March 14, 2024

History-making.

Must everything be declared — in advance — "history"?


What is the history? That anyone is acting out on the notion that an abortion clinic is a good campaign photo op?

The NYT says it's "believed to be the first stop by a president or vice president to an abortion clinic." The "first stop" is an odd way to put it. Campaign stop? Or first ever visit by a VP... and no President has ever stopped by?

In the history of "firsts," is this significant? If I had to argue that it is, I'd say it's because pro-abortion-rights politicians tend to elevate the abstraction of rights and the complexity of the lives of real women over the mechanics of destruction of the unwanted new life.

The Times distinguishes Harris from Biden, who, as "an observant Catholic," has a more difficult position. He speaks of the right in the abstract, "often avoiding uttering the word 'abortion.'"
At his State of the Union address, his prepared remarks called for him to say “abortion,” in reference to a Texas woman who could not seek the procedure because of state law. Instead, he said that Texas had “banned her ability to act.”

The Washington Post says Harris's visit is "what is believed to be the first time an American president or vice president has toured such a facility while in office." Note the similarity of the language to what was in the NYT, with the same "president or vice president" awkwardness. There's still not a presidential visit, so it's not the first time for that. Does the vice president go about "making history" for the President-and-Vice-President set of two? The 2 great newspapers seem to be working off the same memo.

Like the Times, WaPo notes that Biden avoided the word "abortion" in his State of the Union speech, but WaPo doesn't mention that the prepared text had the word, and WaPo is more upbeat about Biden's support for abortion, ending its article like this:

“Those bragging about overturning Roe v. Wade have no clue about the power of women,” Biden said, in an apparent reference to Trump, his 2024 Republican rival. “But they found out when reproductive freedom was on the ballot and we won in 2022, and 2023. And we’ll win again in 2024.”

62 comments:

Ambrose said...

Our media is obsessed with any story that fits: “The first X to Y!”

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Democrats are holier than thou.. their path is sacred.. living history, and shit like that. we all must worship democrats as commanded and propagandized by the loyal and $$$$ hack-Soviet Democratic media suggest.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

The left are obsessed with killing the unborn. .. rape! so much rape.

Same reason they think it's cool when Biden gives Iran Billions more of our tax dollars.

Ann Althouse said...

If you get specific enough, anything can be proclaimed the "first" something.

First time a black female vice president has gone to Minnesota on a Thursday, etc. etc.

Temujin said...

It is the sole argument she has had, for the last 3 years, for voting for Democrats, for voting for her. She is a complete incompetent as a person, and as a leader? Please.
With all that is going on in the world, with all that is going on in our own country, she's making a show of appearing at the place where babies are killed off. I don't care how you view the 'right' to abortion. It is what it is. Probably not the one thing I'd make a show of, unless everything else that hits people everyday was cleaned up and running well.

It's not. The families, the kids in the urban center of our country- think Oakland, LA, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, St. Louis, New Orleans, Baltimore, New York, Washington DC (in Kamala's backyard), and on and on- these people live in 3rd world or worse situations. The crime in their neighborhoods is out of control, so much so that any remaining businesses, stores- are leaving. Their schools are the worst in US history, yet Democrats keep them locked into those schools by denying School Choice. Our borders are WIDE OPEN, and only time will tell who and why is coming in.

And Kamala, the lowest IQ Veep in history, is parading at abortion clinics?

Have at it, Democrats. See you in November.

Sebastian said...

"If I had to argue that it is, I'd say it's because pro-abortion-rights politicians tend to elevate the abstraction of rights and the complexity of the lives of real women over the mechanics of destruction of the unwanted new life."

Right. And why is that? Remants of a residue of a conscience, the ever-so-slight discomfort about an actual baby torn out of an actual womb?

"The Times distinguishes Harris from Biden, who, as "an observant Catholic," has a more difficult position. He speaks of the right in the abstract, "often avoiding uttering the word 'abortion.'"

A sensitive guy, our "observant" Joe.

"Instead, he said that Texas had “banned her ability to act.”"

