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Democratic presidentialhopeful Sen. Amy KlobucharAmy Jean KlobucharWinners and losers from the New Hampshire primary Sanders on NH victory: Win is 'beginning of the end for Donald Trump' Buttigieg congratulates Sanders on 'strong showing' in New Hampshire MORE (D-Minn.)on Tuesday said that the Democratic Party should be a "big tent" for people of different beliefs, including those who oppose abortion rights.

Klobuchar, who isrunning as acentrist candidate andalternative to Sens. Bernie SandersBernie SandersWinners and losers from the New Hampshire primary Sanders on NH victory: Win is 'beginning of the end for Donald Trump' Buttigieg congratulates Sanders on 'strong showing' in New Hampshire MORE (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth Ann WarrenWinners and losers from the New Hampshire primary Sanders on NH victory: Win is 'beginning of the end for Donald Trump' 5 takeaways from the New Hampshire primary MORE (D-Mass.), said while she is "pro-choice" but she doesn't think the party should shut out Democrats who disagree.

"There are pro-life Democrats, and they are part of our party, and I think we need to build a big tent," she said.

"I think we need to bring people in instead of shutting them out."

.@MeghanMcCain on @TheView: Do you think theres room for pro-life Democrats to vote for you?

Sen. Amy Klobuchar: Im strongly pro-choice. I have always been pro-choice, but I believe were a big tent party I think we need to bring people in https://t.co/ECpbtTFzQB pic.twitter.com/xMgs6zTE9C

Klobuchar andother Democratic presidential candidates have vowed to reverse the Trump administration's anti-abortion policies and to only appoint judges that support Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that established a woman's right to abortion.

While every Democrat running for president supports abortion rights, the general public is stilldivided on the issue, with many polls showing thatmajoritiessupport some restrictions on the procedure.

According to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll conducted in December, 15 percent of Democrats surveyed consider themselves "pro-life" while 84 percent said they are "pro-choice."

Top-tier candidate and former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete ButtigiegPeter (Pete) Paul ButtigiegWinners and losers from the New Hampshire primary Sanders on NH victory: Win is 'beginning of the end for Donald Trump' Buttigieg congratulates Sanders on 'strong showing' in New Hampshire MORE received a question on the issue from an anti-abortion Democrat at a Fox News town hall last month.

I respect where youre coming from, and I hope to earn your vote, but Im not going to try to earn your vote by tricking you. I am pro-choice, Buttigieg said.

I know that the difference of opinion that you and I have is one that we have come by honestly and the best that I can offer, and it may win your vote and if not, I understand if we cant agree on where to draw the line, the next best thing we can do is agree on who should draw the line, and in my view, its the woman whos faced with that decision," he said.

Supporting abortion rights is a key part of the Democratic National Committee's platform. Campaign groups like the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have faced pressure from progressives to stop supporting Democrats who oppose abortion rights.

The Democratic Attorneys General Association announced in November it would only endorse candidates that support abortion access.

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Klobuchar: 'We need to build a big tent' for anti-abortion Democrats | TheHill - The Hill

On Feb. 8,just beforeAmerica'sfirst-in-the-nation primary,Demand Justice,the left-wing group dedicatedto transforming our courts,hosted aNew Hampshireforum for Democratic presidential candidates, along withthe abortion-focused groupsNARAL,the Center for Reproductive Rights, and the All* Above All Action Fund.These groups were able to attractall the viable Democratic presidential contenders with the exception of former Vice PresidentJoe Biden.

Lets give the event hosts credit for a forum that gave us a chance to hear from the candidates on thesubject of thecourts, a topic that has rarely come up during the debates.They did voters a service, however unintentionally, by revealing just how dangerous it would be to our judicial system to elect a Democratic president in 2020.

The leading contenders made it clear they would advocate changing the very structure of the Supreme Courtin order to advancetheirliberal ideology or, to use the more familiar term, packingthe court.Consider as a historical reference point Franklin D. Roosevelts notorious proposalof1937, which would have authorized the expansion of the Supreme Court to as many as 15justices.Although Democratsdominated Congressat the time, enough of them had the statesmanshipto recognize a blow to our judicial system when they saw it, and accordingly blocked it.

HELGI WALKER: CLARENCE THOMAS' LEGACY IS ONE ALL AMERICANS SHOULD ADMIRE

As celebrated as Roosevelt has been among presidents, thatepisode is widely agreed to be among the lowest points of his administration, which helps explain whyallof his successorshad enough common sense and respect for our institutions not to advance a similar scheme.

