The other option for Congressman Stupak is even more distasteful. Maybe he was playing games all along? We have seen that routine before when it comes to congressional Democrats and abortion funding in the Obama healthcare package. Remember the principled stand against abortion funding taken by Senator Ben Nelson? That stand led to the now famous Cornhusker Kickback. After securing his home state pork, it became clear that Senator Nelson was never really standing as much on principle as he was on politics.
Wheeling and dealing is the norm in the political world. It’s how business gets done. But regardless of ones views on the substance of the issue, when it comes to an issue as fundamental as whether the government should fund abortion, is it really too much to expect our elected representatives to have some conviction? Apparently so. Ben Nelson clearly wasn’t motivated by his views on abortion; it was just the best card he had to play. Now it seems the same may be true of Bart Stupak. We will likely find out in the coming days and months. Maybe Congressman Stupak got himself a deal?
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