Sometimes political pretense is so ridiculous, pandering so blatant, it defies words – but I’ll try. On May 6, 2010, Nancy Pelosi spoke at a Catholic Community Conference on Capitol Hill. In her fluttery, flouncy way, she claimed that she is obligated to support public policies “in keeping with the values” of Jesus Christ. Pelosi said her favorite word is -- THE WORD -- Jesus’ word.
Pelosi: “They ask me all the time, what is your favorite this? What is your favorite that? What is your favorite that?’ And one time, ‘What is your favorite word?’ And I said, ‘My favorite word? That is really easy. My favorite word is the Word, is the Word. And that is everything. It says it all for us. And you know the biblical reference, you know the Gospel reference of the Word.”
“And, uh, that… Word,” Pelosi said, “is, uh, we have to give voice to what that means in terms of public policy that would be in keeping with the values of the Word. The Word. Isn’t it a beautiful word when you think of it? It just covers everything. The Word. (laughter)
“Fill, ya know, fill it in with anything you want. [...]
“…I don’t think anybody can tell you when life begins, human life begins.”
“I will lead the most honest, the most open and the most ethical Congress in history.”
On September 24, 2009 Speaker Nancy Pelosi told THE WEEKLY STANDARD that she was “absolutely” committed to putting the text of the final House bill [health care] online for 72 hours before the House votes:
TWS: Madam Speaker, do you support the measure to put the final House bill online for 72 hours before it’s voted on at the very end?
PELOSI: Absolutely. Without question.
“We have to pass the bill to know what’s in it.”
“There has never been a more open process for any legislation.”
“I knew nothing about the CIA and water boarding.”
“The CIA is misleading the United States. They mislead us all the time.”
“Every month that we do not have a recovery package 500 million Americans lose their jobs.”
“There will be no earmarks in the economic recovery package that passes the house.”
Wolf Blitzer (CNN) interviews Pelosi (posted on YouTube March 10, 2010):
(Editorial Insert: The debate is live, watch it now on C-Span now and chat with us here.)
Nancy Pelosi says we are on the verge of making history for the American people. Obama says he’s not transforming one-sixth of the economy all in one fell swoop. John Boehner says Obama’s health care bill will ruin our country.
Tomorrow, all of America will be watching as the largest change in U.S. social policy since the Great Depression comes to a head.
The year-long battle of President Obama to confiscate the American health care industry comes down to 216 votes on Capitol Hill tomorrow. Three big Obamacare votes are possible:
1. The first vote brings the “fix-it” bill to the floor of the House.
2. The second vote is on the bill.
3. The final vote would then be on the Senate bill itself.
If the final bill passes, the Senate will take it up next week.
The latest news on possible health-care-corruption votes are 217 leaning FOR and 214 leaning AGAINST.
The Rules Committee ruled this morning that the Slaughter strategy of ‘deem and pass’ will not be used. Republicans have called for an actual roll call vote of ‘ayes and nays’ which most likely won’t happen.
It was a bold response to skyrocketing health insurance premiums. President Barack Obama would give federal authorities the power to block unreasonable rate hikes.
Yet when Democrats unveiled the final, incarnation of their health care bill this week, the proposal was nowhere to be found.
Ditto with several Republican ideas that Obama had said he wanted to include after a televised bipartisan summit last month, including a plan by Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma to send investigators disguised as patients to hospitals in search of waste, fraud and abuse.
And those “special deals” that Obama railed against and said he wanted to eliminate? With the exception of two of the most notorious — extra Medicaid money for Nebraska and a carve-out for Florida seniors faced with losing certain extra Medicare benefits — they are all still there.
For the White House, these were the latest unfulfilled commitments related to Obama’s health care proposal, starting with his campaign promise to let C-SPAN cameras film negotiations over the bill. Obama also backed down with little apparent regret on his support for a new government-run insurance plan as part of the legislation, a liberal priority.
