Why was HRC invited to the Al Smith Dinner?

[rafta_rafta]

The Al Smith Dinner didn't issue an invitation to Kerry in 2004 and Bill Clinton in 1996 for their support of abortion rights.

HRC has also been a staunch supporter of abortion rights throughout her career.

Have the organisers of the charity dinner abandoned this policy?

[Speed of Sound]

Odd wording after Obama was already invited.

[Kevinstat]

Yeah, perhaps they abandoned that policy so they wouldn't be not inviting the first black major party presidential nominee, and are not resurrecting it now because that policy is gone for good or that they similarly didn't want to not invite the first female major party nominee.

[Blue3]

Also, Pope Francis began denouncing priests who played politics with abortion at the beginning of his papacy.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

It was never a policy in a way that was either consistent or explicit. In the past when they haven't had one candidate they didn't have the other either. That might have been a good idea this year.

[ursulahx]

It was never a policy in a way that was either consistent or explicit. In the past when they haven't had one candidate they didn't have the other either. That might have been a good idea this year.

Agree, except in inviting Trump they (unwittingly?) handed him an even bigger shovel to keep digging his way into the earth.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

I wonder what the threshold would have been to invite a third-party candidate?

[TomC]

Don't we think inviting them got more coverage and likely more $$$?

[dspNY]

Why wouldn't she be? She knows virtually everyone in that Waldorf Astoria ballroom by name from being a NY senator

[Simfan34]

Also, Pope Francis began denouncing priests who played politics with abortion at the beginning of his papacy.

lol

[eric82oslo]

Yeah, perhaps they abandoned that policy so they wouldn't be not inviting the first black major party presidential nominee, and are not resurrecting it now because that policy is gone for good or that they similarly didn't want to not invite the first female major party nominee.

The Pope is a very strong Hillary supporter (or more correctly, the world's strongest anti-Trumper by far), so it would have been very odd indeed if only Trump had gotten the invitation. The Pope is everything that Trump is not, and the other way around. The Pope is pure goodness, while Trump is pure evil.