American Bridge 21st Century Weekly Recap: September 22, 2023
Our top moments of the week
This week’s GOP loser of the week? Daniel Cameron. His flip-flop on abortion exceptions and pledge to ban forms of birth control take the cake.
Here are our biggest moments of the week:
1. Daniel Cameron’s Massive Abortion Flip-Flop
Two days before the first forum of Kentucky’s general election, GOP gubernatorial nominee Daniel Cameron flip-flopped on his extreme anti-abortion agenda. In a striking departure from his previous position, Cameron said he would sign a bill that makes exceptions for abortions in the case of rape and incest. The political reasons for this flip are obvious and pathetically transparent — he’s losing, and floundering.
“The Herald-Leader asked the Cameron campaign about why and when the nominee changed his position, or if he’d proactively encourage the legislature to pass a bill with exceptions. The campaign issued a statement that did not specifically address the questions asked.”
Now, Cameron’s flip-flop is all the Kentucky press can talk about:
Kentucky Lantern: “It’s the first time Cameron has publicly expressed support for changing the Kentucky abortion ban by adding any exceptions.”
The Courier Journal: “When asked about the potential for tweaking the law to include the exceptions in April, Cameron told LEX 18 that he would “continue to defend the law “as is” and would “not waiver” in his position.”
Louisville Public Media: Cameron also has highlighted his success in winning court rulings that allowed Kentucky’s abortion ban to take and remain in effect over the past year.
2. Trump Inflates Value of Private-Jet LLC by 5000% or More
As New York Attorney General Letitia James turns up the pressure in the massive fraud lawsuit against Donald Trump and the Trump Organization, Insider recently reported Trump’s updated Personal Finance Disclosure shows huge increases in the value of Trump assets.
“In an April filing with the Office of Government Ethics, Trump claimed that the TAG Air had a value of $1,001 or less. In a revised July filing, Trump valued TAG Air at between $5 million and $25 million.”
During the 2016 campaign, U.S. taxpayers “reportedly paid TAG Air $1.6 million to cover the cost of transporting the Secret Service agents charged with protecting him.”
3. Vivek Ramaswamy Sparks Furor with Comments on Race
A new report from The Hill focuses on GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s repeated racist comments and the backlash he’s facing because of them.
Ramaswamy has compared “Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a Black Democrat representing Massachusetts, to “modern grand wizards” of the Ku Klux Klan” and said America’s education system is a “modern ghetto system.” The Republican candidate also claimed the U.S. government pays “women in inner cities to be single.”
As American Bridge’s Presidential Communications Director, Brandon Weathersby said:
“I think there is a pattern here, but to be honest, I will go one step further and say that this is a cornerstone of his campaign…just because you deliver it with a smile, just because it’s a little more palatable, doesn’t mean that it’s not going to have a lot of the same negative implications for folks.”
4. Daniel Cameron Doubles Down on Lie that Birth Control Pills Are Abortion
According to a new report from Rolling Stone, Cameron signed a questionnaire from the Kentucky Right to Life Victory PAC agreeing that the morning-after pill and other forms of birth control should be banned.
The GOP nominee’s position could have a chilling effect on Kentuckians’ access to birth control. As Jezebel wrote:
“Could Kentucky Republicans actually pass a bill banning the use of birth control in the state? I don’t know. But Cameron’s affirmative responses here do suggest that if such a bill landed on his desk, he’d sign it.”
5. VIDEO: Austin Knudsen’s History of Attacking Montana’s Judiciary
On Monday, American Bridge 21st Century released a new video detailing Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s history of attacking the judiciary. The pending complaint includes 41 separate violations, leaving the possibility that Kndusen could be disbarred.