Washington D.C. swarmed today with thousands of Tea Protestor groups and affiliates critical of the health care overhaul. Among the speakers was Dr. Milton R. Wolf – Barack Obama’s second cousin:
“Do not tear down the greatest health care delivery system in the world just to re-build it as a subsidiary of the Internal Revenue Service.” ~ Dr. Wolf
The 20 House Democrats who will decide the fate of the healthcare reform bill:
Over the last couple of days, Pelosi has leaned on many skeptical Democrats to vote with her. There are many publicly undecided Democrats, but the Democrats below are the legislators who are key to the success, or failure, of the measure heading to the floor on Sunday.
* Marion Berry (Ark.) Berry is retiring, but he has been critical of the president since announcing his that he would not be seeking reelection. In recent days, Berry has appeared more on the fence than leaning no. Berry is a backer of Stupak’s language. He voted yes on the House health bill last year.
* Rick Boucher (Va.) Boucher is in a tough reelection and his vote is anyone’s guess at this point. Boucher was a no last fall.
* Chris Carney (Pa.) Carney voted for the Stupak language and seemed like a certain no earlier this month. But now he sounds like he will vote yes. On March 19, Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) talked at length with Carney on the House floor. Carney, who is a GOP target this November, voted yes last year.
* Mike McMahon (N.Y.) Many of McMahon’s on-the-fence colleagues in the Empire State have announced their support over the last week. McMahon told The Hill last week he was leaning no. He rejected bill last year.
* Nick Rahall (W. Va.) He is a committee chairman so there is more pressure on him to vote yes. Rahall is pushing hard for Stupak language but won’t get it. He faces a difficult decision. He voted yes in 2009.
* Brian Baird (Wash.) Baird is undecided but because he is retiring, many believe he will vote yes. However, Baird bucked his party by saying the surge in the Iraq war worked. Baird voted no last year and Clyburn is leaning on him to change his vote this time.
* Peter DeFazio (Ore.) DeFazio’s threats to vote no because of Medicare reimbursement issues have to be taken seriously. DeFazio voted for the health bill last year, but he rejected the stimulus and the climate change bill in 2009.
* Marcy Kaptur (Ohio) Kaptur is torn. She wants the Stupak language, but still may vote yes. Others in Ohio delegation have gone yes in recent days, but Kaptur has shown in the past she is not reluctant to go against the grain. One of the few on this list who will sail to reelection, making her vote that much more important. Kaptur voted yes in 2009.
* Henry Cuellar (Texas) Cuellar is undecided. He voted for health bill last year under pressure from the Speaker and the president. Cuellar also voted for climate change but he is a conservative Democrat who has bucked his party in the past. Cuellar said on Fox News that he has not returned calls from the White House, saying he will vote what is best for his district.
* Kathy Dahlkemper (Pa.) GOP target who is thought to be in Stupak’s group. She is being leaned on heavily by the Speaker to vote yes. Dahlkemper backed the health measure last year.
* Lincoln Davis (Tenn.) Davis has been very silent, triggering speculation that his expected no vote will go in the yes column. He voted no in 2009.
* Bill Foster (Ill.) Another undecided lawmaker from Illinois. Leadership needed his vote on a controversial ethics package soon after he was sworn into office. A probable yes vote. Foster voted yes on the House measure in 2009.
* John Tanner (Tenn.) Tanner is retiring and has strongly disputed rumors he will be offered a job in the Obama administration if he votes yes. Tanner, a well-respected member of the House, is still publicly undecided. He voted no in 2009.
* Jim Matheson (Utah) Matheson voted no in 2009 and, complicating matters, the White House appointed his brother to a post in the administration. He voted no in committee as well last year. Matheson is expected to win reelection.
* Earl Pomeroy (N.D.) He supported package last year but he wasn’t an easy yes vote. The Ways and Means Committee member, hailing from a red state, is undecided.