By the way, since progs are now pushing back the age of consent for sex and body modification to whatev, why not push it back a bit further, so that the unborn child has the right to refuse consent to the modification of limbs torn and a brain bashed? What if the baby is trans--should a mere person with a vagina have the last word on xer/xis ability to act?

Will Harris attend an actual "procedure," and will they show it on TV, or at least on X, disposal of body parts included?

TaeJohnDo said...

In a historic post, I posted a post today, the first post I posted on this historic day.

RideSpaceMountain said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rusty said...

I'm posting this on this thread. A historic first!

Bill R said...

The final solution to the baby question.

Wince said...

Will the Secret Service be blocking the clinic entrance during the visit?

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

"first time ever" is boring media. Look everyone ... "the is the first time ever that _____"

really - so cliche. Local media is just D-hack propaganda and nanny state mothering. No wonder Colorado is blue. The hacks tow the line and spread the narrative. Democrat hack propaganda is everywhere. Why people are turning it all off.

btw- If you feel the need to visit an abortion clinic - you might be attempting to sure up your jerk-base.

Michael said...

So is it Flying Monkeys of the Media, or Lying Flunkies? You decide.

Rich said...

Democrats are bringing attention to the Dobbs decision as well as the Alabama court ruling concerning IVF. They are pointing out which party is protecting women’s healthcare decisions and which party is not.

tim maguire said...

Given the hash so-called historians have made of history (Historians rank Trump as worst president), it's pretty much a free-for-all on how you get to use the word. The real beauty of the claim is that when it turns out to be wrong (and largely because it turned out to be wrong), nobody will remember it and so they'll never get called out.

Note the similarity of the language to what was in the NYT

Well...you could say that about nearly anything the mainstream media prints about politics.

Quaestor said...

Althouse writes, "The 2 great newspapers seem to be working off the same memo."

Great in what sense?

Seem to be?

Enigma said...

In Sigmund Freud's framework, the Democrats fixation on historic firsts might be classified as "anal expulsives." These are little kids who insist on showing your their poop. Proud of their poop. My poop. My first poop alone. My first poop in this potty. My first poop in the yard. My first poop in the pool.

The anal-expulsive personality underwent a liberal toilet-training regime during the anal stage. In adulthood, the anal expulsive is the person who wants to share things with you. They like giving things away. In essence, they are “sharing their s**t”!” An anal-expulsive personality is also messy, disorganized, and rebellious.

Yeah, poop! Generous with poop!

Also consider Freud's phallic stage, but I don't think Kamala's word-salad thoughts are this complex. However, this certainly applies to the gender identity crowd.

Phallic Stage Fixation
Freud theorized that unresolved conflicts during this stage could potentially lead to future issues such as sexual dysfunction, problems with gender identity, or difficulties in forming relationships.

If fixation occurs during this stage, Freud suggested it may lead to various issues in adulthood.

Freud suggested that fixations at this point could lead to adult personalities that are overly vain, exhibitionistic, and sexually aggressive.

In men, phallic fixation might result in anxiety about sexual performance, the need for reassurance and validation, or a tendency to be overly assertive or aggressive.

In women, fixation at the phallic stage could lead to a desire to dominate men, a rivalry with other women, or the need for male attention or approval.


Freud was very weird.

https://www.simplypsychology.org/psychosexual.html

Gusty Winds said...

Abortion clinics make babies history...

Birches said...

Abortion is a sacrament to the Democrat Party. A special pilgrimage shouldn't be a surprise. It's going to become a must do, like the Iowa State Fair.

Chris said...

Vice President visits human baby abattoir. Disgusting. That's like Hitler touring Buchenwald.

mikee said...

One day the progs will admit that abortion kills humans, and the cons will admit that abortion while horrible is indded the choice of the mother, and that will end one of the most lucrative donation and vote mining operations is US history. THAT would be historic.

Real American said...

