Rumors are swirling about John McCain's veep pick. Reports that the McCain campaign contacted state party chairmen to float the idea of a pro-choice VP (Joe Lieberman, Tom Ridge) have many pro-lifers nervous.
The blowback from pro-life pundits and leaders has been swift and exceedingly clear, however. You can see the SBA List's own statement here.
Clearly adding a pro-choice candidate to the ticket will do little to please the GOP base and pro-life voters across the country. Laura Ingraham challenged McCain when he appeared on her radio show today, and Jonathan Martin has the lowdown:
As John McCain nears a decision on who he’ll tap as his running mate,
questions about whether he’s considering a supporter of abortion rights
to be his number two are looming over his campaign.
The GOP nominee appeared this morning on conservative Laura Ingraham’s
radio talk show and was asked pointedly about the prospect of putting
the ardently pro-abortion rights Joe Lieberman on the ticket.
“How could you consider selecting someone who opposed the federal
partial birth abortion ban and was one of the eleven original
cosponsors of the radical freedom of choice act as your vice president
given your pro-life stance,” she asked without mentioning the
Democrat-turned-Independent Connecticut senator by name.
McCain declined to comment on the process, acknowledging that his
comments to the Weekly Standard’s Steve Hayes last week that former
Penn. Gov. Tom Ridge’s support for abortion rights wouldn’t necessarily
rule him out sparked a furor on the right.
“I have not made the decision and we’re in the process, and if I say
anything more than that I guarantee you there’s going to be another one
of these firestorms,” McCain said.
McCain did tell Ingraham, though, that he remained staunchly opposed to
abortion. “I think I made it very clear Saturday night that I have a
pro-life record, that I have pro-life policies and my administration
will have pro-life policies,” he noted, alluding to his appearance at
Rick Warren’s presidential forum
FYI, August 29th is the official announcement day, so we will know by the end of next week.
Steve Knight, 33, a liberal evangelical who voted for Mr. Bush twice
but is now supporting Mr. Obama, acknowledged that abortion is "really
the one issue that conservative Republicans really can emotionally get
people fired up in opposition to Obama."
Imagine that. People are emotionally invested in opposing Obama's pro-infanticide policies. You'd think it was a life or death issue or something.
Another fascinating tidbit from the article highlights the salience of the abortion issue among values voters:
Collin Hansen, an editor at large for Christianity Today magazine, said
abortion has surpassed same-sex marriage as the key issue for values
voters this year, and may be sapping Mr. Obama of support among
Christian conservatives.
"I'm picking up a lot more discussion about pro-life issues now than
there was in 2004. It's just an impression, but 2004 was the same-sex
election as far as evangelical voters go," Mr. Hansen said.
"I don't think abortion makes it in the top three in 2004, whereas
now with Obama's track record on abortion and the way that his campaign
has been highlighting abortion as a live political issue, it is moving
it up those charts."
Values Voters will play a crucial role this November, and protecting women and the unborn from the tragedy of abortion could be their greatest motivator at the polls.
There's been a lot of back and forth this past week about Barack Obama's record on the Born Alive Infant Protection Act. National Right to Life unveiled new legislative documents that show Barack Obama voted to kill the Born Alive Infant Protection Act in Illinois. This commonsense legislation would have mandated protection and care for newborn babies who survived abortions.
Most everyone already knew this, but Obama's explanation for the vote has now come under fire. He has continually parroted the line that the legislation he opposed in Illinois was "different" from the federal version of the same bill. The problem is, new legislative documents show the bill was in fact nearly identical.
The documents are pretty technical, but David Freddoso at NRO breaks it down for us.
We've talked here before about Democrats' efforts to soften their language on abortion. Apparently abortion on-demand, anytime, for any reason, funded by taxpayer dollars doesn't always win votes from the masses.
The Democrats are road-testing a reworking of the Clintonian theme:
safe, legal, and rare. The new version isn’t packaged in clever
phrasing, but it is calculated messaging nonetheless. Obama’s abortion
spin is this hoary theme: Let’s focus on abortion reduction.
Sadly,
they are trying to pour this rancid old wine into new wineskins with
the assistance of Religious Left leaders like Jim Wallis and Tony
Campolo. In response to the news released last week that the Democratic
platform had been “improved” to include language extolling the “choice”
of motherhood, Wallis cheered this “significant step forward.” Wallis argues there, and in many other outlets, that the abortion- reduction strategy is the way to find common ground. Demonstrating
a jaw-dropping moral obtuseness for a religious leader, Wallis
concludes that the new language hailing maternity in the Democratic
platform “will help make room for people, especially in the religious
community, who have strong moral convictions about abortion.