* Alan Mollohan (W.Va.) Voted yes in November but now in a much tighter reelection race. Mollohan has been mum on his vote. A complete wild card.
* Glenn Nye (Va.) Nye is in a toss-up race. He voted no last time and his vote will go a long way in determining whether Democratic leaders get the votes.
* Zack Space (Ohio) Space is undecided. Other Ohio Democrats, such as Reps. Betty Sutton and Mary Jo Kilroy, have gone from undecided to yes. He supported the House bill in 2009.
* Ciro Rodriguez (Texas) Rodriguez is considered more likely than not to vote yes but he did vote for the Stupak language. Rodriguez voted yes last year.
* Paul Kanjorski (Pa.) Kanjorski, a GOP target this cycle, was one of four House Democrats to reject education bill that will move with healthcare reform as part of reconciliation. Kanjorski voted yes last year after voting for Stupak language.
Among the speakers protesting Obamacare in D.C. today, actor/patriot Jon Voight predicted that Obama will be a one-term president:
“I can only pray to God that each and every one of you -- and I’m talking to all the people inside now (motioning to the Capitol building) that each and every one of you finds the will, the strength, the courage to turn your back on this destruction of America.” ~ Jon Voight
(emphasis mine)
Tea Party protestors will hold a candlight vigil in D.C. later this evening.
If Obamacare passes, 150 bureaucracies and agencies will be overseeing YOUR health care.
Let’s give it one last effort! Click here to ‘Say No To Obamacare’ by clicking on the big, blue button in the top right hand corner of this site. A quick form will come up. You fill it out and it e-mails your Member of Congress and automatically is sent on to 58 Blue Dog Democrats as well. Phone numbers to call are also listed.
WASHINGTON, DC – The Obama administration’s chief actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) notified Republican leaders Saturday that the “very tight time frame” and “complexity” of the Democrats’ health spending bill would prevent them from fully analyzing the costs and efficacy of the bill before the House voted on the legislation. The letter was in response to a request from House and Senate Republicans.
The Chief Actuary, Richard S. Foster, wrote: “In your letter, you requested that we provide the updated actuarial estimates in time for your review prior to the expected House debate and vote on this legislation on March 21,2010. I regret that my staff and I will not be able to prepare our analysis within this very tight time frame, due to the complexity of the legislation.”
Foster and his staff analyzed the Senate-passed bill and determined that it bent the cost curve up, estimating in a January 8 report that national health expenditures would increase by an estimated total of $222 billion, and that the additional demand for health services “could be difficult to meet” and “could lead to price increases, cost-shifting, and/or changes in providers’ willingness to treat patients with low-reimbursement health coverage.” Foster, in his letter today, expects the new health spending bill to be “generally similar.”
House Republican Leader John Boehner said: “The House of Representatives should not vote blindly on an issue that is so important to every American. We deserve to have all the facts about how much this bill raise health care costs before we vote. The decision to press ahead and jam this bill down the throats of the American people is just one more example of arrogance and irresponsibility from Washington Democrats.”
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said: “Americans deserve to have a full analysis of this bill, but won’t because of the mad dash forced by the Democrat leaders in the House. We now know that even the Obama administration’s chief actuary predicts more government spending, more price increases for consumers and less care for low-income patients. This debate was supposed about lowering costs for Americans not making things worse.”
What is it with Obama and campaign promises? Is he senile? Blackberry broken? Or, a Pinocchio-in-Chief?
While seeking votes and charming the masses, Obama declared over and over that should he be elected, his administration would be TRANSPARENT. He also made a specific, pointed pledge to the American people (eight times to be exact) that he would BROADCAST the crafting of health care legislation on C-Span.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs was asked on Tuesday, Jan 5th about Obama’s standard for transparency and refusal to employ C-Span’s services on health care. Hear Gibbs’ non-answer at 31:12 – 33:00. Gibbs was also asked about the Nebraska Clause in the final H.C. bill at 45:33 – 46:16.