Because few presidents and VPs view abortion as a wonderful thing to be celebrated. We've come a long way since Bill Clinton hoped abortion would be rare. Today's Democrats, led by the unintelligible duo of barren Kamala and Clueless Joe, are extra happy when black babies are aborted. In their minds, dead babies are good, but dead black babies are the best. They must be so proud of their "progressive" values.

gspencer said...

I could see her doing a Himmler at the abortion camp,

https://c8.alamy.com/comp/CPJ7KP/heinrich-himmler-visits-a-camp-with-soviet-prisoners-of-war-in-1942-CPJ7KP.jpg

Joe Smith said...

"What is the history? That anyone is acting out on the notion that an abortion clinic is a good campaign photo op?"

Abortion is the religion of the left. They can't get enough of it...

Jupiter said...

Hey, great idea! She should attend a procedure, y'know? They could do an ultrasound of the cell clump, waving its little arms and legs around, and then the "doctor" could reach in with the stainless steel forceps, with the specially-designed, toothed jaws, twist one of its little legs off, and haul it out on live TV. Heck, they could hold a parts auction, right there in the "procedure room", and then hand a nice, big check to the grinning ex-mother. Nice photo op for Kamala; "Our right to choose!".

Ah, freedom. Is this a great country, or what? Do you think we could actually watch on ultrasound while they tear the baby apart and crush its little skull? Or would that endanger the well-being of the ex-mother-to-be?

gilbar said...

called for him to say “abortion,” in reference to a Texas woman who could not seek the procedure because of state law. Instead, he said that Texas had “banned her ability to act.”

i would have a Hard Time counting all the different times that state (and/or federal) law had "banned my ability to act"
SERIOUSLY, not a day goes by, that gilbar doesn't sincerely WANT to do Something.. Only to be stopped by some stupid law.

Like the 'Texas woman'.. MANY of these things would "technically" be considered MURDER..
And YET, is gilbar allowed to do them? NOPE! stupid 'laws' have "banned my ability to act"

What sort of world, are we living in?
where you CAN'T terminate an inconvenience's existence; just because of some stupid 'law'?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

The point of a president or a Vice president going to a manufacturing plant for a photo up is because we all hope this plant will not only continue to provide jobs for years to come but that the plant will grow and produce more cars, widgets or whatever.

Is Kamala saying she hopes more women get abortions?

What kind of person does that?

Mr. O. Possum said...

Most significant thing she's done as VP. It's what she'll be remembered for.

Made me think of Boys Town. It still exists. And in nine locations.

Maybe she she should visit a place that gives children hope.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

You know what else would be historic?

A former president coming back to the presidency, i believe has only happened once.

minnesota farm guy said...

For some this will be the equivalent of Hitler touring Auschwitz. SCOTUS was absolutely correct to return this issue to the states and in a few years we will get to where we would have been eons ago if not for Roe with a general consensus when it is ethically and morally appropriate and when it is not. There will always be outlier states on either side, but the debate will end and young women can move on to whatever the next thing is for them. How about fighting to be eligible for universal service and the draft.

Tina Trent said...

If she's proud to visit it, why not accompany a procedure? Surely there's a pregnant feminist somewhere who would let the cameras in. Then a transgender surgery. Then visit some "migrant" child rapists in prison and get their side of the story. Then hang out with junkies shooting up on the streets, anywhere. Cap it off by watching MTA workers hosing brain bits off the next train someone gets pushed in front of in NYC.

The Democrat platform: self-mutilation, other-mutilation. In all its glory.

And Biden is not a practicing Catholic. Let's be very clear about that.

Mike of Snoqualmie said...

In other new, V.P. Joe Biden was the first V.P. to swim naked in front of his female Secret Service agents. Back when women actually existed and were actually referred to as women, not "bonus hole person."

mccullough said...

Kamala Harris, the first female president or vice president without children of her own, is touring an abortion clinic.

Caroline said...

