In separate August 13 Associated Press articles, writers Nedra Pickler and Kimberly Hefling claimed that “the late Pennsylvania Gov. Robert P. Casey ... was not given a marquee speaking spot at the 1992 convention because of his anti-abortion views.” Likewise, in an August 13 Political Radar blog post, ABC News' Teddy Davis and Arnab Datta asserted that “the late Pennsylvania Gov. Robert Casey D-Pa., was denied a prime speaking spot at the 1992 convention because of his opposition to abortion rights.” Additionally, in an August 13 entry on The Page, Mark Halperin claimed that Casey "wasn't given a marquee speaking spot at the '92 convention because of" his "abortion views." They were each providing a modified version of the old falsehood, much repeated, that Casey was denied a speaking role at the convention because he opposed abortion rights. In fact, as Media Matters for America has repeatedly noted, others who opposed abortion rights were given speaking roles at the convention, so Casey's views on abortion alone could not have been the deciding factor in the Democratic National Committee's decision not to give him a speaking role. By specifying that Casey was denied a “marquee” or a “prime” speaking spot, the AP, ABC News, and Halperin suggest that Casey would have otherwise been given a “prime” or “marquee” spot, if not for his opposition to abortion rights, an assertion that is baseless in its own right -- they provide no evidence that he was being considered or would have been considered for a “prime” speaking spot -- and that is reportedly refuted by DNC organizers. As Media Matters has documented, Michael Crowley of The New Republic reported in 1996: “According to those who actually doled out the 1992 convention speaking slots” -- “prime” or otherwise -- “Casey was denied a turn for one simple reason: his refusal to endorse the Clinton-Gore ticket.”

From Hefling's August 13 AP article:

Democratic officials say Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, who opposes abortion rights, will be a featured speaker at the party's national convention.

Casey was set to speak during the convention's Tuesday night session.

Casey is the son of the late Pennsylvania Gov. Robert P. Casey, who was not given a marquee speaking spot at the 1992 convention because of his anti-abortion views.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama supports abortion rights. Casey endorsed Obama over Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and campaigned with Obama throughout Pennsylvania.

From Pickler's August 13 AP article:

In an effort to reach out to anti-abortion Democrats, Obama gave Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, long an opponent of abortion, a speaking role the same Tuesday night that [former Virginia Gov. Mark] Warner and Clinton were to address delegates.

Casey is the son of the late Pennsylvania Gov. Robert P. Casey, who was not given a marquee speaking spot at the 1992 convention because of his anti-abortion views. Bob Casey endorsed Obama over Clinton in his state's primary.

From the August 13 ABC News Political Radar blog post:

Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., an abortion rights opponent who endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. over Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY prior to the Pennsylvania primary, will address the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, Aug. 26.

Casey's father, the late Pennsylvania Gov. Robert Casey D-Pa., was denied a prime speaking spot at the 1992 convention because of his opposition to abortion rights.

The 1992 snub has become a symbol over the years of the Democratic Party making support for abortion rights a litmus test. In 2004, Republicans contrasted the Casey snub with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, R-Calif., and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, R-NY., two Republicans who support abortion rights, speaking to their convention.

The decision to give Sen. Casey a featured speaking spot is part of a broader effort on the part of the Democrats to broaden the party's appeal on abortion.

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