Legislation that will fundamentally change one-fifth of the American economy and the way you and I receive health care is going to be done informally (behind-closed-doors-no-Republicans-allowed). Much has been said the last couple of days on Obama’s tactics, but Obama-cheerleader Jack Cafferty’s denunciation of the President on CNN is of particular note:
President Obama promised to make the Health care debate open and transparent. Stop your secret health care shenanigans and let C-SPAN cover the meetings. No more secret sessions. No more sweetheart deals. The American people have a right to know. If you don’t have anything to hide, you would welcome the light. Let the cameras in.
Let the C-Span cameras in! Take action. Sign the petitionhere.
Seems like the perfect time to pull out the lock box and stow away the cares of the world.
Christmas Time
Put your problems on probation
Run your troubles off the track,
Throw your worries out the window
Get the monkeys off your back.
Silence all your inner critics
With your conscience make amends,
And allow yourself some happiness
It’s Christmas time again!
Call a truce with those who bother you
Let all the fighting cease,
Give your differences a breather
And declare a time of peace,
Don’t let angry feelings taint
The precious time you have to spend,
And allow yourself some happiness
It’s Christmas time again!
Like some cool refreshing water
Or a gentle summer breeze,
Like a fresh bouquet of flowers
Or the smell of autumn leaves,
It’s a banquet for the spirit
Filled with family, food and friends,
So allow yourself some happiness
It’s Christmas time again!
~ Bob Lazzar-Atwood.
Day 11 of Twelve Days of Christmas offers three Christmas Eve videos. The first reminds us of a ‘little old elf- so lively and quick’ by the Swingle Singers.
Here is the classic ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas:
The charm of the childhood Nativity Play is recalled as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra presents One December Bright and Clear.
Sarah McLachlan sings and strums a simple, sweet version of Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem.
Christmas Eve was a night of song that wrapped itself about you like a shawl. But it warmed more than your body. It warmed your heart… filled it, too, with a melody that would last forever. ~ Bess Streeter Aldrich
For centuries men have kept an appointment with Christmas. Christmas means fellowship, feasting, giving and receiving, a time of good cheer, home. ~ W. J. Tucker
The stench from Health Care bribes and favors offered to move Obamacare nearer to becoming the law of our land is wafting across America. Three particularly putrid elements involve Senator Chris Dodd, Senator Roland Burris, and Senator Harry Reid. Hold your noses – these stink!
A $100 million item for construction of a university hospital was inserted in the Senate health care bill at the request of Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., who faces a difficult re-election campaign, his office said Sunday night.
The provision is included in a 383-page series of changes to the health care bill that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., outlined Saturday. Scattered throughout are numerous items sought by individual lawmakers, many of them directing money explicitly to programs or projects in their home states.
The one sought by Dodd provides $100 million for “a health care facility that provides research, inpatient tertiary care, or outpatient clinical services.” It must be affiliated with an academic health center at a public research university in the United States “that contains a State’s sole public academic medical and dental school.”
ACORN Qualifies for Funding in Senate Health Care Bill
TheWeeklyStandard.com
By John McCormack
Monday, December 21, 2009
Senator Roland Burris is claiming credit for a provision in Harry Reid’s “manager’s amendment,” unveiled Saturday morning, that could funnel money to ACORN through the health care bill.
The provision he cites, found on pages 240 through 248 of the manager’s amendment, requires that six different agencies each establish an “Office of Minority Health.” The agencies are the “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.”
According to a Senate legislative aide, the scandal-plagued Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now could qualify for grants under this provision. ACORN would also qualify for funding on page 150 of the underlying Reid bill, which says that “community and consumer-focused nonprofit groups” may receive grants to “conduct public education activities to raise awareness of the availability of qualified health plans.”
