Most likely the Democrats decided that they had to see what their opponents did well, compromise, and try at least some of it. Think Ten Words/Game On. Hence Anti-Abortion Democrats getting more play.
That's one of the softenings that Dean's been bringing up again and again when he was stumping for DNC chair, and now you know why. I think it was a good-ish move - your core base is just going to have to trust you that you're not going to sell them out (and you won't) but it gives you a national profile of compromising on the issue - though really only allowing a few to go off the leash if their conscience wants them to.
I think it's an effective way of stopping the Democrats from being seen as the party of abortion. And me, I'm a sucker for Howard, so when he says that he respects Pro-Life Democrats, and that there are ways to bring them into the party, I believe. He talks about them being people of conviction, which I think he believes.
And he's got a good line to sell it, that these are people who want to look after the children after they're born as well as before. He wants the message to be more on the Democrats terms - talking about health care, social programs etc. Makes me wonder if a big Medicare overhaul push is going to be part of the mid-term blitz - if only to counter the Social Security thing they're fighting against.
All this reminds me of what I said when I first saw the ad for the birth control patch. 'Yeah, I've really got to quit that bad habit - babies'.
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