Obama's Call For Unity Faces Abortion Test

CBSNews.com Reports: As He Courts Evangelicals, Some Activists Look To Label Dem Candidate "The Abortion President"

(CBS)  This story was written by CBSNews.com political reporter Brian Montopoli.

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Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney showed up at Barack Obama's Capitol Hill office building Tuesday with a sign featuring a mockup of the presumptive Democratic nominee dressed as Uncle Sam.

Under Obama's image were these words: "I WANT YOU TO PAY FOR ABORTIONS!"

The sign, which you can see here, labeled Obama "The Abortion President."

Mahoney, the Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, argues that because Obama's health care plan would include expanded access to "reproductive health services" - including abortion - the Illinois senator will effectively mandate that taxpayers, among them people of faith that are strongly against abortion, pay for the procedure.

"Senator Obama is pretty clear that he is not opposed to taxpayer funded abortions," Mahoney said in an interview Tuesday afternoon.

In response to Mahoney's charge, the Obama campaign released a statement saying the candidate "understands that the best way to reduce the need for abortions is to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies."

Added spokesman Nick Shapiro, echoing an earlier statement from the campaign: "He is committed to commonsense solutions to achieve that objective and to changing the tone of the discourse which for too long has devolved into false and negative attacks such as this that do nothing to accomplish that goal."

Under the present version of the Hyde amendment, which was introduced in 1976 to limit federal funding of abortion, Medicaid now covers abortions only in cases of rape, incest, and life endangerment, according to the National Abortion Federation. As a state senator in Illinois, Obama voted against a bill similar to the Hyde amendment that prohibited the use of state funding to pay for abortions.

Obama has also said he supports the Freedom Of Choice Act, which states that "To ensure that a woman's right to choose whether to terminate a pregnancy is available to all women in the United States, Federal protection for that right is necessary."

His web site points out that Obama "has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women’s rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as President."

But questions about abortion remain a significant test for a candidate whose campaign has been built largely upon a call for post-partisan unity. Republican strategist Karl Rove articulated how he sees Obama's challenge in an address to a well-known anti-abortion group on Friday.

“This is a man who stands up and says he is going to bring Republicans and Democrats together to achieve great things for the country," Rove said. “How can you claim to do that if you are at the same time supporting the divisive practice of using taxpayer dollars to fund abortion? You can’t. You cannot square that circle.”

Obama has made a point of reaching out to evangelicals during his presidential campaign, a group that Democrats have largely ceded to Republicans in recent years. He has come out in favor of faith-based programs and stressed social justice issues that appeal to evangelicals in his speeches. There is even a radio ad running on Christian stations highlighting Obama's religious rhetoric, including statements like "I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth."

Mahoney's media offensive, which CBN's David Brody writes "represents the broader feelings with many conservative Evangelical groups," reflects an effort to counter Obama's appeals by spotlighting his stance in favor of abortion rights, which is at odds with the anti-abortion beliefs of many of the evangelicals he is now courting.

"Evangelicals, including young ones, do care about abortion, and they don't like his position on it," said Steven Waldman, Editor-in-Chief of Beliefnet, who notes that roughly 62 percent of white evangelicals are anti-abortion. "Some of them will vote for him in spite of that, because they think other issues are more important. But I don't think he's going to get a whole lot of them if he doesn't move a couple steps in their direction."

Last week, Relevant Magazine published a story in which Obama seemed to move rightward on one of the much-debated questions when it comes to abortion: The mental-health exemption, which allows doctors to legally perform later-term abortions if necessary to protect a woman's mental health.

"I have repeatedly said that I think it's entirely appropriate for states to restrict or even prohibit late-term abortions as long as there is a strict, well-defined exception for the health of the mother," Obama said. "Now, I don't think that 'mental distress' qualifies as the health of the mother. I think it has to be a serious physical issue that arises in pregnancy, where there are real, significant problems to the mother carrying that child to term. Otherwise, as long as there is such a medical exception in place, I think we can prohibit late-term abortions."

But Obama's campaign, which took heat from abortion rights activists over the comments, later backed off in a statement.

"Senator Obama believes that while 'mental distress' should not be covered by a health exception, there will be cases where carrying to term a pregnancy may seriously damage a woman's mental health and those cases should be covered," Obama spokesman Shapiro said.