Earlier this year, Congress passed and the president signed into law a ban on federal funding for ACORN, but a judge ruled that that law was unconstitutional. If a higher court reverses that ruling, ACORN may be prohibited from receiving funds through the Office of Minority Health earmark. But according to the Senate legislative aide, ACORN would still “absolutely” qualify for federal funding through the provision in the underlying Reid bill because the anti-ACORN appropriations amendment would not apply to funds provided through the health care exchanges.
Reid Bill Says Future Congresses Cannot Repeal Parts of Reid Bill
TheWeeklyStandard.com weblog
By John McCormack
Monday, December 21, 2009
Senator Jim DeMint pointed out some rather astounding language in the Senate health care bill during floor remarks tonight. First, he noted that there are a number of changes to Senate rules in the bill–and it’s supposed to take a 2/3 vote to change the rules. And then he pointed out that the Reid bill declares on page 1020 that the Independent Medicare Advisory Board cannot be repealed by future Congresses:
“There’s one provision that I found particularly troubling and it’s under Section C, titled ‘Limitations on Changes to this Subsection.’
And I quote — “It shall not be in order in the Senate or the House of Representatives to consider any bill, resolution, amendment, or conference report that would repeal or otherwise change this subsection.” This is not legislation. It’s not law. This is a rule change. It’s a pretty big deal. We will be passing a new law and at the same time creating a senate rule that makes it out of order to amend or even repeal the law.
I’m not even sure that it’s constitutional, but if it is, it most certainly is a senate rule. I don’t see why the majority party wouldn’t put this in every bill. If you like your law, you most certainly would want it to have force for future senates.
I mean, we want to bind future congresses. This goes to the fundamental purpose of senate rules – to prevent a tyrannical majority from trampling the rights of the minority or of future congresses.
The confiscation of taxpayer money to revarnish tainted politicians, the obfuscation to guarantee ACORN not only survives – but thrives, and the utter gall to sneak laws into legislation that intend to make those very laws irreversible is evidence of how deep the decay in our democracy is. Who knows what else will seep out this malodorous bill?
Capitol Hill has become a dung heap of corruption. All the air freshener in the world can’t clear the air in Washington. It’s time to disinfect.
Kill the bill! Go here to sign the petition TODAY.
Barack Obama? Beaming. Harry Reid? Rejoicing. Nancy Pelosi? Pleased-as-punch.
After working overtime in D.C. (trophies expected) Friday and Saturday (Dec 18th and 19th), Democrats have enough backing to set in motion procedural votes necessary to pass Obama’s health care bill.
After all the brawling and bawling, who was holding up the health care take-over party? Senator Ben Nelson (D- Nebraska), an opponent of taxpayer funded abortion, was the wet blanket playing hard-to-get with fellow Democrats and withholding THE magical 60th vote. It was no surprise that at the end of the day, after bribes and benefits (picked from our pockets) were laid at Nelson’s baulking feet, a call for “hankies on the house” arose as Nelson caved, tears were shed, and all were gathered in the Obama/Reid/Pelosi group hug.
Assured that federal monies will not be used to pay for abortions, Nelson’s goodie bag for Nebraska also includes extra Medicaid funds for his home state. Here’s how Senator Nelson justifies his about-face:
Nelson said the agreement would allow states to prohibit abortion coverage in the new insurance exchanges created under the bill and mandate that every state exchange include an insurance plan that does not cover abortion. It would require payments for abortion coverage be made separately with private funds.
“The plan that we’ve put together here, that we have agreement on, in fact walls off that money in an effective manner,” Nelson told reporters. “I would not have voted for this bill without these provisions.”
Really? House Republican Leader John Boehner posted this on his GOP blog yesterday:
Fixed it is not. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) latest health care “manager’s amendment” would STILL levy a new “abortion premium” fee on Americans under the Democrats’ health care plan. Just like the original 2,032-page, government-run health care plan from Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) and the last version of Senator Reid’s 2,074-page bill, this latest 383-page amendment levies an abortion premium and does not fix the problem of government funds being used to subsidize elective abortions.
