While we're looking at bitterness, let's not forget NARAL

Since it's turning out to be "bitterness day" here at DGITL...

NARAL has endorsed the Messiah, and it's membership couldn't be unhappier:

"It's created a firestorm," said NARAL Pro-Choice New York President Kelli Conlin, who was on the conference call. "Everyone was mystified ... saying, 'What is the upside for the organization? And, frankly, [there was] a lot of concern about the donor base. ... There was real concern there would be a backlash." There was a backlash, and it was swift, starting with NARAL's own website. At last count, there were more than 3,300 comments in an electronic chat about the endorsement, the overwhelming majority of them negative. "Shame shame shame!" read one, with many correspondents threatening never to support NARAL financially again. "No more donations from me!!!" wrote another.

In Washington, two dozen women members of Congress who support Clinton held a quickly organized press conference to tout her abortion-rights record Wednesday night. Ellen Malcolm, founder of the abortion-rights women's fundraising group EMILY's List, sharply rebuked NARAL for its endorsement. Two former members of Congress (and Clinton supporters) -- Geraldine Ferraro and Pat Schroeder -- jabbed at NARAL for endorsing before the general election. "Looks like some higher ups at NARAL are trying to get jobs in the new administration ... nothing else makes sense to us," they wrote in a joint letter.

A number of feminist donors -- including several Obama supporters -- were shaking their heads at the timing, said a source who has worked on women's health and reproductive rights issues for 25 years and meets routinely with top contributors to the cause. "Without exception, the response was, 'It's a really stupid thing to do,'" said the source.

And even former NARAL Pro-Choice America President Kate Michelman, who is working on behalf of Obama, was taken by surprise, saying she learned of the endorsement only when a reporter called her. Although she wouldn't comment on the timing, she was clearly worried about damage to the larger cause of women's rights. "I don't think there's any question that there are strong Obama supporters who are pro-choice who are surprised by the decision, and probably some are upset by the decision, because NARAL's mission is of course to protect women's liberty -- especially reproductive rights, but women's liberty in general."

And here's this from the WomenCount PAC:

The newly formed WomenCount PAC strongly denounces the endorsement of Barack Obama by NARAL Pro-Choice America, joining mounting opposition to the move from Emily's List, a long list of woman Members of Congress, and other longtime supporters of NARAL.

"The idea that NARAL would create a divisive and potentially permanent rift in the pro-Choice movement is a shortsighted, irresponsible rush to judgment," says Allida Black, a founding member of WomenCount PAC and editor of The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers at George Washington University. "Using this important issue in such an irresponsible way can only be interpreted as blatant pandering."

Hey, gals, might I suggest redirecting your bitterness into guns, god, and xenophobia? It could prove to be therapeutic, and may even help you see an alternative to your abortion zeal.