About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 2020)
TODAYS TOP HEADLINES The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Wednesday, February 19, 2020 3A Dems split on anti-abortion swing voters BY ELANA SCHOR Associated Press NEW YORK - In a party that’s shifted left ward on abortion rights, Democratic presidential hopefuls are offering dif ferent approaches to a cen tral challenge: how to talk to voters without a clear home in the polarizing debate over the govern ment’s role in the decision to end a pregnancy. While Bernie Sand ers said this month that “being pro-choice is an absolutely essential part of being a Democrat,” his presidential primary opponent Amy Klobuchar took a more open stance last week in saying that anti-abortion Democrats “are part of our party.” Klobuchar’s perfect voting score from major abor tion-rights groups makes her an unlikely ally, but some abortion opponents nonetheless lauded the Minnesota senator for extending a hand to those on the other side of an issue that’s especially important for Catholics and other devout voters. The praise for Klobu char suggests that Demo crats who have heeded rising worry within their base about GOP-backed abortion limits by pitch ing significant new abor tion-rights policies may risk alienating religious voters who are otherwise open to supporting their party over President Donald Trump. Voters in that group looking for an appeal to “common ground” on abortion, as former President Barack Obama put it during his 2008 campaign, have heard few of those state ments during the current Democratic primary. “Plenty of pro-life Cath olics are looking for an alternative to voting for President Trump,” said Kim Daniels, associate director of Georgetown University’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life. “We wish the Democratic Party would offer us an alterna tive instead of doubling down on support for abor tion throughout preg nancy, taxpayer funding and the like.” Klobuchar has under scored her abortion-rights support, and she’s signed onto legislation that would limit states’ efforts to con strain abortion access, such as the multiple state- level anti-abortion laws that passed last year. But Daniels described Klobu char’s rhetorical openness to working with abortion opponents as “an impor tant step,” and she’s not alone. Chris Crawford, a pro life activist who tweeted about Klobuchar’s wel coming response to him during a recent event in New Hampshire, said that “I don’t like” the sena tor’s abortion record or positions, “but I do like the work she’s doing on adoptions.” “And if she’s serious about putting together an agenda that can provide for mothers ... that would make a big difference for me and other voters I know,” added the Catho lic Crawford, who said he voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 but has not yet decided who he’s support ing in 2020. Trump pardons long list No decision made to weigh BY JILL COLVIN, ZEKE MILLER AND MICHAEL TARM Associated Press WASHINGTON-Pres ident Donald Trump went on a clemency blitz Tues day, commuting former Illinois Gov. Rod Blago- jevich’s 14-year prison sentence and pardoning former New York City police commissioner Ber nie Kerik, among a long list of others. Those who got a break from Trump include financier Michael Milken, the “junk bond king” who served two years in prison in the early 1990s after plead ing guilty to violating U.S. securities laws, and Edward DeBartolo Jr., the former San Francisco 49ers owner convicted in a gambling fraud scandal after building one of the most successful NFL teams in history. But Trump also commuted the sentences of several women with more sympathetic cases to balance out the men con victed of corruption. In all, Trump took clem ency actions related to 11 people, his latest interven tions in the justice system as he faces growing criticism for weighing in on the cases of former aides. Trump made clear that he saw simi larities between efforts to investigate his own conduct and those that took down Blagojevich, a Democrat who appeared on Trump’s reality TV show, “Celebrity Apprentice.” “It was a prosecution by the same people — Comey, Fitzpatrick, the same group,” Trump told reporters. He was referring to Patrick Fitzger ald, the former U.S. attorney who prosecuted Blagojevich and now represents former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump fired from the agency in May 2017. Comey Kerik Blagojevich Milken DeBartolo Jr. was working in the private sector during the Blagojevich investigation and indictment. The clemency actions come as an emboldened Trump continues to test the limits of his office now that impeachment is over. The actions drew alarm from Democratic Rep. Bill Pas- crell, Jr. of New Jersey, who accused Trump of using his unfettered pardon power “to shield unrepentant fel ons, racists and corrupt scoundrels.” Blagojevich was convicted on charges of political cor ruption, including seeking to sell an appointment to former President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat and trying to shake down a chil dren’s hospital. But Trump said the former governor had been subjected to a “ridiculous sentence” that didn’t fit his crimes. “That was a tremendously powerful, ridiculous sen tence, in my opinion and in the opinion of many others,” he said. Trump confirmed the par dons on an air base tarmac as he left Washington for a West Coast visit. He said he had yet to think about pardon ing his longtime confidant Roger Stone, who is sched uled to be sentenced Thurs day, or granting clemency in on Stone’s, ex-aides’ cases EVAN VUCCII Associated Press President Donald Trump talks to the media before he boards Air