To add another wrinkle to the equation – Kaine and Clinton have differed on the Hyde Amendment, which withholds federal funding on abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or where the mother’s life is at risk. While it remains to be seen exactly how Kaine’s comments might impact the Clinton campaign in the coming days and weeks, there’s no denying that his support of the Hyde Amendment has caused a ripple of scrutiny from Democratic voters.
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Still the issue is likely to linger among some Clinton supporters.
“I have been for the Hyde Amendment. I haven’t changed that”. “I haven’t met him”, Kaine said. I haven’t changed my position on that”, Kaine told CNN’s Jake Tapper then repeated, “I have not changed my position.
Over the past few months Clinton and her campaign have sought to present her as the feminist choice for the presidency, that women should fall in line with her due to her longstanding support for a women’s choice and her opposition to the Hyde Amendment.
Groups like the National Right to Life Committee have supported the Hyde Amendment, pointing to one statistic that one in four women on Medicaid who wanted abortions end up not getting one because of lack of funds, noted NBC News.
After representatives for Kaine and the Clinton campaign jointly confirmed to Bloomberg that Kaine has privately told Clinton he would support repealing the Hyde Amendment, which reproductive rights advocates say limits abortion access for low-income women, Kaine insisted his support for Hyde has not changed. Kaine’s abrupt 180 on both Clinton’s stance and a key party plank could be troublesome for the Democratic ticket. But he did express confusion at some of Trump’s statements and tactics, especially a recent episode in which Trump confused Kaine with a former Republican governor of New Jersey, Tom Kean. “I’ve got to scratch my head about that guy every day”.
The Democratic Party platform approved this week includes language backing repeal of the amendment, which is regularly included as a restriction in appropriations bills. I think the last thing we need is government that intrudes upon the decision-making of women and men too when it comes to matters of whether it’s abortion rights, contraception. “But I feel like we’re in really good shape”.
Kaine, an early backer of Barack Obama in the 2008 in his primary fight against Hillary Clinton, said he believes that the Democratic Party is more unified today than it was at this point eight years ago, following the protracted primary battle between the pair.
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“You’re still for it- you’re still for the banning?” she clarified.
