on this issue, and the point is that the Democrats do not have a “big tent” when it comes to abortion, gay rights, and affirmative action. Again, it is best to try to examine these issues free of partisanship, and a starting point is to acknowledge that the Republican Party is consistently pro-life and the Democrat Party consistently pro-abortion. There is no denying that, and people are free to ‘choose’ accordingly.

Yes they have. At first, the claim was that no person opposed to abortion would be allowed to address the DNC, this subsequently became “delivering an anti-abortion speech”. Then, when I expressly asked how many Republicans have delivered a pro-choice speech, the question was ignored, and the individuals named were not people who delivered a pro-choice speech, but simply people supportive of abortion rights.

Mike Melendez: Being against the losing of votes due to the abortion issue is not the same as being against abortion.

However, arguing that abortion should not be permitted except for life, incest and rape is being against abortion. And that is what Carter said. Publius tried to claim that Carter is not really against abortion, because he makes an exception for the life (!) of the mother, which not even the most hard-line anti-abortion folks oppose.

You did move the goalposts, as earlier you said: “But the fact is that if any Democrat were to stray from the party’s abortion rights, affirmative action, and gay marriage orthodoxy, they would end up like former Pennsylvania Governor Bob Casey who was denied an opportunity to speak to the Democratic Convention in 1992.”

You did not even attempt to prove that. Instead, you moved the goalposts from allowing an opponent of abortion speak to delivering a entire speech against abortion.

Then I asked you, by that standard, how many people have advocated for abortion rights before the RNC. You moved the goalposts and named pro-choicers who addressed the RNC, which I expressly did not ask for. Just in time for the end of your comment, you moved the goalposts back to an “anti-abortion speech” to reiterate your original grievance.

You hold the parties to different standards, and then you say that others have blind allegiance? It amazes me that you even imagined that you could get away with this.

Blind adherence to an ideology is not the best way to approach an issue. Again, the point is that the notion that the Democratic Party is somehow a “big tent” while Republicans are somehow a narrow, close minded tent, is simply not the case in terms of gay marriage, abortion, and other social issues. No Democrat has or will address the Democratic Convention calling for repeal of Roe v. Wade’s principle of abortion on demand. No one. No moving of goalposts, it is just a simple fact — dissent on these issues is simply not tolerated in the Democratic party when it comes to identity politics as well as homosexual rights and abortion on demand. The Republican Party is consistently pro-life, the Democrats consistently pro-abortion (not “choice” — we are not talking about choosing a wireless service or a pizza). It’s really not that hard to grasp.