Commenter low-tech cyclist notes today that in a classic advice-for-my-mortal-enemies column, Michael Gerson suggests that Obama should give Tim Kaine a pass...because he's too protective of a woman's right to choose. Instead, Gerson suggests Colorado governor Bill Ritter: "Picking a genuinely pro-life running mate would be a revolutionary decision by Obama -- helping remove the largest obstacle to broad, Democratic realignment." Alas, Gerson fails to explain how siding with the minority position on abortion rights will help the Democrats. It also seems worth noting that Kaine's position -- that he's opposed to abortion but would also veto a ban on abortion -- is more consistent with any serious attempt to achieve "social justice." Such bans, after all, are ineffective at reducing abortion rates and have grossly inequitable side effects (most notably the injuries that will inevitably be inflicted on poor women denied access to legal abortions and forced to the black market.) And whatever his defects on the issue, Kaine at least deserves credit for recognizing this.
--Scott Lemieux
