#but wow on that selzer Iowa poll

[470nanometers]

Good polls, bad polls.

Ignore them all, go and vote.

[thxnews]

Remarks by Vice President Harris at Reproductive Health Conversation

Drake University Des Moines, Iowa 12:12 P.M. CDT MS. PALMIERI:  Hello, Des Moines.  I’m so excited to be in Des Moines.  It’s Des Moines in July.  (Laughter.)  Not unlike D.C. in July, but Des Moines in July is way more fun.  (Laughter.) So, yeah, I’m Jennifer Palmieri, currently with Showtime’s documentary series, “The Circus.”  But I know a lot of you from my time as President Obama’s communications director — (applause) — yay! — and Hillary Clinton’s communications director in ’16.  (Applause.)  That’s nice.  Got some — got some special friends here from that time, I know. And, wow, there is a lot happening — a lot happening in your state, a lot happening in the world.  I was ab- — able to hear some of the pre-program and the fights that you all have on your hands here.  Senate Minority Leader Pam Jochum, Jennifer Konfrst, the House Minority Leader, and taking on the fight to try to defeat the six-week abortion ban.  (Applause.) But it’s like — it — it seems that so much of American life is changing the han- — whether it’s the hands of the Supreme Court or in our state legislatures, and it’s kind of even hard to process, let alone understand — or people want to figure out how to fight back. And so, I think we’re really privileged today.  We can — everybody has super busy lives, middle of the summer.  But we can take 40 minutes, step back, a little timeout, and have the privilege of hearing from someone who’s not just the Vice President of the United States but who’s, you know, throughout her career, fighting for rights, advancement of rights, and has a perspective of not just what’s happening in — on abortion rights but — you know, I watched her speech last night when she went to Florida last week, talk about some of the changes happening there, particularly regarding school curriculum — and sees this sort of, kind of, erosion of rights as a larger — larger fight. And we can take some time to kind of put that in context.  You all are dealing with what you’re dealing with.  What that means — might mean for Iowa and the country overall. So, it is — this is the cool — one of the coolest things to be able to do to announce the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris.  (Applause.) THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Hi, Des Moines.  It’s good to be back.  (Applause.) MS. PALMIERI:  I mean, it’s fun to be in Des Moines, right? THE VICE PRESIDENT:  I was just here in March.  And — but the last time I was at Drake was, I think, 2019.  And it’s — it’s — I love this stage, and it’s good to see everyone.  Thank you for being here.  (Applause.)  Thank you. MS. PALMIERI:  I was hoping for a fried pork sandwich, but maybe another trip.  (Laughter.)  “The Circus” will be back soon, so we’ll be — don’t worry.  As you know, we like to eat and drink on that show.  So, there’ll be plenty of that. So, you were — as — you know, it is — Madam Vice President, it is a real privilege to be able to have this conversation with you.  I mean, this state is wrestling with the six-week abortion ban that was just enacted here a couple of weeks ago. But this larger erosion of rights is, you know, happening across the country.  I know you were here in March and I know that, at that time, the Iowa poll — Ann Selzer’s famous Iowa poll showed that 61 percent of Iowans support abortion — support abortion for most or all of — at all — most or all times.  And still — THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And — and 70 percent of Iowan women support it.  (Applause.)  Yeah. MS. PALMIERI:  So — THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, yeah, yeah. MS. PALMIERI:  It’s not what the people want.  And still, Governor Reynolds called a special session, passed this ban.  I know that it’s — I know that it’s, you know, being — it’s right now being held up in the courts. But what is it — you — you know, why did you — you said in March you wanted to come back.  Why did you want to be here today?  What did you want to tell Iowa today? THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Well, first of all, I want to thank everyone for being here. Iowa is part of a very important aspect of who we are as a country.  And the state of Iowa, how Iowans are doing, is a measure of how we are doing as a country.  And so, being here and being back here — and I’ve been here many, many times — is an extension of a sense of respect and — and appreciation for the people of this state.  And that, as Vice President of the United States, I am and will continue to be concerned about all people in our country. When I think about — (applause) — thank you. And so, Jen, first of all, thank you for the time.  