Under Reid’s “manager’s amendment,” there is no prohibition on abortion coverage in federally subsidized plans participating in the Exchange. Instead the amendment includes layers of accounting gimmicks that demand that plans participating in the Exchange or the new government-run plan that will be managed by the Office of Personnel Management must establish “allocation accounts” when elective abortion is a covered benefit (p. 41). Everyone enrolled in these plans must pay a monthly abortion premium (p. 41, lines 5-8), and these funds will be used to pay for the elective abortion services. The Reid amendment directs insurance companies to assess the cost of elective abortion coverage (p. 43), and charge a minimum of $1 per enrollee per month (p. 43, lines 20-22).
“The new abortion language solves none of the fundamental abortion-related problems with the Senate bill, and it actually creates some new abortion-related problems.”
1.2 million babies are aborted in America every year. Middle of the night moves, arm-twisting and bribery, 2500 pages of legal-speak, and hush-rush tactics hiding abortion funding to pass a health care bill most Americans don’t want is an affront to democracy and decency. Another insult, the push by Democrats to vote for this bill during the week that Christians prepare to celebrate the miracle of a wondrous birth, is deplorable.
There is still time to let your senators and representatives know how you feel. Take a moment from your Christmas preparations to contact your elected officials here.
Our seventh installment of Twelve Days of Christmas was created as a result of a young missionary working in the 1970’s in a Serbian children’s hospital during that country’s civil war. Loving and serving the injured children, the young man left for a day to seek medical supplies for the severely under-supplied hospital. Upon his return, he found the hospital completely gone. It had been bombed. All the children he loved, including doctors and nurses, were killed. In his grief, he composed the lyrics and melody to this song as tribute to their memory. At this special time of year, may we remember suffering children everywhere and do all we can to protect those who are waiting to be born. That missionary’s name is Kurt Bestor. Here he is, with friends, singing The Prayer of the Children:
“Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most.” ~ Ruth Carter Stapleton
Republican National Committee Health Plans Cover Elective Abortion
This is not a Friday the 13th hoax. This is a real scare. It is also embarrassing and wrong: (from Politico)
The Republican National Committee will no longer offer employees an insurance plan that covers abortion after POLITICO reported Thursday that the anti-abortion RNC’s policy has covered the procedure since 1991.
…
According to several Cigna employees, the insurer offers its customers the opportunity to opt out of abortion coverage – and the RNC did not choose to opt out.
Michael Steele states “Money from our loyal donors should not be used for this purpose,” and that he would act immediately to bring the policy to an end. Um, yeah, you had better.
Marco Rubio for Senate Gets a Couple Big Boosts
The lowly conservative Marco Rubio is running against the Goliath Charlie Crist in Florida for U.S. Senate. Crist has name recognition galore, but is quite lacking in conservative credentials. Two recent events will give Rubio a HUGE boost in the race: The Club for Growth endorsed Rubio, and Rubio was just confirmed as a keynote speaker for CPAC 2010 in February. Good luck young Rubio. We shall watch your career with great interest.
Palin’s Book Launches on Tuesday
In case you’ve been on another planet the last few months here’s a reminder that Palin’s new bookGoing Rogue is on sale this Tuesday. Among the hoopla leading up to launch date, Palin will be on Oprah on Monday. Apparently her new book talks about “substantial tension” between her and McCain’s advisors, but not a single mention of Levi Johnston. Thank goodness.
Best for Last: Romney attends small PAC fundraiser in Boca Raton
A handful of people got together for an Italian dinner prepared by local businessman Mark Guzzetta. Check out the pictures here. Here is one of Romney taste-driving the sauce:
Former Governor Mitt Romney today released the following statement:
“Today in Washington, many thousands of American women and men have proudly gathered on the National Mall for the March for Life. In a city of many competing political interests, these marchers have come to speak for only one cause: the goodness of every life, and the rights of the unborn.
