McCain Alarms Base With Abortion Comment

Politico: Conservatives Warn Against Picking Running Mate Who Supports Abortion Rights

(The Politico)  This story was written by Jonathan Martin.

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Top social conservative leaders in key battleground states are urging John McCain not to pick a running mate who supports abortion rights, warning of dire consequences from a Republican base already unenthused about their nominee.

McCain’s comments Wednesday to the Weekly Standard’s Stephen Hayes that former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge’s pro-abortion rights views wouldn’t necessarily rule him out quickly found their way into the in-boxes of Christian conservatives. For those who have been anxiously awaiting McCain’s pick as a signal of his ideological intentions, there was deep concern that their worst fears about the Arizona senator may be realized.

“It absolutely floored me,” said Phil Burress, head of the Ohio-based Citizens for Community Values. “It would doom him in Ohio.”

Burress emailed about a dozen “pro-family leaders” he knows outside Ohio and forwarded it to three McCain aides tasked with Christian conservative outreach.

“That choice will end his bid for the presidency and spell defeat for other Republican candidates,” Burress wrote in the message.

He and other Ohio conservatives met privately with McCain in June, and while the nominee didn’t promise them an anti-abortion rights running mate, his staff said they could “almost guarantee” that would be the case, Burress recalled.

Now, Burress said, “he’s not even sure [Christian conservatives] would vote for him let alone work for him if he picked a pro-abortion running mate.”

James Muffett, head of Michigan’s Citizens for Traditional Values, met with McCain along with a handful of other Michigan-based social conservatives Wednesday night.

“A good portion of us were urging him to pick a pro-life running mate,” Muffett said, noting that they were doing so before even getting wind of the Standard story. “That choice would go a long way to solidify his credentials.”

Muffett said McCain didn’t offer any promises on the issue, but rather reiterated his anti-abortion record and assured them that he was aware of how critical the base was to the electoral success of Republican presidents dating back to Ronald Reagan.

To select a running mate who supports abortion rights would be “wrong-headed, short-sighted, fracture the Republican Party and not allow us to capitalize on the Democratic Party’s fracture right now,” Muffett argued.

“If he does that, it makes our job 100 times harder. It would dampen enthusiasm at a time when evangelicals are looking for ways to gin up enthusiasm.”

McCain, Muffett said, got that message in their meeting.

“Some people in the movement say it would be the kiss of death. He heard that in the room last night.”

With polls showing McCain and Obama still neck-and-neck in many competitive states, conservatives argue that their candidate must turn out Christian conservatives in large numbers to win.

In Iowa, for example, many in the GOP say Bush won in 2004 after losing there in 2000 because he bolstered turnout among the religious right in the conservative western part of the state and in exurban areas.

“Bush only won by 10,000 votes,” recalled Steve Scheffler, president of the Iowa Christian Alliance and a Republican committeeman from the state. “You’re going to have to have a huge turnout of that base again for McCain to win.”

And, Scheffler noted, it’s not just a matter of ensuring that social conservatives vote - picking a supporter of abortion rights could erode McCain’s volunteer base.

“Ninety percent of the workforce for Bush in ’04 came out of that constituency,” he said, alluding to the Christian right. “Picking a Ridge or a [Joseph] Lieberman would not be helpful at all.”

Rep. Peter Hoekstra, who represents a conservative, heavily Dutchdistrict in western Michigan where Republicans traditionally pile up huge margins, said a pro-abortion rights running mate “would be problematic.”

“That’s not where they’d want him going,” Hoekstra said of the party base.

McCain’s campaign sought to tamp down the uproar, suggesting the candidate had merely been overly expansive about a sensitive topic and hadn’t intended to float a trial balloon.

“The point that McCain was making is that people can differ on one issue and still be a vital member of our party,” said an aide. “The fact that Governor Ridge is not perfectly in line with the party platform does not make him any less of a Republican.”

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In the interview, McCain said “the pro-life position is one of the important aspects or fundamentals of the Republican Party.”

“And I also feel that - and I'm not trying to equivocate here - that Americans want us to work together. You know, Tom Ridge is one of the great leaders and he happens to be pro-choice. And I don't think that that would necessarily rule Tom Ridge out [for vice-president].”

He added: “I think it's a fundamental tenet of our party to be pro-life, but that does not mean we exclude people from our party that are pro-choice. We just have a - albeit strong - but just it's a disagreement. And I think Ridge is a great example of that.”

The GOP base aside, some observers believe that picking an outside-the-box running mate such as Lieberman could help McCain with the broad middle of the country who are fed up with the political status quo and enable him to pick off even more Clinton backers.

“This move to a pro-choice running mate such as Lieberman could help reshape his message to appeal to swing voters,” said Doug Schoen, a Democratic pollster who worked for New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg when he was a Republican and has written a book about moving away from the two-party system. “The right-wing is not going anywhere and choice is a key issue for over-40 women who voted for Hillary in the primaries.”