When — when we look at where we are as a country right now — so let’s contrast the fact that 70 percent of the women in Iowa support the importance of respecting the bodily autonomy of women and the ability and the authority they should have to make decisions about their own body.  So, let’s start there. Let’s then contrast that with a piece of legislation that has been passed — it is stayed right now — but would put a six-week ban on that, which is basically a ban — because, I think, as I travel the country, it becomes clear to me that so many people in these state legislatures don’t even know how women’s bodies work.  (Laughs.)  (Applause.) MS. PALMIERI:  I mean, that has really broken through. THE VICE PRESIDENT:  In that most women will not even know they are pregnant in six weeks. MS. PALMIERI:  Yeah. THE VICE PRESIDENT:  So, it is — it is in effect an outright ban.  And looking at it, then, in the context of not only the significance of what happened last year with the Dobbs decision, which to contextualize that is that the highest court in our land, the United States Supreme Court, the Court of Thurgood and RBG, took a constitutional right that had been recognized from the people of America, from the women of America.  (Applause.) And so, considering the significance of that just on its face, in the context of also what I think most of us would agree, which is that we are a nation that has measured its progress and growth in many ways, including through an understanding that we are stronger through an expansion of rights, not restriction of rights, right?  (Applause.) So, putting it in that context, and then let us put it in the context that this decision came down over a year ago, I’ve been traveling our country, and the fallout to real people every day is profound. And so, let us be truth-tellers about what’s going on.  I was going to say “explicit,” but it sounds like explicit means provocative unnecessarily.  Let us just tell the truth about what is going on.  (Applause.) Women in our country are having miscarriages in toilets.  Laws are being passed that make no exception for rape or incest. Now, many of you know I started my career as a prosecutor.  And as a prosecutor, my specialty was crimes against women and children. So, let us put these no-exception rules in context: So, after an individual has survived an act of violence, a violation to their body, so-called leaders would suggest she doesn’t have the authority or right to make a decision about what happens to her body next.  That’s immoral.  (Applause.)  Or they would suggest — or they will suggest, “Oh, well, we will give an exception if you report it.” Now, again, as someone who has personally dealt with these cases, the majority don’t report.  And often, they have a good reason for why they don’t, in terms of what they know to be in their best interest or the best interest of their family.  So how dare these supposed leaders — (applause) — these supposed leaders have decided they’re in a better position to tell her what’s in her best interest than she is to know. Imagine where we are right now, in terms of just fundamental values and a fundamental level of respect and appreciation for the fact that women know what’s in their best interest.  They don’t need to be told by their government.  (Applause.) MS. PALMIERI:  Thirt- — thirteen months of living in post-Roe America — I mean, you and I are around the same age.  We didn’t know any other era. THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Yeah. MS. PALMIERI:  And I know you’ve done since — in the last 13 months, that you’ve done at least 50 visits, events — THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Yes. MS. PALMIERI:  — in, you know, states — like this state that have enacted bans, states that have done constitutional protections.  You do talk a lot about women’s stories, and you’re very detailed in — in telling the stories. I mean, I wonder — because you said you used to prosecute these cases.  And it was — it made me think when I heard it, I was like, “Oh, this is — this is how she prosecutes cases.”  It’s: Let me be very deliberate in telling you what it’s exactly like for the woman.  She needs to get on a plane.  It is full of strangers. THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, that’s right. MS. PALMIERI:  You know, like — and go to a doctor she doesn’t know across the country to get this procedure of a child that has died within her but she’s, like, being forced to — you know, to bring — to bring to term. But why is it — why do you find it is so important to tell those stories. THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Because this is not an intellectual debate. MS. PALMIERI:  But people make it such, right?  It’s like legal — they make it legal. THE VICE PRESIDENT:  But it’s — people are playing political games with other people’s lives — (applause) — in ra- — very real ways. And before I go on, to your first point — so our daughter is in her twenties.  She is going to have fewer constitutional rights than my mother-in-law.  