Thirty-six years ago, those rights were denied by our highest court, in a decision that also denied the rights of all Americans to resolve the abortion issue through democratic debate and legislation. To their great credit, the organizers of the March for Life never let this anniversary pass without speaking to the conscience of America , and calling our nation to uphold its highest ideals in the protection of human life.
America owes these marchers a debt of gratitude for their perseverance in a noble cause. I am honored to count myself as their friend and ally. And because of their dedication and their goodness of heart, I am certain that one day this cause will prevail. “
On the abortion question, Fred Thompson has so far managed to gain the trust of pro-lifers without actually saying anything about either principle or policy—what specifically he believes, or what kind of laws or rules he might support or oppose…Today’s NY Times story makes it pretty clear the facts are true—which should make us worry about the Thompson team’s (though, to be sure, never the Senator’s himself) original adamant denial. It also probably means Thompson’s “my client, not me” line won’t be enough. This was lobbying work, not legal work, which means those 22 conversations with the group involved advice about how to fight the Bush (41) administration’s rule.
Given the withering scrutiny Romney has endured for his flip-flopping, you’d think the Thompson camp would be extra careful on these things. Even successful campaigns have a few mishaps. But this will (and should) raise questions as to whether Thompson is ready for prime time.
The story itself is rather innocuous; that his first instinct was to lie about it, though, says something about the man’s character. My guess is that this won’t seriously damage his candidacy. After all, most people think “lying politician” is redundant. Still, to the extent that Thompson’s appeal is that he’s not a professional politician, this hurts.
I want to start off by saying that I am generally satisfied with the Republican candidates for president. They are people with whom I find a lot of common ground and would vote for long before any of the Democratic contenders.
Still, there are issues that trouble me about each candidate. I’ve talked before about some of my qualms about McCain, most recently in discussing McCain-Feingold. Today, there is one question that still plagues me about Rudy Giuliani: How?
Giuliani’s position on abortion has been well documented and I have explained the fallacy of his constitutional reasoning for supporting taxpayer funding of abortions. More recently Giuliani has argued that he will increase adoptions and decrease abortions. It is one of his now famous “twelve commitments”. Giuliani has repeated the statistics from his tenure as mayor evidencing that phenomenon in New York.
Which brings me back to my question: How? What is it that will accomplish these two goals? What policies resulted in the success in New York? Or was it purely coincidence that took place during Giuliani’s How will that work on the national stage? I assume that Giuliani will explain as he gets through fleshing out his twelve commitments, but count me skeptical right now.
Mostly I find myself skeptical because the two issues do not necessarily correlate. Increasing adoptions does not necessarily decrease abortions. Conversely decreasing abortions does not necessarily translate into more adoptions. Thus, trying to merge the two issues confuses the listener.
Which brings me to a reason why I support Mitt. We have seen Mitt defend life. He understands the role that a strong executive can play in reducing abortions. It’s not just through strict constructionist judges. It’s not just through personal opposition. It is through the full exercise of executive powers. Right now Mitt understands and advocates that. Rudy does not.
MittRomneyCentral.com is a pure grassroots website. It is not paid for, endorsed by, or affiliated in any way with Governor Mitt Romney or the Free and Strong America PAC.
MittRomneyCentral.com is a pure grassroots website. It is not paid for, endorsed by, or affiliated in any way with Governor Mitt Romney or the Free and Strong America PAC.
Nancy Pelosi says we are on the verge of making history for the American people. Obama says he’s not transforming one-sixth of the economy all in one fell swoop. John Boehner says Obama’s health care bill will ruin our country.
Senator Roland Burris is claiming credit for a provision in Harry Reid’s “manager’s amendment,” unveiled Saturday morning, that could funnel money to ACORN through the health care bill.
Barack Obama? Beaming. Harry Reid? Rejoicing. Nancy Pelosi? Pleased-as-punch.
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