Comments on: Those Great Folks at Illinois NOW http://archpundit.com/blog/2008/01/31/those-great-folks-at-illinois-now/ Illinois, From Misery Sat, 30 Aug 2008 14:07:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Lorna Brett Howard http://archpundit.com/blog/2008/01/31/those-great-folks-at-illinois-now/#comment-6893 Lorna Brett Howard Sat, 02 Feb 2008 03:59:23 +0000 http://69.89.31.63/~archpund/2008/01/31/those-great-folks-at-illinois-now/#comment-6893 A response to Bonnie Grabenhofer, Illinois NOW President, from Lorna Brett Howard: Bonnie is correct. I was not the president of Chicago NOW when Senator Obama made the “present” votes. I never said I was. Somehow it was reported that way, but you can review the video blog for yourself at www.youtube.com., type in Lorna Brett Howard. Here are the facts: I was president from 1995 – 1999. Barack Obama was elected to the state senate in 1996. He had a 100 percent voting record on choice all the time he was in office and Chicago Now and Illinois NOW endorsed Barack in all his state senate races, as did Planned Parenthood and NARAL. NOW relied on Pam Sutherland, Illinois Planned Parenthood’s lobbyist, to do all our work in the state legislature. She did a great job and it was because of her strategy we defeated many measure designed to restrict a woman’s right to choose. It was with heavy heart that I first went on the record to defend Obama’s record on choice, being a firm Hillary supporter. When the line of attack did not stop but was escalated in a direct mailer in New Hampshire to pro-choice voters from Hillary’s campaign I stopped being sad and got mad. This is bad for the pro-choice movement. It hurts our reputation and credibility. I stand for choice and truth. In addition, does it not mean something that National NARAL president Nancy Keenan released a statement saying both Hillary and Barack are both 100 percent pro-choice? Illinois and New York NOW have done serious damage to their organization's reputation among serious pro-choice men and women. It is really distressing as a feminist to watch. Glad to set the record straight. Lorna Brett Howard A response to Bonnie Grabenhofer, Illinois NOW President, from Lorna Brett Howard:

Bonnie is correct. I was not the president of Chicago NOW when Senator Obama made the “present” votes. I never said I was. Somehow it was reported that way, but you can review the video blog for yourself at http://www.youtube.com., type in Lorna Brett Howard. Here are the facts: I was president from 1995 – 1999. Barack Obama was elected to the state senate in 1996. He had a 100 percent voting record on choice all the time he was in office and Chicago Now and Illinois NOW endorsed Barack in all his state senate races, as did Planned Parenthood and NARAL. NOW relied on Pam Sutherland, Illinois Planned Parenthood’s lobbyist, to do all our work in the state legislature. She did a great job and it was because of her strategy we defeated many measure designed to restrict a woman’s right to choose. It was with heavy heart that I first went on the record to defend Obama’s record on choice, being a firm Hillary supporter. When the line of attack did not stop but was escalated in a direct mailer in New Hampshire to pro-choice voters from Hillary’s campaign I stopped being sad and got mad. This is bad for the pro-choice movement. It hurts our reputation and credibility. I stand for choice and truth.

In addition, does it not mean something that National NARAL president Nancy Keenan released a statement saying both Hillary and Barack are both 100 percent pro-choice?

Illinois and New York NOW have done serious damage to their organization’s reputation among serious pro-choice men and women. It is really distressing as a feminist to watch.

Glad to set the record straight.

Lorna Brett Howard

]]> By: Jon Shibley Fan http://archpundit.com/blog/2008/01/31/those-great-folks-at-illinois-now/#comment-6889 Jon Shibley Fan Fri, 01 Feb 2008 16:53:11 +0000 http://69.89.31.63/~archpund/2008/01/31/those-great-folks-at-illinois-now/#comment-6889 Illinois NOW and NY NOW are rendering themselves irrelevant. It is just that simple. It's petty. It stinks of the worst kind of identity politics. And worst of all, it is wholly lacking in even the slightest strain of credibility. Don't even get me started on NY NOW. They would probably be hurting the campaign as Bill Clinton was leading up to and immediately after SC, if anyone of substance was actually paying attention to them. "She is using her very old affiliation with NOW to try to validate her criticism of Hillary Clinton." And IL NOW is using their new affiliations with Mar$on Blair Hull and Hillary Rodham Clinton to validate their criticism of Barack Obama. Illinois NOW and NY NOW are rendering themselves irrelevant. It is just that simple. It’s petty. It stinks of the worst kind of identity politics. And worst of all, it is wholly lacking in even the slightest strain of credibility.

Don’t even get me started on NY NOW. They would probably be hurting the campaign as Bill Clinton was leading up to and immediately after SC, if anyone of substance was actually paying attention to them.

“She is using her very old affiliation with NOW to try to validate her criticism of Hillary Clinton.”

And IL NOW is using their new affiliations with Mar$on Blair Hull and Hillary Rodham Clinton to validate their criticism of Barack Obama.

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