Imagine. So, a point of the story.  So, you’ve — you’ve shared a bit of it.  Part of what is happening — so women, like the women in Iowa, if the stay is lifted for any reason, will have, by my count — there’s roughly maybe two states they can travel to to seek reproductive care, to seek abortion care. Okay.  So, what that means is — first of all, understand that the majority of women who seek abortion care are mothers. So, that means she’s going to have to figure out childcare. And if she is the single parent, she’s going to have to be able to pay for that childcare.  She’s going to lose time for work. Maybe she has paid family leave, maybe she doesn’t.  Maybe she has paid sick leave, maybe she doesn’t.  She will have to be able to pay for a plane, train, bus, gas. Most Americans are a $400 unexpected expense away from bankruptcy.  She may have to stay overnight.  That’s hotel. If she is traveling — like one example is a young woman who — she and her husband wanted to be pregnant, and she was going through a miscarriage.  And she had to travel from Texas to Seattle, because that’s the only place she could receive care to help her survive this miscarriage. So, this means that this woman has to afford a ticket.  Now, just let’s think about it, break it down.  Go to an airport.  Stand in line at TSA.  Get on a plane with a bunch of strangers, knowing what’s happening to her body right now. Endure that plane ride.  Go through another crowded airport.  You see what I’m saying?  Why would we make people suffer this way? You know, I — when I talk about extremist so-called leaders, here’s what I mean when I use that phrase.  I believe it is a sign of strength, not weakness, to — for a leader, in particular, to have empathy.  It’s a sign of strength.  (Applause.) It’s a sign of a strong leader to have some level of concern, curiosity, and care for the suffering of other people and to not judge them but try to understand what they may actually be going through. And what is happening with this issue around our country is the fallout of it includes the stories I’ve just shared, many of them.  And those are the ones we know, by the way.  Because so many people are silently suffering for this other reason: Part of the environment of this discussion is to dispense judgment, as though these women have done something wrong, as though they were irresponsible — they got themselves into some mess. And the result of that, in many cases, is to make, then, these individuals who are being faced with very significant decisions that they are weighing based on the priorities of their life — to make them feel alone and embarrassed. Why would we do that?  As a civil nation, as a civilized nation, why would we do that to our neighbors? And so, when we think about this issue, there are so many layers to it that are about a violation of basic freedoms and rights that are about an attack on autonomy and basic concepts, such as the right of each person to have self-determination.  And then, there is the piece of this that is about just making people feel alone and without support. And that’s how I think about this issue.  And I would urge all of us to also consider and agree: On this subject, one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government should not be telling her what to do.  (Applause.) MS. PALMIERI:  I mean, look at this at — at this reaction.  We know, as you said, 70 percent of women in this state, clearly a majority in the country — why is it happening?  Why are — I mean, you just laid out why it’s terrible.  Why — why do you think — I did not anticipate in, like, our lifetime this big of a backlash.  I guess that was naïve on my part. But why do you think they’re doing this? It’s not just women’s rights, of course.  You know, and you just — you had that speech in Florida last week about the — that even Congressman Byron Donalds, a very strong supporter of President Trump, spoke out against the curriculum that DeSanti- — you know, that was approved in Florida. Why do you think this is happening?  I mean, it’s — this reckoning is, like — THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Well, I think you and I know this has been — MS. PALMIERI:  — minority — minority rule.  This is not what the — America wants. THE VICE PRESIDENT:  But this is an agenda that has been a long time in the making and is being carried out. MS. PALMIERI:  Yeah.  A long time planned. THE VICE PRESIDENT:  But to your point, to pull out and kind of further contextualize it, I do believe that we are witnessing a national agenda that is about a full-on attack against hard-won, hard-fought freedoms and rights. Consider this issue and then think about what is happening around a full-on attack on the right and the freedom to vote, where laws are being passed banning drop boxes, reducing the amount of early voting time.  A law that was passed that would make it illegal to give people food and water if they are standing in line for hours.  