But to some in the GOP who supported other candidates in the primary and are having trouble mustering much enthusiasm for McCain, the mere mention of a pro-choice running mate is disheartening.

“A lot of the troops here are on the fence or disappointed,” said Elizabeth Sipfle, a Michigan Republican and former leader of Mike Huckabee’s grassroots “Huck’s Army” organization who contacted Politico to register her concern. “Let’s not get our blood boiling.”

“Be smart,” she urged McCain. “There’s a big group here that’s already feeling marginalized.”

[actornaught]

...Obama supports live birth abortions ...
Posted by nanging3 at 02:15 AM : Aug 18, 2008

And YOU are a liar.

Get off of your programming and research this, you''ll see that the bill in question was an unnecessary prohibition, since murder was already illegal.

[homespunlady]

Oh well. Doctor and Congressman Ron Paul is having an EXCELLENT RALLY the first 2 days of the Republican Convention and just a few blocks away if all the BLOCKHEAD one issue people NOW losing their homes to foreclosure and their SAVINGS to NEOCON money-changers.

The gullible emotion before thought bunch FORGET how sound byte emotional trigger manipulation got them there and just keep voting how they''re manipulated- even IF it''s AGAINST the BEST interest of our nation.

READ FOLKS and THINK FOR ONCE rather than fall for the SAME old song and dance.
EVERY self proclaimed "fiscal conservative" (Republican) President since Reagan has left this nation FURTHER IN DEBT
IRONICALLY, the "tax and spender" (Clinton)has been the ONLY one to leave this nation BETTER off financially, with a budget surplus, welfare to workfare, relative peace and international respect.

NOW what is it THREE WARS AT THE SAME TIME, more than a TRILLION dollar BUDGET DEFICIT, FORECLOSURES while the ELITE get MULTI-MILLION payoffs for DESTROYING our children''s futures?

DON''T fall for the HYPE. The voters have ALREADY BEEN FOOLED TWICE. What is the SHAME for being fooled a THIRD TIME?

[nanging3]

The military is all volunteers, the infants didn''t volunteer for anything !
Obama supports live birth abortions !!
What a creep and a killer !

[nanging3]

Obama doesn''t understand white America and having sat in a Marxist Black Theology church for 20 years, he doesn''t understand or have a clue what Christianity is..

[nanging3]

and Obama himself%u2026 before TUCC%u2026.

Malcolm X%u2019s autobiography seemed to offer something different,%u201D Obama wrote.
%u201CHis repeated acts of self-creation spoke to me; the blunt poetry of his
words,
his unadorned insistence on respect, promised a new and uncompromising order,
martial in its discipline, forged through sheer force of will.%u201D

While working as a community organizer for a group of churches in Chicago,
Obama
was repeatedly asked to join Christian congregations, but begged off.

McCain Won Hands Down !!

[nanging3]

Obama just doesn%u2019t get it%u2026 He needs to explain theses beliefs and stop insulting
Christians by claiming to be one..This is not Christianity !!

The Obamas have practiced Black
Theology from the writing of Marxist, James H. Cone%u2026 for 20 years !!!

this is what his church taught his daughters on Sundays%u2026

%u201CBlack theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the
goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people,
then he is a murderer and we had better kill him. The task of black theology is
to kill gods who do not belong to the black community. Black theology will
accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white
enemy. What we need is the divine love as expressed in black power which is the
power of black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at
their disposal. Unless God is participating in his holy activity, we must reject
his love.%u201D

[antoniof123]

Posted by luvusa at 09:43 AM : Aug 17, 2008

I agree with your statement while most Americans don''t like aboration we also know that we can not and do not want to go back. McSame knows that if he tries to overturn roe vs. wade he will lose the election in a landslide. But that leaves the question should we trust him. As a former Republican I have to say NO. The GOP has turned my stomach. They have made promises and lied claiming to be Christains and proving they were not. Now wing nuts the Democrats never said they were perfect so you can''t use that agrument.

Once again as a swing voter I will not vote for this bunch they need to clean and purge themselves of the neo cons before I even think about giving them my vote and now I has switch parties.

Oh wait for the Republcians that makes me a traitior. Too bad too sad and too late.

[terrorislamx]

ask HUSSEIN to sing the call to prayer and then the american national anthem,,,

HUSSEIN SAYS MUSLIM CALL TO PRAYER IS ONE OF THE PRETTIEST SOUNDS ON EARTH AT SUNSET

%u201CI was a little Jakarta street kid,%u201D Obama said in a wide-ranging interview in his office (excerpts are on Nicholas D. Kristofs''''''''s blog, http://www.nytimes.com/ontheground). He once got in trouble for making faces during Koran study classes in his elementary school, but a president is less likely to stereotype Muslims as fanatics %u2014 and more likely to be aware of their nationalism %u2014 if he once studied the Koran with them.

