Bob Dold Jumped the Pro-Choice Shark. Will He Have the Nerve to Try and Run as a Pro-Choice Candidate Again?

Bob Dold campaigned on being pro choice. He said, "I am pro-choice." Pretty unequivocal. In fact, he made his pro-choice position a centerpiece of his campaign.

Now, of course, the social issue position page from his candidate website that touted him as pro-choice is mysteriously impossible to get into. Enough people saw it and wrote about it, so it's going to be hard for him to scrub it.

Democrats cried fowl at Dold's self-characterization because he was endorsed by Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum and other anti-choice groups. Republicans responded with usual feigned outraged. The said it was wrong to imply that Dold might not be genuine in his pro-choice position merely because these anti-choice groups endorsed him. They complained it was guilt by association.

The proof, of course, comes with the votes, and Dold made a big vote against choice last week with his "aye" vote for H.R. 3. H.R. 3 bans abortions in the new health care systems and penalizes companies that choose to cover abortions for employees. So, under this bill, a woman could not pay for abortion coverage out of her own money. This is not government spending on abortion coverage, but private spending of personal funds and Mr. Free Market Dold would refuse it. Oddly, the bill also allows the IRS to audit rape or incest victims who choose abortion to assess how an abortion was paid for. The IRS agent will actually have to ask women who paid for their own abortions if they were rape or incest victims because no tax benefit can be used, under the bill, to pay for an abortion.

Last person I knew who was audited by the IRS reported to me that he had to talk to some young guy right out of college who barely understood the tax code and asked the stupidest questions. How is it going to feel to the woman who has to tell that same guy whether or not she was a rape or incest victim. I'd suggest this puts this bill over the top. But, Mr. Dold, as pro-choice as he promised, said that's just fine with him with his vote.

It will be interesting to see if Dold has the nerve to run as a pro-choice candidate ever again. Having jumped the shark in his first term maybe he'll have to get "Cousin Oliver" to campaign for him in 2012. What will his supporters do with their fake outrage when Democrats ask voters to compare Dold's fantasies with truth in 2012?