By Dave Andrusko

Part Two talks about a beautiful pro-life song, "She's With Me." Don't forget to call and order your copies of the special January NRL News. 202-626-8828. Costs and quantities can be found at http://nrlc.org/news/Jan222010.pdf.  Please send your comments and observations to daveandrusko@gmail.com.

Let me meld a couple of items together today as Part One of TN&V for Thursday.

In what is being understandably billed as a generational hand-off, Ellen Malcolm is stepping down as President of EMILY's List, the pro-abortion political organization which has raised hundreds of millions of dollars to dole out exclusively to female Democratic candidates who adhere to the hardest of pro-abortion hard lines.

Malcolm, 62, will stay on as chair of the board while the day-to-day operations will be managed by veteran political operative Stephanie Schriock, 36, who assumes the role of President February 1. Schriock is chief of staff for pro-abortion Montana Senator Jon Tester (D) and will leave that position when she assumes her new job.

Malcolm has been EMILY's List's only president since its founding 25 years ago. She has presided over an organization whose very acronym illustrates a keen understanding of modern politics. "EMILY" stands for "Early Money Is Like Yeast"–because it makes the dough rise.

According to the Washington Post, the organization raised $43 million in the 2008 campaign cycle.

Malcolm praised Schriock's capacities both as a fundraiser and a political operator. She especially extolled Schriock's role in whipping pro-abortion Al Franken's floundering Senate race into shape. Although pro-life incumbent Norm Coleman (R) was ahead on election night, after months of wrangling, court cases, and suddenly discovered missing votes, Franken was declared the winner by 337 votes. Franken provided Senate Democrats with the all-important 60th vote.

CBS News White House Correspondent Chip Reid

Meanwhile, although it has not changed the plans of pro-abortion Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, pro-abortion Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and pro-abortion President Barack Obama, their decision to hold negotiations over health care restructuring in secret continues to cause them grief. To take just one example, even CBS News hammered them last night, although they were by no means the only news organization!

I happen to see a clip from the daily press briefing Wednesday where an obviously frustrated CBS White House correspondent Chip Reid tried repeatedly to get White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs to admit the obvious.

Reid: "During the campaign, President Obama on numerous occasions said words to the effect of, quoting one, 'all of this will be done on C-SPAN in front of the public.' Do you agree that the President is breaking an explicit campaign promise?"

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs

Gibbs, as is his wont, bobbed and weaved. He first said his remarks would be similar to the ones he'd made the day before (which were not responsive).

Reid patiently pointed out that since Gibbs' comments the day before, it had been reported that "the President pressed the leaders in Congress to take the fast track approach to skip the conference committee." In other words it was no longer just the Democratic leadership of the House and Senate who were violating Obama's pledge, it was Obama himself. After several more back and forths, Reid was still asking and Gibbs was still evading.

As we've mentioned a couple of times this week, the ultimate flashpoint is not whether negotiations are conducted under C-SPAN's watchful eye but whether the bill is sent onto the President because a majority of House members and 60 senators vote for it. Our task is to help them understand why they should not.

Please take time to go to http://nrlactioncenter.com to learn what the pro-life objections are and how to contact your two senators and your U.S. house member.

Part Two