Fast forward to 2020. Former South Bend, Ind.,Mayor Pete Buttigiegis touting the idea of expanding the court to as many as 15 justices.Itsalmostas ifwe needed an explicit reminderthat the next Democratic president would repeat the worst mistakes of the past.Other contenders followed suit with court-packing ideas.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.,would rotate Supreme Court justices and limit their terms.Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., was not asked about court-packing at the forum, but was one of the first of the pack to entertain it as a conversation thats worth having.

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Of course, court-packing is an extreme means of advancing an extreme agenda using the courts as a vehicle to advance policy preferences instead of going through the peoples elected representatives. Buttigieg stated succinctly, My appointments will make the court more progressive. Whenever the question came up at the forum, the candidates admitted they would impose a litmus test on abortion, the environment, and labor when making judicial nominations, even on the circuit level.

Yet even at an event focused on the courts, none of the Democrats had the guts to name names of the people they are considering for Supreme Court. Not even Sandersor Sen.Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who have each spent 13 years in the Senate andclaim they have lists of potential judges ready to go.

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Demand Justice released its own list of preferred Supreme Court prospects last fall a group of ideologues left of even the typical Obama appointee. The vast majority lacked appropriate judicial experience. Thetype of radical activists todays Democratic Party is clamoring for would deal a devastating blow to the rule of law.

President Trump made history in 2016 with his transparency in releasing his list of the principled men and women he would choose from to fill Supreme Court vacancies.The American people loved it. I dare Democrats to do the same, but it seems they are going to keep hiding.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE BY CARRIE SEVERINO

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Carrie Severino: 2020 Democrats are looking to 'pack' the Supreme Court with secret picks - Fox News

Democrats and many on the left use race as a sword and a shield interchangeably.

Sometimes they dont even get the race, or more accurately, the ethnicity correct. Remember when CNNs Areva Martin told me I was white and therefore capable of white privilege. The ease with which she made that assumption was genuine and should frighten all of you.

And now for the latest and Democratic primary race drama. South Carolina state Sen. Dick Harpootlian and campaign surrogate for former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenWinners and losers from the New Hampshire primary Sanders on NH victory: Win is 'beginning of the end for Donald Trump' 5 takeaways from the New Hampshire primary MORE is being attacked for allegedly racist remarks against South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Jerry Govan. Govan is a paid surrogate for Democratic presidential candidate Tom SteyerTom Fahr SteyerBiden, Warren on ropes after delegate shutout Webb: Race and the Democratic primaries Mellman: Debating Michael Bloomberg MORE.

According to Federal Election Commission filings, Govan got almost $50,000 from Steyer as a paid surrogate. And Harpootlians race crime was pointing that out. Writing, Mr. Money bags a.k.a @tomsteyer has paid S.C. State Rep. Jerry Govan almost $50,000 for a month worth of work? Is he pocketing the dough or redistributing the wealth?

Steyers ineffective campaign is simply spending money and not getting the return on investment with the Democratic base. You can only buy so much of any voters confidence. He also comes across as a political fraud with many independents in his contradictions based on how he made his money that are there for all to see.

Still, he eats up airtime. While media outlets make money from his campaign ad buys, he helps to keep the Democratic field uncertain and in disarray.

Its simple, a black politician got paid for taking a position, went against the expected, and the political race segregationists in the Congressional Black Caucus jumped in, also as expected. I still dont understand the loyalty of blacks to Biden who has spent decades in Washington promising returns for blacks, never delivering, and now wants their support again.

About half the states Black Caucus stood together and demanded an immediate apology and that Biden distance himself from Harpootlian. Good luck with that. Harpootlian has been in this political battle and many others. If he apologizes it will be for political expediency.

You see, South Carolina is black country for Democrats in the primary and according to the current political narrative, Biden owns much of that country.

Biden, no newcomer to the political world after decades in Washington decided to seize on the opportunity and go after Steyer, who can outspend him and has the will to do so. Biden needs to win South Carolina. Its his firewall against final failure.

By the way, this is going to get worse and more ridiculous. Just check out former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete ButtigiegPeter (Pete) Paul ButtigiegWinners and losers from the New Hampshire primary Sanders on NH victory: Win is 'beginning of the end for Donald Trump' Buttigieg congratulates Sanders on 'strong showing' in New Hampshire MORE. He mistakenly said black money instead of dark money during an interview. The usual race pimps pounced.

The man not on the debate stage thus far is Mike Bloomberg.

Of course, Bloomberg, who already had issues with getting support from blacks, has to defend his New York City mayoral position on stop, question and frisk. Democrats pounced on the video of Bloomberg explaining the program from a statistical point of view.

