GOP Dominating Dems… At Sex Scandals In a post this morning two Politico writers suggest six ways the GOP could right its listing ship and perhaps save the party. Reason number two:

Cut the crap: Republicans are dominating Democrats in one area right now: humiliating sex scandals. If former Rep. Mark Foley isn’t e-mailing young male pages or Sen. Larry Craig isn’t playing footsie in the bathroom, then Rep. Vito J. Fossella’s getting busted driving drunk and then admitting he fathered a love child. You can’t run on family values when you don’t practice them.

The Broader Purpose Yesterday’s NARAL Pro-choice America endorsement of Barack Obama for president revealed what Jennifer Skalka called "festering friction" in the pro-choice community. Ellen Malcom, founder of Emily’s List and national co-chair of Hilalry Clinton’s campaign, was the first to express her feeling that the endorsement was "tremendously disrespectful to Sen. Clinton." Karen Cooper, Executive Director of NARAL Washington (state) added a media release saying her organization is not endorsing either candidate, that both have a 100% record on choice and, further, that "to endorse Obama at this point in the race is an unconscionable
slap in the face to Senator Hillary Clinton." Dems in the house also weighed in. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said "we feel abandoned by this organization today." Rep. Shelley Berkeley called the endorsement "extremely unnecessary" and "inappropriate." Rep. Jane Harmon called it "a betrayal." The Washington Post does a good job of rounding up the reactions.

Skalka goes on to say that this friction could be dangerous for the choice cause:

Dividing the Dems on the choice issue for the sake of Clinton’s doomed
candidacy is terribly dangerous. Women voters deserve the truth about
Obama’s views on choice and his record. Muddying that conversation and
sparking an intra-party feud at just the moment the two camps need to
unite women, in particular, for the sake of the party come November can
only be described as startlingly myopic, a Kamikaze mission.

There’s a broader mission at hand and that’s ensuring a pro-choice candididate occupies the White House come January 20, 2009.

Polichicks wins the award for best line in this kerfuffle, "NARAL is like, Whatev! Endorsing a Clinton is so ’96!" They also point here where you can submit questions for a NARAL Pro-choice America web chat on the endorsement to be held tomorrow.

Fertility Films Be sure to check out a great piece by Alyssa Quart in Mother Jones about the many "fertility films" of late. You should read Alyssa first but be sure to check out Courtney’s followup at Feministing.

HIV/AIDS Stifling Africa In a must-read opinion piece in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Cesar Cheala writes that the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa is "reversing decades of slow improvement in
child survival, life expectancy, educational progress and economic growth."

Transgender Care Be sure to check out Erin Wilkins’ post on the care needs of transgendered people on the site today. Also take a look at an article published in mag DiversityInc on the, albeit slow, progress hospitals are making in the care of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.