On Wednesday’s The Lead, CNN anchor Jake Tapper pressed Democrat Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal on why Democrats have done nothing to codify Roe v. Wade into law when they had super majorities in both houses of Congress and Barack Obama was in the White House.
“I hear from young women who are coming to resent Democrats using the issue of abortion rights and preserving abortion rights to get them to the polls” Tapper observed.
He then complained that “Democrats always do this and then once they're in office, they don't do enough to codify Roe v. Wade.” Tapper added that “this is just anecdotally what I hear from Democratic women.” The “Democrat women” who complained to him was probably just his wife who is an abortion activist at Planned Parenthood.
Tapper then aired back-to-back soundbites of then-candidate Barack Obama promising to sign a bill codifying Roe v. Wade into law, and then immediately backtracking once he was sworn in as President.
Setting up the piece, he whined:
Senator Obama in 2007, he told Planned Parenthood that he would—the law called Freedom of Choice Act which would’ve codified Roe v. Wade would be one of the first things he would do. That was 2007. Then in 2009, he was asked about it, and he said it wasn't his highest legislative priority.
After airing the Obama soundbites, he asked Jayapal if she hears “from Democratic women who are sick of Democrats using this as a reason to get them to the polls and then ultimately don't codify Roe v. Wade?”
In response, she blamed “a complacency around Roe v. Wade” because Democrat voters thought it was “settled precedent” despite the fact that Democrats “knew that Republicans were planning this for 30 years.”
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To read the relevant transcript click “expand”:
CNN’s The Lead
6/28/2022
5:19:45 p.m. EasternJAKE TAPPER: So I want to ask you a question because there's something I’ve been hearing a lot about since that draft decision leaked to Politico in April, one that turned out to be almost entirely accurate. And it has to do with, I hear from young women who are coming to resent Democrats using the issue of abortion rights and preserving abortion rights to get them to the polls.
Because they say Democrats always do this and then once they're in office, they don't do enough to codify Roe v. Wade or whatever. This is just anecdotally what I hear from Democratic women. Obama, for example, Senator Obama in 2007, he told Planned Parenthood that he would—the law called Freedom of Choice Act which would’ve codified Roe v. Wade would be one of the first things he would do. That was 2007. Then in 2009, he was asked about it, and he said it wasn't his highest legislative priority. Take a listen.
[cuts to audio]
BARACK OBAMA (July 17, 2007): First thing I’d do as President is sign the Freedom of Choice Act.
OBAMA (April 29, 2009): The Freedom of Choice Act is not my highest legislative priority.
[cuts back to live]
TAPPER: Do you hear from Democratic women who are sick of Democrats using this as a reason to get them to the polls and then ultimately don't codify Roe v. Wade?
REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL: Yes, I do, and I've felt it myself for a long time as an activist before, and even as a member of congress. But here's the thing. I think there was a complacency around Roe v. Wade, this was settled precedent. Even though we knew that Republicans were planning this for 30 years, and yet we treated it as if it was settled and it couldn't happen, that it couldn't be overturned. And I think that that has been part of the problem.