Its not often that I get the chance to defend Bloomberg, who is an elitist and his anti-second amendment stance is abhorrent to any constitutionalist like me, but hes not wrong on the application of the program. One of his failures, however, was to make sure that when the program went wrong it was addressed. It was very effective in removing illegal guns from the streets of New York City and the corresponding reduction in gun violence is evidence of this.

So how will Democrats use race against other Democrats in the primary? I cant answer that, and you have to watch it play out. Fact is theyre really using race against blacks for their vote and when its time, every other minority is on the table.

Webb is host of The David Webb Show on SiriusXM Patriot 125, host of Reality Check with David Webb on Fox Nation, a Fox News contributor and a frequent television commentator. His column appears twice a month in The Hill.

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Webb: Race and the Democratic primaries | TheHill - The Hill

Dionne, a Brookings Institution senior fellow and Washington Post columnist, tells a story about American politics that I find clarifying. In the past, thorny policy debates typically took place between the two parties. Examples include the best way to expand health insurance (through the private sector or government), control pollution (through taxes or regulations) and reduce the deficit (through spending cuts or tax increases).

Today the Republican Party has become so radicalized that it opposes almost any government action to solve problems. Its domestic agenda consists largely of cutting taxes for the rich and freeing companies from oversight. The substantive part of many policy debates now happens within the Democratic Party which means that tensions are only natural.

And yet progressives and moderate Democrats still agree on far more than they disagree. Each side would be more effective if it were open to learning from the other, Dionne writes, rather than lapsing into an unseemly moralism that feeds political superiority complexes.

Progressives are right that over the past half century Democratic moderates have often allowed conservatives to dictate the terms of political conversation, on economic growth, criminal justice, family values and more. Id add that moderates have also spent too much time designing technocratically elegant policies (like tax credits) rather than creating easily understandable, popular programs.

Moderates, for their part, are right that every great progressive victory in American history abolition, womens suffrage, the income tax, labor rights, Social Security, civil rights, Medicare, marriage equality and more has required compromise in the service of persuading allies who disagree with progressives on other issues. Its not enough to state your case purely and wait for a silent progressive majority to emerge as never before.

In the long run, each side is likely to accomplish much more if it can recognize that the other isnt the enemy. In the short run, obviously, there is an inescapable dilemma: The party can nominate only one person.

Before that choice is made while both sides are fighting hard for their preferred nominees, as they should they should pause to reflect on the strengths of the other side. For progressives, that means recognizing that moderate congressional candidates really did fare better in swing districts in 2018. It also means celebrating (quietly, for now, I realize) the progressivism of, say, Buttigiegs agenda.

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The Question All Democrats Need to Ask Themselves - The New York Times

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (Reuters) - For the past year, Democratic voters have been anxious to settle on a savior capable of defeating President Donald Trump.

The first week of primary balloting was supposed to speed the winnowing of an outsized field of candidates and showcase Democrats readiness to take back the White House in November. But an embarrassing meltdown in the Iowa caucus vote count, and a dismal showing by Joe Biden, once seen as the safest choice to unseat the Republican incumbent, have only heightened fears among some Democrats that their party isnt up to the task.

The early strength of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the liberal stalwart who has vowed to upend American healthcare and go after corporations and the wealthy, has some voters worried that Democrats will blow their chance to unseat an unpopular president if the party veers too far to the left.

Tuesdays New Hampshire primary may do littleto dispel the collective unease or help bridge the deep ideological split between the partys liberal and moderate wings. Several recent polls showed the top two vote-getters in Iowa - Sanders and former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg - as the favorites in New Hampshire.

While the primary season is young, voters such as Millie LaFontaine are already feeling a touch of panic. Interviewed Saturday at a Biden rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, the 69-year-old said she wants to back the candidate best-positioned to knock off Trump, but she isnt sure who that might be.

Id like to vote strategically, but we Democrats are in disarray and I dont know what strategic is, she said. I am afraid.

Adding to the partys jitters, last week was one of the brightest in Trumps three years in office. His impeachment trial ended in acquittal. The economy continued churning out jobs. A Gallup poll showed 49% of all registered voters surveyed approve of his performance, the highest mark of his presidency including an overwhelming 94% of Republicans.

Meanwhile, results in Iowa showed that Democratic voters appear far from a consensus.

After leading in the polls for virtually the entire campaign pre-season, the 77-year-old Biden limped to a fourth-place finish in the caucus. It was a blow to Democratic traditionalists who consider the avuncular former vice president the surest bet to unite the fractious party and defeat Trump.

The strong performance of Buttigieg, the youngest candidate at 38, has boosted his profile as a centrist alternative to Biden. He is projected to have won 14 delegates, two more than Sanders. But polls show he has not attracted much support from black voters, a cornerstone of the diverse Democratic coalition. And some worry America isnt ready to elect an openly gay president.

