Oh-eight (R): ‘So be it’
Posted: Thursday, October 04, 2007 9:25 AM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:
Republicans
Focus on the Family's James Dobson has an op-ed in the New York Times today where he confirms that he was part of a group of conservatives who pledged to support a third-party candidate for POTUS should both major parties nominate candidates who support abortion rights.
"The other approach, which I find problematic, is to choose a candidate according to the likelihood of electoral success or failure. Polls don’t measure right and wrong; voting according to the possibility of winning or losing can lead directly to the compromise of one’s principles. In the present political climate, it could result in the abandonment of cherished beliefs that conservative Christians have promoted and defended for decades. Winning the presidential election is vitally important, but not at the expense of what we hold most dear."
GIULIANI: Campaigning in N.H., Giuliani tried to reassure social conservatives that he wouldn't be a threat. “I am not a threat at all,” he said, facing dozens of reporters, the largest group yet on the campaign trail. “What I have found is that we have more support among social conservatives, according to all these polls, than any other Republican. So maybe it is respect for the idea that I will be straight with you.”
“The evangelical movement has gone through three stages with Rudy,” said a Republican Christian activist not affiliated with a campaign. “First was denial: He is pro-choice, we don’t have a NYThing to worry about. That is clearly not the case. The second stage is, let us go find someone who can beat him. That stage has turned out to be a failure if not a total flop. The third stage is sheer panic.”
Per NBC's Lauren Appelbaum, Giuliani responded to more questions on his relationship with religious conservatives in Manchester, NH yesterday. He recognized candidates "reach out for every vote" but are not able to get all of them. Taking a shot at Clinton, Giuliani said he is the same person wherever he is and does not treat various groups of people differently and does not "have an accent for different parts of the country." Giuliani also said he should not be viewed as a threat to religious conservatives' beliefs.
"I have great respect for religion," he said outside of the Red Arrow Diner. "I have great respect for religious freedom, religious toleration. I think people of faith make a tremendous contribution to this country. And I ask them, maybe people of faith can respect someone who is honest - with me, you know what you're going to get."
The candidate also wants to end the “phone call controversy.” He told the New York Post the issue is “frivolous” and then he weaved in, wait for it, 9/11: "If I had chased all of these frivolous issues, I never would have turned around the deficit in New York City. I never would have reduced crime . . . welfare . . . and I wouldn't have been able to handle Sept. 11.”
MCCAIN: Does a week go by now without some major news organization doing their "McCain could comeback" story? Today, it's Bloomberg News.
McCain was in South Carolina yesterday showing little hesitancy in criticizing the Bush administration. McCain criticized Bush's handling of 9/11, saying he should have urged Americans to enlist not go shopping. AP: "I believe that the big mistake that our leadership of our nation made after 9-11 is we told people to go shopping and we told them to take a trip," McCain told students at a military prep school in this early voting state."
PAUL: Move over Mike Huckabee, we have a new dark horse to obsess over: Ron Paul. In all seriousness, the $5 million raised by Paul is a double-whammy to Huckabee because if this unknown candidate can raise this much money, why can't the candidate who gets all the buzz after the debates?
ROMNEY: Robert Novak writes that it's time for Romney to confront the Mormon issue. "Although disagreement remains within the Romney camp, the consensus is that he must address the Mormon question with a speech deploring bias. According to campaign sources, a speech has been written, though much of it could still be changed. It hasn't been determined when he will deliver a speech that could determine the 2008 political outcome."
THOMPSON: Rough start: the sluggish start to the Thompson campaign is chronicled today in the New York Times by the C.W.-setter himself, Adam Nagourney. While noting that Thompson has a more rigorous schedule now than he did when he first got in, Nagourney adds that in Iowa, "After his events, he tended to stay for only a few minutes to sign some autographs or pose for some pictures. Mr. Thompson does not appear to share the taste of some of his rivals for lingering at the rope line shaking hands; he tends not to ask many questions of the people he meets and not to make prolonged eye contact with them."
CBN's David Brody posts video of Fred Thompson on gay marriage and wonders if his words (not just his position) will upset social conservatives. Here's what Thompson said: “A judge couldn’t impose this (gay marriage) state or federal unless they had the acquiescence or unless the state legislature moved on its own to put it into law. If a state chose to recognize it (gay marriage) and the Governor signed off and signed it into legislation so be it.” Adds Brody: "His position here is not new. But the words ‘so be it’ may be just a tad bit flip for social conservatives. The marriage issue could very well be a problem for Fred Thompson with many Evangelical voters. I know that his view is not well received with certain Evangelical groups. Comments like ‘so be it’ don't help.
“You see, let me try and explain what’s going on here. The millions of religious conservatives who are adamantly for a strict federal marriage amendment believe that marriage IS a one size fits all approach. Thompson is trying the federalism track here but here’s where he gets into trouble. Let’s take slavery for example. Hypothetically, if a state legislature approves slavery and a Governor signs it into law, then ‘so be it’? Of course not. Well, I would suggest that the majority of religious conservatives believe that protecting the institution of marriage is one of those issues that trump the federalist argument. Many would argue that traditional marriage, just like abolishing slavery should be a one size fits all approach.”
The Des Moines Register notes Fred Thompson's focus on unity and on the underpinnings of conservatism as preserved since the 1994 Republican revolution. Per the Register, Thompson said yesterday in Dubuque that during the '94 race "we talked then about respect for the rule of law, respect for market economy and competition among free Americans. If we adhere to those principles, I don’t care what the pundits say about the election, we will prevail."
The Des Moines Register notes Fred Thompson's focus on unity and on the underpinnings of conservatism as preserved since the 1994 Republican revolution. Per the Register, Thompson said yesterday in Dubuque that during the '94 race "we talked then about respect for the rule of law, respect for market economy and competition among free Americans. If we adhere to those principles, I don’t care what the pundits say about the election, we will prevail."
More from that big meeting with the Register's editorial board on Tuesday -- Thompson told the Register's reporters and editors that he wants to reexamine Social Security and Medicare spending, but "the former Tennessee senator said he had no firm plans to deal with entitlement spending, which he considers the nation's most pressing domestic problem."
Thompson's going through the same born-again conversion to ethanol subsidies that -- surprise! -- all the presidentials seem to have after campaigning in agriculture-rich Iowa. And note this nugget when Fred was asked about his upcoming debate debut: "I'm not used to playing by strict rules either on the Senate floor or in the courtroom or anyplace like that," he said. See you in Dearborne, Fred.
