The Democratic party doesn't want me

Anne Lamott talks about a panel she was on recently.

I knew what I was supposed to have said, as a progressive Christian: that it's all very complicated and painful, and that Jim was right in saying that the abortion rate in America is way too high for a caring and compassionate society.

But I did the only thing I could think to do: plunge on, and tell my truth. [...]

I said I could not believe that men committed to equality and civil rights were still challenging the basic rights of women. I thought about all the photo-ops at which President Bush had signed legislation limiting abortion rights, surrounded by 10 or so white, self-righteous married men, who have forced God knows how many girlfriends into doing God knows what. [...]

And somehow, as I was answering, I got louder and maybe even more emphatic than I actually felt, and said it was not a morally ambiguous issue for me at all. I said that fetuses are not babies yet; that there was actually a real difference between pro-abortion people, like me, and Klaus Barbie.

Then I said that a woman's right to choose was nobody else's goddamn business. This got their attention.

A cloud of misery fell over the room, and the stage. Finally, Jim said something unifying enough for us to proceed -- that liberals must not treat people with opposing opinions on abortion with contempt and exclusion, partly because it's tough material, and partly because it is so critical that we win these next big elections. (LA Times via Looking Closer)

Anne, Jim is so right. As long as the Democratic party is dominated with this attitude and cannot welcome this "white, self-righteous married man" (who, by the way, didn't force any of his girlfriends to get abortions), guess what? I can't vote for it.

I am so confused about why we are still having to argue with patriarchal sentimentality about teeny weenie so-called babies -- some microscopic, some no bigger than the sea monkeys we used to send away for -- when real, live, already born women, many of them desperately poor, get such short shrift from the current administration.
[...]
We must not inflict life on children who will be resented; we must not inflict unwanted children on society.

This is perfect. Being pro-life means you're "patriarchal", don't care about "real, live, already born women" and want to "inflict life" on others. This is so twisted. I can see why you don't want me to join your party.