Even before he formally entered the 2020 presidential race, former Vice President Joe Biden (D-DE) has been the front runner. Viewed by many as a moderate Democrat in a sea of extreme progressives vying for the White House, Biden has been attacked for some of his policy positions, including his decades-long support of the Hyde Amendment.
The legislation bans the use of federal money to fund abortions except in cases where a pregnancy resulted from rape or incest or puts the life of the mother in danger. Earlier this month, when his fellow Democratic presidential candidates and abortion rights organizations attacked him for his stance, Biden instantly caved rather than stand up for what he by all accounts passionately believed for years.
But, just how far has Biden, a reported devout Catholic, “evolved” on his position on abortion over the years? Surprisingly, left-leaning CNN provided a telling clue. Apparently, the former Vice President used to be a lot more comfortable sharing his reportedly personal pro-life convictions. In 2006, before his second run for the White House, Biden said, “I’m a little bit of an odd man out in my party. I do not vote for funding for abortion. I voted against partial birth abortion — to limit it — and I vote for no restrictions on a woman’s right to be able to have an abortion under Roe v. Wade. And, so I am — I made everybody angry.”
In the interesting piece, the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate stated, “It’s going to be very difficult. I do not view abortion as a choice and a right. I think it’s always a tragedy, and I think that it should be rare and safe, and I think we should be focusing on how to limit the number of abortions. There ought to be able to have a common ground and consensus as to do that.”
Responding to the old quotes, Biden’s campaign issued a statement to the left-leaning news network. In the statement, campaign spokesman Andrew Bates commented, “Vice President Biden supports a woman’s right to choose and he believes that we are in a moment of unprecedented assault on choice in this country. As president, he would fight to preserve Roe v. Wade and he has called for it to be codified into law.”
Bates went on to add, “Vice President Biden would nominate judges who would stand firm on upholding all of our constitutional rights, including a woman’s right to choose. If you look at his record on Supreme Court nominees you will see who he’s fought for — Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg — and who he’s fought against — Robert Bork, Clarence Thomas, John Roberts, and Samuel Alito.”
Regarding Biden’s serious flip-flop on the Hyde Amendment, Mollie Hemmingway recently said on Fox News’ “Special Report,” “This was Joe Biden’s big claim to fame, that he was a moderate, that he wasn’t beholden to the activist base of his party. That’s kind of the whole point of his candidacy, that he’s not someone who has to answer to their beck and call, but he can appeal to a broader audience.”
The Federalist senior editor added, “The question is, if he is going to respond – after decades upon decades of having a position claiming he is pro-life, claiming he opposed abortion – to flip within 24 hours, it forces the question – what is the point of his candidacy if he is going to acquiesce to whatever their demands are?”
In an opinion piece for Fox News, Andrew Stein relayed how desperate Biden is to become president. At 76, there will be no do-overs for the man who has already ran for the highest political office in the land twice before.
Commenting about the former Vice President’s recent flip-flops, Stein said Biden has been “bending like a contortionist with the political winds in a party that is moving ever leftward, fearing he will be left behind if he puts principles over politics.”
Stein stated that Biden “is willing to give up positions he has held for decades to get to the Oval Office. And he is protected by much of the anti-Trump media, which are focused on making Donald Trump a one-term president.”
Perhaps, Biden’s willingness to do anything, and everything, to pander to the progressives in his party will come back to haunt him if he makes it to the general election. Stein remarked, “If Joe Biden’s only consistent position is that he will be consistently inconsistent and opportunistic, Democrats have a lot to be concerned about regarding their front-runner.”