@Rich: Abortion isn't "healthcare". There's nothing wrong with the mother -- her body is working just the way it's designed to. Little peanut is just inconvenient, though, and she wishes to flush it down the sink. IVF used to be considered extremely controversial. Remember? It was "playing God?" Nothing has changed, but our attitudes have, and our will to use technological means toward whatever ends we desire. IVF involves a "winnowing" of fertilized zygotes -- who are sovereign human beings, not someone's property. We are treating human life like a commodity, and our attitudes and hearts are slowly hardening over time into something less human.
The usual objection will be raised: "but what about rape! incest! life of the mother!" --- these cases are minuscule next to the casual flushing down the sink of undesired baby humans. See how much our attitudes have changed in 30 years -- now the Veep is doing photo ops at the abortion clinic! Yay Women!

Caroline said...
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Static Ping said...

It's the same logic as participation trophies.

Some people, especially of the younger generations, want to be special, even if they haven't done anything to deserve it and/or they don't want to make the effort to do so. They tend to be impressed with "historic firsts" since they feel like they are accomplishing something. One of the manifestations of this is the appointment to important positions of utter incompetents who check the right boxes because this will create "historic" firsts. See Kamala Harris.

Clyde said...

Recycling my cafe thread comment:

I read that Kamala will be campaigning at an abortion clinic in Minnesota today to celebrate women’s “reproductive rights.” Perhaps she could also stop by the Satanic Temple to exercise her religious rights.

Leora said...

Rich, hate to tell you but the Alabama legislature has already acted to protect IVF. Unlike the judge, the legislature is the correct venue for changing the law as it is written. Penumbras should not be allowed into court.

Anthony said...

Maybe she's checking on new Democrat voter rolls.

Graveyards are rather passe these days, donchaknow.

Shouting Thomas said...

Democratic policy is to import poor Latin American women to perform as brood sows to replenish the population, so that American women can whore without repercussions and play drama queen identity politics.

Hassayamper said...

Freud was very weird.

Not only weird, but completely and utterly full of shit. He's the punchline to a thousand jokes in modern psychiatry.

All you need to know about our "intelligentsia" is encapsulated in their lingering regard for the delusions of Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx.

Enigma said...

@Shouting Thomas: American women can whore without repercussions and play drama queen identity politics.

American women are down the road to recreating Sappho's Greek island of Lesbos. The news is that 30% of Gen Z identifies of rainbow flag people now. This has been trending since the 1990s or before, when many colleges had "four-year lesbians" and "lesbians until graduation." So, the whores are maybe 30% and the mothers are 40% and frightened gay nuns are the rest of this brutalized young generation (blame the Boomers and Hugh Hefner for starting this?).

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nearly-30-gen-z-women-identify-lgbtq-gallup-survey-finds-rcna143019

https://greekreporter.com/2023/06/09/greek-island-lesbos-word-lesbian/

As a counterpoint, women are inherently female and most of the 30% nominally gay women would be (VERY happily) converted to mothers if they meet the "right man." Every generation reinvents puberty anxiety and adulthood anxiety, and women are women are women across time.

Kevin said...

What is the history?

Clever scheduling by Biden's team, implying Harris has never had an abortion.

This will only serve to undercut her with the base.

walter said...

Will she have rolled up sleeves, safety glasses and hardhat?

Misinforminimalism said...

I'll bet there have been Presidents and Vice Presidents who've had a much more meaningful relationship with abortion clinics than holding a campaign stop there.

PM said...

Abortion clinics exist, but as a whistlestop?

RCOCEAN II said...

In a historic First, Rcocean declares he is completely uninterested in Kamela Harris and her historic firsts.

Even though she is the first Indian-black VP in history to put her shoes on.

RCOCEAN II said...

BTW, its laughable the way the MSM pretends Biden is some sort of Catholic.

Static Ping said...

I do appreciate Kamala Harris going to Planned Parenthood. Margaret Sanger would have been so proud to see that Kamala didn't breed voluntarily. Margaret would have been disappointed that Kamala had been born at all, but I suppose you cannot have everything.

wendybar said...

Neil Bosted
@Handyspanky


Replying to @HuffPost
I am sure that it is not her first visit
3:17 PM · Mar 14, 2024

wendybar said...