Adding to the uncertainty is an ascendant Mike Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York who has positioned himself as a moderate who can win independents and Republicans. Bloomberg is skipping the four early voting states in February but is competing from March 3, known as Super Tuesday, when nearly a third of delegates will be awarded from 14 states, including Texas and California.

After spending more than a quarter-billion dollars nationwide on advertising since November, Bloomberg has surged to third place behind Biden and Sanders, according to a Reuters/Ipsos national poll conducted Jan. 29-30.

Sanders, 78, won the most votes in Iowas complicated caucus system. The independent senator boasts a large grassroots network that is passionate about his calls for transformational change. But his candidacy terrifies many moderates, who believe a self-described democratic socialist stands no chance in a general election.

Trump already has seized upon the label, saying during last weeks State of the Union address that America will never be a socialist country.

Sanders backers contend he is the only candidate capable of bringing out young people and others who normally wouldnt vote. While there is evidence that Sanders did pull in more young voters in Iowa, overall turnout was significantly below record numbers posted in 2008, when Democrat Barack Obama rode a wave of enthusiasm to the White House. That casts doubt on Sanders argument that his brand of left-wing populism can inspire enough new voters to defeat Trump, said Rahm Emanuel, Obamas former chief of staff and the ex-mayor of Chicago.

There wasnt this magic army that materialized in Iowa, Emanuel said. The cavalry wasnt coming.

The Democrats rough week began with a debacle in the Iowa vote count, caused in part by the failure of a ballot-tabulating phone app. Days of delays in announcing the totals drew mockery from Trump and, ultimately, a call from Tom Perez, chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), to re-canvass all the precinct results.

Were a party in chaos, Rep. Marcia Fudge, a Democratic congresswoman from Ohio, told Politico.

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell called the bungled count a fiasco.

We dont look very good when one of our biggest arguments against Donald Trump is that hes incompetent, and every day something happens where we screw something up, Rendell, a Biden supporter and former DNC chair, told Reuters.

Others worry the party will fail to capitalize on Republican vulnerabilities on issues such as healthcare if the eventual nominee backs solutions perceived as too radical by middle-of-the-road voters.

Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren favor Medicare for All, a universal government system that would eventually replace private health insurance. Biden, Buttigieg and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar want to improve the existing system and add a public option for those who want it.

Voter Chris Kane is weighing his options. The 65-year-old ecologist from Concord, New Hampshire likes Klobuchar, but hes open to backing Warren, the choice of his wife Eve Oyer. The couple attended a Warren event at a middle school over the weekend, while their son Ben Kane, 32, came up from New York to canvass for Sanders.

Whats the right decision?, said the elder Kane on Sunday. Its complicated.

Sanders backers point to their candidates momentum, both in votes and fundraising, as evidence his proposals are catching fire. The campaign said it raised $25 million in January, most of it small donations from 648,000 people.

New Hampshire resident Anne Lichtener views Sanders anti-establishment credentials as an advantage in winning back blue-collar voters who defected to Trump in 2016.

Bernie probably appeals to the working class more than any other candidate, said the 28-year-old lab manager, who lives in Enfield.

The Buttigieg camp, meanwhile, is looking to pick off Biden donors following the former vice presidents flop in Iowa, according to a Buttigieg fundraiser who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

People who were for Biden were for him because they thought he could win. Thats no longer the case, the person said.

On Sunday, in a jam-packed hotel ballroom along the New Hampshire seacoast, Biden told supporters to keep the faith.

No matter what happens in this state...Im going to keep moving, Biden said, predicting he will perform well in states with a greater number of African-Americans and other voters of color.

Like Iowa, New Hampshire is overwhelmingly white. Nevada, which has a large Latino population, and South Carolina, with a heavy concentration of black voters, are next on the primary calendar this month.

With the prospect that several viable candidates will roll on into the spring, the race could remain undecided for months perhaps even to the opening of the nominating convention in July in Milwaukee.

Democratic voters are buckling in for what some fear will be a rough ride.

Barry Nestor, a Biden supporter in Milford, New Hampshire, said he is particularly worried about Trumps socialists tag sticking to the partys liberal candidates.

Trump is going to go after them, Nestor said. Its just not going to be good.

Reporting by Joseph Ax, Trevor Hunnicutt, Simon Lewis, Michael Martina, James Oliphant and Jarrett Renshaw; Writing by Joe Tanfani; Editing by Marla Dickerson

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Democrats in disarray in New Hampshire as Sanders surges and Trump provokes - Reuters