After Mitt Romney announced Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate, MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell explained on Saturday that Ryan was a pick for the conservative base, not for women.

“I think that you’re going to see that they’ve decided that this is a base election,” Mitchell said, as the music and noise from the crowd threatened to drown her out.

“This is not a pick for suburban moms. This is not a pick for women,” she added. “This is a pick for the base.”

Host Chris Hayes agreed, adding that he was getting emails from progressive womens groups, who noted that Ryan was unacceptable because he was “ardently pro-life.”

Marjorie Dannenfelser of the Susan B. Anthony List made the following statement in response to Mitchell's comments:

"Paul Ryan's policies and positions are pro-life and pro-woman.  He respects women so much, he even thinks unborn women should be protected and given the opportunity to live.  For any media personality to suggest otherwise is absurd."

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