What happened to “Love thy neighbor”? You look at what’s happening in states like Florida, with “Don’t say gay,” where you have — you know, I think about it this way.  I was very proud when I was District Attorney of San Francisco to perform some of the first same-sex marriages in our country in 2004 — in 2004.  (Applause.)  So next year will be, obviously, 20 years. I think about what’s happening.  But I think about what’s happening in Florida through this context.  And again, I think it is so important that when people are trying to engage in this kind of political rhetoric that we always ask, “What does this mean to a real person?” So, on the “Don’t say gay” piece, I’m thinking, okay, almost 20 years ago, that’s — same-sex marriages were performed.  You’ve got young teachers, then, in Florida in their twenties who are afraid to put up a photograph of themselves with their life partner, with their spouse for fear that if they do, they might be fired from a job they love, which is one of the most noble professions: to teach other people’s children.  (Applause.) You know, I asked my team — I’m — so, I love Venn diagrams.  (Laughter.)  I really do.  The three circles, you know, and then they overlap.  And so, Venn diagrams can help you sort through — MS. PALMIERI:  Are you a math person?  I feel like — THE VICE PRESIDENT:  I’m just kind of an undercover geek.  (Laughter.) And so, I asked my team, “Tell me — let’s do a Venn diagram.  Tell me from which states are we seeing attacks on reproductive freedoms, voting, LGBTQ.” And you would not be surprised to see that there was a significant overlap.  And I think it’s very important to see this in that context but to also see, then, the opportunity presented in this moment of crisis, which is the opportunity to re-dedicate ourselves to coalition building, to bringing people together — (applause) — right? — bringing people together. And by the way, the theme on all this is about, again, a very essential point: the freedom to just be oneself.  Let people be.  At the heart of it, isn’t that the point also?  They’re not harming anyone else.  Let people be.  Let them exercise their rights — that are the attributes of a democracy, by the way. Because, Jen, I do think about it in an — in a way that is about full-on attacks on foundational principles about who we are as a country and, therefore, our democracy. So, as Vice President of the United States, I have now met over 100 world leaders — presidents, prime ministers, chancellors, and kings. One of the things about who we are as Americans representing the United States of America is we can walk in those rooms, chin up, shoulders back, with the earned and self-appointed authority to then talk about the importance of democracy, rule of law, human rights. But the thing about being a role model is people watch what you do to see if it matches what you say.  (Applause.) So let us think also about what this means in terms of our standing in an increasingly interconnected, interdependent, global world.  Let us think about what this means for some young woman who, in some nation with a dictator or an autocrat, is fighting for women’s rights.  And that autocrat or dictator is saying, “Well, you want to hold out the United States as your example?  Look what they’re doing.  You be quiet.” Think about what this means not only as we have discussed, for the people of America, but potentially people around the world. MS. PALMIERI:  The — what has been hard for me to wrap — like, among the things it’s been hard to sort of process of, like, so much radical change: A lot of is happening because 40, 50, sometimes 60 years ago, conservatives started movements like Federalist Society — things — things that were going to put conservative judges in — in the courts, in power.  Had, you know, a very — you know, 50-year campaign to try to overturn Roe. Some of these — and they sort of aligned at a time — I mean, the changes that are happening, the rights that are being eroded, the invasion is not conservative.  The invasion of people’s lives is — right? — it is — it is — THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Government intrusion. Q    It is — it is — THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Isn’t that ironic? MS. PALMIERI:  I mean, it’s just plainly government — it is plainly government intrusion.  But the conservatives sort of built this structure by which they had the courts that are allowing this to happen. You talked about that you think that this is — there’s an opportunity now, which I agree there’s an opportunity among the coalition to show that woman who’s living in another country, dictator, these — America can have these — these things happen and this erosion of rights, but America can also find all sorts of tools to fight back. Do you — what do you think that coalition is like?  And do you think it’s going to take — you know, I think about this.  Read the full article