Obama has come under some pressure from Sojourners founder Jim Wallis and others to consider what's known as an abortion reduction agenda. Anti-abortion voters might be more willing to look past Obama's views in favor of abortion rights, some believe, if the candidate were to embark on a serious effort to reduce the number of abortions performed in America each year.

But the Obama campaign has resisted calls to adopt an aggressive abortion reduction agenda, possibly over fears that doing so could alienate voters - among them former Hillary Clinton backers - turned off by what they perceive as anything less than a total commitment to the abortion rights position.

Obama has seemed to move towards the center on a number of highly-charged issues in recent weeks, among them gun control, the intelligence bill known as FISA, and, to some extent, his plan for withdrawing troops from Iraq. Polls suggest that despite the stark differences between dueling advocacy groups over abortion, a middle ground exists should Obama want to seek it out.

"Most Americans want abortion to be legal but restricted," said Waldman. "They don't accept the position of pro-life activists, and they don't accept that it should be legal in all circumstances. That's where the center is."

[providence20]

This true story was about a boy who was given by his neighbor a baby lamb to have as a pet. The boy would take the baby lamb where ever he would go throughout the day. The boy had a friend in which he could love and share special times as a little boy only knows. One day the little boys father came home drunk and with no regard killed the baby lamb that boy loved so much. The boy cried out my baby lamb is dead. The boy grieved and grieved. This set him apart from his father so that he ran away from home until one day he was at a soup kitchen in which U had to hear a sermon before U ate. The speaker for that day said Jesus was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth.

What this speaker said brought tears to the man eyes remembering that his baby lamb was killed when he was a small boy. Why would God allow his son Jesus to be killed he ask the speaker? The speaker replied, It was Gods justice being met at the cross for us that he sacrificed His son Jesus for your sins and mine, our debt paid in full, so that U can call on Jesus to be your sin bearer, Savior and Lord, you are then born again. The man invites Jesus, who is alive, in prayer accepting Jesus was sent by God to die for his sins; he thanks God for His plan of salvation. Then the man thinks to himself I wonder if God cried when Jesus his son died? He then remembers that when his baby lamb died he grieved and grieved.

[horrorfied3]

B.H. Obama can''t call himself a BLACK man, wikipedia has his photo under the definition of "MULATTO"...

[horrorfied3]

B.H. Obama books!!! Scary.....

[horrorfied3]

From Dreams of My Father: ''I ceased to advertise my mother''s race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites.''
From Dreams of My Father : ''I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mother''s race.''
From Dreams of My Father: ''There was something about him that made me wary, a little too sure of himself, maybe. And white.''
From Dreams of My Father: ''It remained necessary to prove which side you were on, to show your loyalty to the black masses, to strike out and name names.''
From Dreams of My Father: ''I never emulate white men and brown men whose fates didn''t speak to my own. It was into my father''s image, the black man, son of Africa , that I''d packed all the attributes I sought in myself , the attributes of Martin and Malcolm, DuBois and Mandela.''

And FINALLY the Most Damming one of ALL of them!!!

From Audacity of Hope:

''I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.''

[avigil2]

That''s a pretty stupid sign.

[obama8years]

11. Dictate to Americans that they should be ashamed for using 25% of the world''s energy while only having 3% of the population and that A/C thermostats in should be set at higher than 72 degrees.

12. Give up America''s sovereignty for the "good of the world" and to save the planet from "global warming" by supporting new treaties on international boundaries, not drilling in ANWR or offshore, but standing by while Castro plans to drill off the Florida coast.

13. Campaigning on a message of "change", because it sounds good.


The list can go on and on, as Castro and Obama share many principles for the formula for a failed state, but one in which the party of the "new poor" remains in power through the growth of government. As this party provides more and more entitlements for its citizens and big government prevails, the country becomes less and less productive. Eventually, America''s economy is no better off than Cuba''s. Therefore, Fidel, go ahead and send Obama that box of Cohibas, for he is a Marxist just like you.