Somehow promoting motherhood in the same breath as abortion doesn't quite do it for me. And it probably won't earn the respect of savvy voters, either. But that won't stop Obama and national Democrats from trying.
Do you know the truth about Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and her record on abortion? Check out the Susan B. Anthony List's latest radio ad highlighting her votes in support of Roe v. Wade and taxpayer funded abortion as well as her vote against confirming Justice Samuel Alito. It's time for her anti-Life record to CHANGE.
The Republican National Committee has established an online community to drive discussion about the GOP Platform. They are seeking text and VIDEO entries about what should be included in the party platform.
Apparently they are short on videos in general -- so consider this a call to action. Make your own video describing why the pro-life plank is so important to the GOP platform, and post it on the site.
You can even send us the link (information@sba-list.org) -- if we like it, we'll post it on this blog!
Full Disclosure -- SuzyB is non-partisan, but if the democrats had a platform website, we'd ask you to submit your videos there, too! Protecting women and unborn babies shouldn't be a partisan issue, anyway.
This is a very powerful video featuring Jill Stanek's testimony about "live birth abortions" and newborn children being left to die. Stanek witnessed this tragedy as a nurse and her speaking out lead to the passage of the federal Born-Alive Infants Protection Act -- legislation demanding care for newborn babies who survive abortion procedures.
The bill started at the state level in Illinois, when Barack Obama was a state legislator. He opposed the commonsense measure, voting against it three times, calling it an affront to a woman's right to choose.
The same measure eventually passed unanimously at the federal level, by a vote of 98 to 0 in the U.S. Senate. Famous pro-abortion senators like Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, Barbara Boxer, and John Kerry all supported the bill. NARAL -- the nation's leading abortion rights lobby organization -- remained neutral, refusing to oppose it.
Yet Barack Obama opposed protecting these babies. His extremism outpaced even the most radical of abortion rights activists!
Do you know a politically-minded student who wants to make a real difference for Life? Someone who wants to earn practical, real world experience working at a pro-life organization? more»
Oregon is the only state in the union that has legalized physician-assisted suicide. The state-run health care system pays for all sorts of terrible things, abortion among them. In fact, according to Oregon Right to Life, 1 out of 3 abortions in Oregon are paid for by tax dollars.
Now, instead of paying for life-saving treatment, the state will gladly pay for a doctor to help you kill yourself. A recent news story told a chilling tale of patients being denied coverage for a terminal illness; instead the state sent them a letter saying they’d be more than happy to pay for physician-assisted suicide. They call it “Death with Dignity.” There is nothing dignified about injecting yourself with poison in order to hasten death. Dignity lies in upholding one’s humanity, for example through a hospice program, not murdering a human because s/he is a strain on the budget.
If this is how we treat our seniors and terminally ill citizens, it’s no wonder we kill them by the thousands each day before they are allowed to take their first breath!
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is a rising star in more ways than one. She's leading a crusade to rid her state of corruption and give Alaskans the ethical leadership they deserve. Her outstanding record as a pro-life woman leader has even lead some to promote her as a great vice presidential candidate for John McCain.
Palin embodies a message of reform, is young, energetic, and is dedicated to her wonderful family. She is also a new mother to son Trig Paxton, born earlier this year.
National Review Online editor Kathryn Lopez wrote a touching piece this week about how Sarah's loving dedication to her son Trig, who has Down Syndrome, could positively influence our nation if she were to be named as the vice presidential nominee.
After recounting messages of support sent to Governor Palin after Trig's birth, Lopez writes:
Not only are children with Down Syndrome people too, they inspire a
deep love and enthusiastic appreciation. Especially in the face of a
culture that wants to expunge them. According to a study cited in the New York Times last year, “About 90 percentof
pregnant women who are given a Down syndrome diagnosis have chosen to
have an abortion.” (Emphasis added.) Most American women are given
prenatal tests.
At 44, Governor Palin is a bit young and
relatively new to the political scene yet. These are no small
considerations when electing someone who could assume the role of
president (Democrats: Check out your nominee with that reservation . .
. ). But if the youngest life she and her husband care for can wake up
a nation that’s blind to the eugenics in its midst, a routine part of
medicine today, she and John McCain would be offering human rights and
dignity a great, honorable service. In contrast to Barack Obama, who
would let the survivors of botched abortion attempts be killed, the
Palins could serve as a great clarifier for voters this fall — and an
education.
In today’s highly charged political struggle, it takes more than just belief and passion to be effective; it requires practical skills so that you can organize and communicate your beliefs with passion.Do you want to know how to make your voice heard in the political process?Are you interested in learning the political strategies implemented by winning campaigns and successful grassroots organizations?
Susan B. Anthony List Academies are the only schools of their kind for pro-life activists.
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