Political Hotsheet
By

Lucy Madison /

CBS News/ August 22, 2012, 12:55 PM

Dems add 10 women to convention speaking lineup

President Barack Obama, accompanied by Sandra Fluke, waves at a campaign in Denver, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012.

/ AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
(CBS News) Amid the continuing fallout surrounding Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin's controversial comments about rape and abortion, Democrats on Wednesday announced the addition of 10 prominent women to their convention speaking lineup, seizing on the opportunity to pump up their pro-women credentials.

The new additions to the list include a number of women's health advocates, including Sandra Fluke, a Georgetown University student who was at the center of the debate over a White House rule mandating most employers must provide women with free contraceptive care; Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, and Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

Also on the roster are Lilly Ledbetter, a women's equality activist and namesake of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act; Caroline Kennedy; actress Eva Longoria; Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski; Wisconsin Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin; former Assistant Secretary in the department of Veterans Affairs Tammy Duckworth; and Denise Juneau, Montana state superintendent of public instruction.

On Tuesday, even as Republicans across the country called on Akin to bow out of the race, the GOP quietly approved a party platform that calls for a constitutional amendment banning abortion that does not provide exceptions for victims of rape or incest, or to save the life of the mother.

The Obama campaign and women's health advocates blasted the party for the platform, and called on Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan to renounce it, particularly as Romney has said he would not oppose abortion in instances of rape.

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
9 Comments Add a Comment
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DOGGYPANTS says:
If Dems are serious about women, then they would not consort with an ex-President who committed the most egregious sexist act in history. Also, Fluke committed research fraud by presenting non-peer reviewed research before Congress.

A Feminist hero is something to be
But they're all "F**ing Retards" as far as Rahm (1) can see

(1) Rahm Emmanuel called lefists the phrase in quotes but he never was penalized.
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GOP-R--Con-Men replies:
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Another delusional republican supporter using false equivalency trying to equate the behavior of President Clinton with the platform and policies of the republican party.
nygurl1 replies:
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Egregious? ....You don't even know what it means......Nothing compared to what some reps have done.....I seem to remember vaguely something about a fountain?
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Ms.Fluke - have some proof?....Show it to me please.
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What was he referring to?....Can't be too bad if it wasn't memorable!
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0bama2O12 says:
I can see it now. Adding 10 women to the convention lineup will have the feminists lining up in droves to vote form Romney.
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nygurl1 replies:
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Why?
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lesserof2evil says:
Beat pandering to the Koch brothers.
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AOCGUY replies:
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pandering is pandering
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AOCGUY says:
Wow, such over the top pandering. If women's issues are so important (and they are) why are the Democrats just now adding women to their list of speakers? I would have thought that list was pretty well locked up weeks ago.
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nygurl1 replies:
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Not necessarily.....They still have time to invite others.