Force One for a trip to Los Angeles to attend a campaign fundraiser, Tuesday, Feb. 18, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. to several former aides who have ended up in legal jeop ardy, including his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and disgraced former national security adviser Mike Flynn. But he made clear anew that he is sympathetic to their cases. “Somebody has to stick up for the people,” Trump said. As for Stone, in particular, he added: “You’re going to see what happens. I think he’s treated unfairly.” Former Manhattan Assis tant U.S. Attorney Mimi Rocah said the pardons sends a message that corruption is OK and “signal to his friends who are facing investigations or prosecutions for white col lar crimes... that Trump has their back.” Indeed, Pascrell predicted that, following Trump’s acquittal by the Republican- controlled Senate, “outra geous abuses like these will accelerate and worsen.” In Illinois, current Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, said in a statement Trump “has abused his pardon power in inexplicable ways to reward his friends and condone cor ruption, and I deeply believe this pardon sends the wrong message at the wrong time.” Republicans in the state echoed his criticism of the Blagojevich action. Many of the pardons announced Tuesday were advocated by friends of the president, including Shel don Adelson, the billionaire casino magnate, Tom Bar rack, a longtime Trump confidant and the chairman of his inaugural committee, and Fox News personality Maria Bartiromo. Milken’s advocates, for example, included all of the above — along with Rudy Giuliani, the presi dent’s personal attorney. It was Giuliani who charged Milken with 98 felony counts, including racketeer ing, insider trading and securities fraud, when he served as the top federal prosecutor in New York City in 1989. Bloomberg to go face to face against rivals after ad blitz JAMES H. WALLACE I Associated Press Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg gives a thumbs-up after speaking during an event at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Feb. 15. BY ALEXANDRA JAFFE AND KATHLEEN R0NAYNE Associated Press WASHINGTON - For Mike Bloomberg, the one way conversation with Dem ocratic voters is about to end. By spending more than $400 million of his own money and largely bypass ing his opponents by skip ping the early primary states, Bloomberg has rock eted to double-digit support in enough national polls to qualifyfor both Wednesday night’s Nevada debate and next week’s debate in South Carolina. But as Bloomberg’s sup port has risen, so has the crit icism from his Democratic foes as well as the broader scrutiny of his past com ments and record as New York City mayor. As he faces his rivals onstage for the first time, they’ve made it clear they’re eager to take him on. On Tuesday, Massachu setts Sen. Elizabeth Warren offered a preview of one line of attack the billionaire can expect face to face. “It’s a shame Mike Bloom berg can buy his way into the debate,” she tweeted, “but at least now primary voters curious about how each candidate will take on Donald Trump can get a live demonstration of how we each take on an egomaniac billionaire.” It will be the first time he’s debated in over a decade. And the first time in this campaign that Bloomberg will have to answer before a national audience for racial and sexist comments he’s made in the past. Mark Green, the former New York City public advocate who ran against Bloomberg for mayor in 2001, says that could be tough. “His insulting, wise-guy- ish comments on race and women and justice will not be easy to parry if the mod erator or rival frames the questions correctly,” he said. A new NPR/PBS News- Hour/Marist poll published Tuesday showed Bloomberg with 19% support nationally in the Democratic nominat ing contest, a striking figure for a candidate who has joined no debates and com peted in no primaries. The former New York City mayor, who launched his presidential campaign in November, will appear in Las Vegas alongside former Vice President Joe Biden, Sens. Warren, Bernie Sand ers and Amy Klobuchar and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Fel low billionaire and philan thropist Tom Steyer is still hoping to qualify. While Bloomberg is appearing on the debate stage in Nevada, he still is not participating in Saturday’s state caucus. He’s skipping the first four voting states — Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina — in favor of focusing on the multitude of states that vote repeatedly noted in recent days that Bloomberg’s rivals have had multiple debates to hone their skills and talking points. On the cam paign trail, he’s still using a teleprompter to deliver his short stump speeches, and he rarely takes questions directly from voters. His aides have also emphasized that the for mer mayor is expecting fire from all angles, particularly on his status as a billionaire self-funding his campaign and on the “stop-and-frisk” police practice he employed in New York. But Tim O’Brien, a senior adviser to the campaign, said on key Democratic issues, like climate change and gun control. “The debate’s a chance for us to make it clear that this is a deeply compassion ate and principled man who isn’t just a rich guy on a van ity run,” O’Brien said. Bloomberg’s opponents have telegraphed an array of attacks. Biden has gone after him on issues relating to race, noting his past comments suggesting ending racist mortgage-lending practices known as “redlining” con tributed to the financial cri sis, and that Bloomberg’s ads often feature Obama promi March 3, Super Tuesday. 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