Hillary didn't do it. Will Obama have to in order to win over her supporters? Yes, says Noah Millman at The American Scene, explaining to social cons why Obama won't moderate his stance on abortion:
Doug Kmiec would do well to admit that he has backed a ticket that will be absolutely uncompromising in its support for abortion rights. There is no chance whatsoever that Obama will make the slightest gesture in the direction of moderation on this question, and there is no chance that any appointments to the court will not be litmus tested on this question. Bank on it. He showed no inclination to do so before, and now he has powerful political reasons to be absolutely doctrinaire on this question. There are other places where he can bend – gun rights is, I think, the most likely and the most important – but not here. Yes, that gives a (mild) advantage to McCain on this question, but Obama cannot afford heterodoxy here. But this will not be enough to ensure that the sisterhood feels it has been respected. He’s going to need to give a big speech on feminist themes – and it’s going to be a tricky one for him. He’s going to need to meet publicly with women who are not already “on-side” and hear what amount to their demands. I’m not sure what the key gestures are going to have to be, but he’s going to have to make them. He needs these women in their battalions, in Florida, in Nevada, in Michigan, and across the country.
It's true that despite some rhetorical experimentation in how to talk about abortion, Obama's record is strongly pro-choice. Yes, there were those "present" votes, but Obama generally fought hard for abortion rights in the Illinois state Senate. McCain is equally doctrinaire, not "heterodox." He's anti-Roe, pro-abstinence only, and pro-Hyde Amendment. McCain does support stem cell research, which is a good thing that pisses off the Christian right. But let's not mistake that single position with moderation on abortion rights.
--Dana Goldstein
