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McCain's Abortion Flip-Flop
Ah yes, that's the principled, straight-talking maverick we all know and love...
Back in 2000, when John McCain was running for the GOP nomination as an insurgent against the Republican establishment, he trumpeted his desire to change the party platform's call for a human life amendment banning all abortions. McCain wanted to add an exception in cases of rape, incest, or a threat to the life of the mother. And in a primary debate, he went after George W. Bush for wanting to leave the platform unchanged.
As late as April 2007, he was singing the same tune, telling reporters in Iowa that he stood by his 2000 position .
But The Wall Street Journal reports today that the McCain camp now says he has no plans to try to change the platform. A campaign spokeswoman told the paper: "The delegates are going through the process and we are going to let them work their will on the platform." In other words, McCain is taking a hands-off approach.
As ABCNews.com notes, McCain's shift comes after a graphic warning from Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, who said in June that if McCain tried to alter the abortion plank, he "would be aborting his own campaign" by angering socially conservative voters.
Looks like McCain got the message.
Josh
Zachary
McCain has dodged this question recently, which has to make his pro-life supporters nervous.
August 22, 2008 12:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nothing new here..you could practically write a book on McCains flip-flops.... need to get the low information voters tuned in
August 22, 2008 12:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm convinced now that he'll end up digging up Falwell's corpse to put him on the ticket.
August 22, 2008 2:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Dahlia Lithwick has a nice take on this:
http://www.slate.com/id/2198320/
McCain is relying on his maverick image to bamboozle women into voting for him. Many women who support John McCain actually do not know that he will shut down their rights to abortion, but when these same women find out, a huge percentage of them stop supporting John McCain.
August 22, 2008 2:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
And all the Hillary supporters who vote for him because they refuse to recognize that Obama won the nomination fair and square will get exactly what they deserve: the knowledge that they actively helped overturn Roe vs. Wade.
And frankly, fuck 'em if they're that stupid.
August 22, 2008 7:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Most of the ones who say they are voting for McCain are past the age where they need to worry about abortions or birth control. I imagine however that they have daughters and granddaughters who may be affected by their vote in the future. Outlawing birth control by calling it a method of abortion is the eventual goal of the Right Wing abd I hope these ladies are happy to be helping it along.
August 22, 2008 10:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
All that can be said is that this "hero" is a coward.
August 23, 2008 12:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's pretty clear at this point: Seven House McCondo is senile and needs medical attention. Kind of sad, actually.
August 23, 2008 7:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Rush asked his listeners to vote for Hillary to cause dissension in the Democratic Party. Rush couldn't care less about winning on the issues. The goal for him is not to win to better America, it's to con America to win.
McCain is following the same strategy:
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/New_McCain_ad_asks_why_Clinton_0824.html
The McCain of 2000 would not vote for the McCain of today. He cut a deal with the you know who. If you can't beat 'em, he said, given up
August 24, 2008 10:49 PM | Reply | Permalink