[obama8years]

6 Campaign on a principle based on appealing to the lower income 50% of the US to despise the rich and convince 45% of the other half that their life is miserable so that once convinced of their doom and gloom, they will support the doomsayer and will want bigger government

7. Convince the public, that America is perceived as evil, thus, hated by the rest of the world.

8. Abandon America''s principle of helping the world rid itself of dictatorships, thus, put our weapons down, throw our arms up, and retreat in shame from Iraq.

9. Support dictatorships throughout the world and elevate them to be recognized by the US as worthy leaders that need to be heard without preconditions - legitimize them

10. Grow the support base by expanding the lowest income class in the country by increasing and broadening entitlements; however, add to that the importation of poverty into the United States by giving Amnesty to well over 20 million illegal aliens in the country. Furthermore, promote this policy in order to attract even more illegal immigration prior to the granting of the amnesty in order to achieve the highest number of "new, uneducated, government-dependent poor class", I call the "new poor".

[obama8years]

Obama is a modern-day Marxist.


Castro and Obama share many of the same values and principles for the country''s economy:

1. Redistribute the country''s wealth - Marxism 101

2. Grow the size of the government - Create new departments dedicated to supporting Item 1

3. Blame greedy American corporations for the pains of the US and the rest of the world

4 Increase taxes on those already paying the largest percentage and total amount. The top 1% already pay 39% of all taxes.

5 Nationalize healthcare

[zerato-2009]

So what is the case for McCain?

Posted by Ariel133

Mccain has boasted taht he will embarrass any congressman taht has an earmark on a bill. However when he went to do this agaisnt ted stevens bridge to nowhere, he ran like the wind when stevens took the floor. Waht great courage mccain showed against the senile stevens. What would happen if he came face to face with an enemy? Make a proaganda film

[dante805]

Lets see today is Thursday what flip flop will happen today: Obama the great liar: Everyday the list grows...Small Town Americans are %u201Cbitter%u201D and %u201Ccling%u201D to Guns or Religion. They are anti-immigrant, anti-free trade.
%u201CTypical White People%u201D quote
More Blacks are in Prison today than in college
Abortions are better than being %u201CPunished" with a baby
His flat declaration that lobbyists %u201Cwon''t work in my White House%u201D changed after it turned out his own written plan says they could, with some restrictions.
Obama exaggerated the death toll of the tornado in Greensburg, Kansas, saying 10,000 people died - he was only off by 9,988. He was trying to tie the deaths to the lack of National Guard heavy equipment because of Iraq - also incorrect.
I visited 57 states and have one left to go; Alaska and Hawaii.
"I had an uncle who was part of the first American troops to go into Auschwitz and liberate the concentration camps. The story in our family was that when he came home, he just went up into the attic and he didn''t leave the house for six months," Obama said. Auschwitz was liberated by Soviet forces as they marched across Poland in January 1945, not Americans - maybe his uncle was in the Red Army- he sure is.
Fidel Castro, who wrote in a column for Cuba%u2019s Granma newspaper that Obama is %u201Cthe most progressive candidate to the U.S. presidency.%u201D

[ariel133]

So what is the case for McCain?

No candidate for President since Wendell Wilkie in 1940 has had as little relevant experience before running for President as Barack Obama. The Illinois Senator served for 8 years, in a generally undistinguished fashion, in the Illinois legislature. He was best known for voting present more often than any other State Senator. When the Democrats took over the Legislature the last two years he served, Obama worked out a deal with the Democratic leader, Emil Jones, to get his name on some bills so he could buff up his resume before running for the open US Senate seat.

In the US Senate, Obama missed many votes in his first term even before he launched his Presidential bid, as he traveled the country speaking to Democratic Party events (and positioning himself with activists for a future Presidential run). Since the campaign began, he has missed virtually all Senate votes and failed to hold meetings of his own subcommittee. So the Obama record is very thin.

His major campaign themes have been lofty messages of change and hope and bipartisan unity. This is a smart course to take, when you have little to show for your years in public office. McCain needs to focus on Obama''''s record of scant legislative accomplishment and inexperience. What has Barack Obama done, as opposed to claiming to have done?

[zerato-2009]

The general election will prove that after we see more crazy flip flops from the only candidate who is not credible. Obama should accept that he is wrong for the USA and get off the pedastal that does not suit him.
Posted by Ariel133

The greatest flip flopper of all time goes to the republican nominee, john mccain. He has never met a position on any issue he hasn''t liked.