Mr. Obama recalled the opening lines of the Arabic call to prayer, reciting them with a first-rate accent. In a remark that seemed delightfully uncalculated (it%u2019ll give Alabama voters heart attacks), Mr. Obama described the call to prayer as %u201Cone of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset.%u201D
http://select.nytimes.com/2007/03/06/opinion/06kristof.html?_r=2&scp=5&sq=nicholas+kristof%20obama&st=nyt&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

[misha128-2009]

McCain''s position on any issue should scare anybody -- as stated by many commentators and his own campaign staff -- McCain''s position changes dynamically primarily traceable to the last person he asked about the issue. (Hence rumors that the campaign is attempting to restrict / limit the Senator''s use of his own cell phone.) Making Senator McCain the most wishy-washy candidate in history. This is clearly evidenced by the fact that on any issue including something as simple as who speaks for the campaign the McCain campaign supports all sides. John McCain says only he speaks for his campaign; however, his campaign says the candidate does not speak for his own campaign.

[jjreding-2009]

Hey you right wing idiots out there. Whether or not a candidate picks a pro-choice running mate - or whether or not he believes in choice himself - is NOT a leading reason to vote or not vote for that candidate. There are WAY too many more important issues that need to be addressed, such as how to dig this country out of the pit that the current right wing idiots have dug us into. Personally, I care much more about how we''re going to reduce gas prices, pay for our food, heat our homes in winter, give premium education to our kids, figure out a way to provide affordable health care and TRY to redeem this country''s image in the rest of the world than I do about a candidate''s position on abortion.

[starleo146]

I hope Mc Bush does pick that ex Homeland Security Ridge that will tell me for sure he has no common sense at all does anyone out there think if Mc Bush keels over that Ridge could be president

[actornaught]

So what does McCain stand for anyway??...
Posted by azure11 at 03:02 PM : Aug 16, 2008

I think it''s scottish for "I have AIDS tell me how i voted".

(That''s not entirely a joke, btw, that''s how Addled John gets by.)

[actornaught]

Sorry ''pubs, but Addled John can''t maintain a thought long enough to have a consistent public record. He can''t remember his own positions on issues, or even what his voting record is in congress. Why do the ''pubs want to put in place their fourth consecutive weakminded president?

[actornaught]

Posted by tothestars2 at 12:53 PM : Aug 16, 2008

Source?

[tothestars2]

I wonder why CBS news has no report on the racist remark of dnc leader dean about republicans as other news org. have?

[olderthnadam]

The conservative right claims to believe in small government and fiscal restraint yet during the period where they controlled not only the White House but both houses of Congress this nation saw the biggset increase in both the size of government and in deficit spending that this nation has ever seen. Their foray into Iraq has cost us the moral high ground that is necessary to stand up to Russia at a time when Russia is attempting to return to it''s historical Imperial, expansionist, "take over your neighbor if his government isn''t subserviant to you" philosophy. They have brought us to the brink of financial collapse and put us in a position where if Russia were to turn off the oil spicket and pull their oil off of the world market, skyrocketing oil prices would push us over the edge. The policies of the last eight years have left us, the most powerful nation in the world, powerless to act when we need to the most.

[olderthnadam]

As long as McCain panders to the right and abondons the center he will get the right''s 40% and no more and he will LOSE. The extreme right''s insistance that he walks in virtual lock step with them guarantees an Obama victory. They just don''t get it. They have lost the favor of most independents and "Reagan Democrats" and are a minority without them. They are arrogant, partisan, and close minded and thus will prove irrelevant. John McCain''s only hope is to return to the center and I fear he has already dug himself a hole so deep that to move to the center now would brand him a flip-flopper. I know a number of formerly enthusiastic Mccain supporters who are Independents and who would never support McCain if he chooses Romney.

[ryindy]

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/aug/14/golden-to-host-arab-network-during-dnc/

Al-Jazeera plans coverage for DNC
By April M. Washington, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Spred it far - spred it wide.
Guess they''re going there to back up and support their boy!
If that doesn''t finish him off, nothing will...

[chrome12-2009]

McCain:you better select Romney as your VP. It''s your only hope of winning...

[benighse]

Look...there''s a reason the founding fathers, you know, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, John Adams and the boys, put in the provisions for separation of church and state, and put in that there shall be no state religions in our Constitution.....So go pray in religious buildings....but legislate in government buildings.

But if you do consider the ten commandments in your private decisions on election day: Don''t The 10 Commandments go something like this???

ONE: I am the Lord your God

TWO: You shall not have false gods

THREE: You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

FOUR: Remember to keep holy the Sabbath.

FIVE: Honor your father and your mother.

SIX: You shall not kill.

SEVEN: You shall not commit adultery.

EIGHT: You shall not steal.

NINE: You shall not bear false witness under oath.

TEN: You shall not covet your neighbor''s house, wife or property.

So far with Mccain we know that Numbers 3,4,7,8,9 and 10 are purely discretionary; 1 and 2 we don''t know where he stands; but on 5 he seems on pretty solid footing or at least half of it; and on 6, well you have to at least consider the usual exceptions for war and death penalty and....(fill in the blank)???

Let''s ALL put Obama to work for America!! ...Go in Peace to Serve the World....Have a Nice Day!!