Rich said...
Democrats are bringing attention to the Dobbs decision as well as the Alabama court ruling concerning IVF. They are pointing out which party is protecting women’s healthcare decisions and which party is not.

3/14/24, 10:48 AM


Sorry Rich, but there a quite a few more pressing problems in America than murdering babies.
Why isn't she still searching for the root causes that cause 10 million illegals to invade America?? All she had to do is go to the White House and look at the executive orders her president signed off on, on his first day, but she isn't even competent to do that. The border is THEIR mess. They did that.
They want chaos, hate and division, and NOTHING is more divisive than worrying about murdering babies over our open border and TERRIBLE economy that their administration caused. caused.

Iman said...

So many firsts for these folks and most of them do NOT bode well and are horrible for American citizens.

Iman said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
wildswan said...

In a first, Kamala Harris visited a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic. Planned Parenthood has an acknowledged racist and eugenicist past which led to disproportionate numbers of abortions among members of the black community. And Planned Parenthood has made no real alteration in its practices because this same disproportion still exists today.

1. An abortion clinic with a racist and eugenicist past.
The clinic Kamala Harris visited in Minneapolis is a part of North Central Planned Parenthood. Here is a very recent statement in which that exact group, North Central Planned Parenthood, acknowledges its racist and eugenicist past:
"Statement about Margaret Sanger and Planned Parenthood’s mission
July 24, 2020
from North Central Planned Parenthood.

"Like many organizations today, we are reckoning with elements of our past and present that contribute to the structural racism that continues to plague our country.... some of our current work was built on a harmful past. Our founder, Margaret Sanger, perpetuated a number of problematic beliefs and actions. We want to be very clear that we vehemently denounce her ideology that certain people — specifically people of color, people with low incomes, and people with disabilities — should be prevented from having children. ... Sanger’s promotion of eugenics was egregious and wrong. ... we are owning our organization’s history and are committed to addressing the implicit bias and structural racism that continues to exist within our organization and communities.

With participation from all aspects of our organization, we will be reexamining how we talk about Sanger in all of our materials and spaces..."
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-north-central-states/about-ppncs/media-relations/statement-about-margaret-sanger-and-planned-parenthoods-mission

2. Planned Parenthood talks the talk but does it walk the walk of ending its historical form of structural racism?
Today, as in the past the numbers of abortions within the black community are disproportionate to the percentage of blacks in the US population.
"Out of 629,898 abortions reported to the CDC for 2019, Black women accounted for 38.4 percent of them. By comparison, white women made up 33.4 percent of those abortions."
https://www.guttmacher.org/infographic/2017/abortion-rates-race-and-ethnicity
Blacks are 14% of the US population while whites are 58% of the population. So you can see that Planned Parenthood is still aborting disproportionate numbers of unborn black children. This disproportion has only grown over the years and the result is that blacks are no longer the largest minority group in the US. Hispanics are now the largest minority with all that that implies in relation to political power.

As long as Planned Parenthood aborts disproportionate numbers of unborn black children it is carrying on the racist, eugenic goals of its founder, Margaret Sanger. Shame on you, Kamala Harris, for carelessly accepting a few words about change at Planned Parenthood without looking at the continuing reality there.

Kevin said...

Perhaps Harris is there to search for the root cause of abortion?

Leland said...

Did she get to witness a procedure?

Mikey NTH said...

The greater insult is that what counts as "history making" for a woman is so small in scope.

Mikey NTH said...

Lem the artificially intelligent:

As a former history major, a second president doig that (Grover Cleveland is the first) would be wonderful to see.

Mason G said...

Our media is obsessed with any story that fits: “The first X to Y!”

Plenty of people are fascinated by "Guinness Book of world Records" nonsense. And then they grow up. Our media is stuck in perpetual adolescence.

Larry said...

She’s too old to need a scrape, ain’t she. Got a kid cattin’ around maybe ?

Cameron said...

I'm betting this is not her first visit to an abortion clinic.

Shoeless Joe said...

Democrats instructed the news media to report the visit as "historic", and so they did. Good soldiers follow orders.