[ariel133]

This biased support of a person who has flip flopped and is being excused for doing so is hypocritical when spoken in terms of adjusting his frame of reference according to the times and then not accepting McCains changes as well. It is so obvious and evident the propaganda for this unqualified Democrat just because of the unpopularity of Bush and not because MCCain is actually more experianced and less embarressing as a leader of a nation. People are not that stupid that they can see through the manipulation, media. The general election will prove that after we see more crazy flip flops from the only candidate who is not credible. Obama should accept that he is wrong for the USA and get off the pedastal that does not suit him.

[joe1022joe]

The so called "legal reasoning" used by the Supreme Court in Roe v Wade to legalize abortion is not only silly it is embarrassing. They contorted the US Constitution into a pretzel. This is the poster-boy of judicial activist decisions.

[sgtrds10-4]

Now, if you read Roe vs. Wade, please point to the verbiage the court found in said Constitution that guarantees a woman the right to chose to butcher her own baby right up until the moment it falls out of the birthing canal??

Posted by JonGood65 at 01:00 AM : Jul 10, 2008

The court ruled that the 9th amendment (correctly in my opinion) covers the right to privacy, which was the basis for the ruling in Roe V Wade. This ruling had nothing to do with any form of murder.

[jongood65]

...when someone says they support the "woman''s right to choose" it doesn''t mean that they them selfs are in favor of abortion it simply means that the constitution supersedes what he or her personal values may be on the subject and it the president''s duty to uphold it to its fullest extent. it''s mealy saying it is not my choice so i have no right to tell the woman what to do even if i am personally against it.
Posted by rdp842003 at 12:44 AM : Jul 10, 2008

======================

The second Amendment minces no words in explaining how it guarantees an individuals right. The Supreme Court ruled just a couple of weeks ago this was exactly what the founders meant when they wrote the words.

Now, if you read Roe vs. Wade, please point to the verbiage the court found in said Constitution that guarantees a woman the right to chose to butcher her own baby right up until the moment it falls out of the birthing canal??

For if all the baby butchers were so confident the wording is as specific as was that in the Second Amendment, why is there so much fear of a bunch of strict constructionist judges having trouble finding such language???

[sgtrds10-4]

Posted by rdp842003 at 12:27 AM : Jul 10, 2008


Again, excellent post. Tolerance needs to be the law of all people. All Americans (and it should be all humans) have the right to believe or not to believe it whatever it is that they choose to believe in or not. That said they do not ever have the right to try to force others to accept their ideology, religious or political. If history has taught us anything it''s that forced conversions to any kind of ideology is false conversion, is meaningless and ultimately is more harmful then anything else.

[sgtrds10-4]

Ladies and gentlemen, The President of the United States of America, Barack Hussein Obama!

I love the sound of that!

[sgtrds10-4]

George W Bush ran for office on an anti-abortion platform.

Posted by johnmcsame at 12:22 AM : Jul 10, 2008

Any person, any at all, that puts the bible up as a more sacred document then the US Constitution, has no place as a public servant and certainly not as the president of the US. Yes Bush ran as a anti-abortion candidate, but that doesn''t change the truth that he''s far and away the worst president this country has ever had and certainly the most anti-American one.

[johnmcsame]

He is following American law, which as a public servant is his job to do above his religious feelings or convictions. he is following the US Constitution instead of the bible, which is what he is supposed to do. I respect that very much. I realize that the current administration has broken and ignored the law so much that many people think it''''s the right thing to do, but it''''s not and it''''s about time to put someone in the White House who realizes that his supreme obligations are to the law and the American people.

Posted by SgtRDS10-4 at 12:14 AM : Jul 10, 2008

Let me make it clear to you. If Hussein is a Christian, he should run on an anti-abortion platform. He should be a republican. Don''t jump the gun. Hussein is not President yet. He is still running for the Oval Office.

Hussein is a pseudo-Christian. He is a fake. That is why he is able to so easily discard his Christian values to try and win more votes. Hussein should not be running on a pro-choice platform.

George W Bush ran for office on an anti-abortion platform.