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Debate Moderator Bob Schieffer: GOP Obsessed With Birth Control
Life Site News ^ | October 22, 2012 | Steven Ertelt

Posted on 10/22/2012 2:01:08 PM PDT by NYer

CBS newsman Bob Schieffer will host the third debate tonight between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.

The first two debates prompted outrage from pro-life conservatives over their bias — from biased questions and Romney twice having less time to talk during the debate to the moderator interrupting Romney more or letting Obama get the last word in more often.

Voters expecting a more fair and impartial debate this time around will be sorely disappointed — although it might be for the better that the debate is primarily expected to be focused on foreign policy issues. Schieffer made it clear earlier this year that he thinks, when it comes to social issues, that Republicans are too focused on pro-life topics.

In February, on Sunday morning’s Face the Nation, he pressed Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie over how Republicans have supposedly moved “too far to the right” to win. Later, in an interview with Maryland’s Democratic Governor, Martin O’Malley, Schieffer claimed “we’ve spent the last couple of weeks here talking about running against birth control for goodness sake” — ignoring how the media attacked pro-lifers repeated with the War on Women mantra.

Meanwhile, Schieffer twice falsely credited Obama for having “backed away” from requiring religious groups to cover birth control and abortion-causing drugs.

He said: “We’ve spent the last couple of weeks here talking about running against birth control for goodness sake. I mean, I admit, I mean, I believe the President made a serious political mistake when he tried to say to the Catholic Church, you have to buy birth control pills for the folks that work in your hospitals and your schools and so forth. But he backed away from that. And yet, the Republicans keep pushing. They say that’s not enough. That you’ve got to be totally against the birth control.”

As Media Research Center writer Brent Baker noted:

Of course, Schieffer was unable to identify any candidate who is saying “you’ve got to be totally against the birth control.”

Then with O’Malley, he repeated the claim Obama “did back away” on the birth control mandate, and proceeded to again express bewilderment that’s not good enough for Republicans: “But is that going to be an issue, this whole idea of birth control, is that going to be an issue in this campaign?”

Next, Schieffer cued up O’Malley to denounce Republicans as extremists: “Well do you think it’s good for the President if Republicans try to concentrate on social issues?”

Watch Video


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Front Page News; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2012debates; abortion; cbs; contraception; moralabsolutes; obama; prolife; romney; schieffer
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1 posted on 10/22/2012 2:01:15 PM PDT by NYer
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To: NYer

Again , the problem is not Schieffer but with Romney for agreeing to be cornholed. Tells me a LOT about the judgement of Romney and his underlings.


2 posted on 10/22/2012 2:04:54 PM PDT by Cyman
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To: NYer

And collectivism is aimed at massive population reduction, by any means possible.

Politics is simply the outward expression of a theology.


3 posted on 10/22/2012 2:06:36 PM PDT by lurk
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To: NYer

The Democrats are the ones trying to make it an issue and the Democrats are the ones who will not let it drop.
Last time I looked, that was the definition of an obsession.


4 posted on 10/22/2012 2:06:47 PM PDT by Wiser now (Socialism does not eliminate poverty, it guarantees it.)
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To: NYer

Obama is performing a partial-birth abortion of U.S. missile defense in Europe.


5 posted on 10/22/2012 2:08:50 PM PDT by rfp1234
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To: Cyman

I agree with you that EVERYBODY who was involved in negotiating debate terms for the GOP needs to be FIRED YESTERDAY. I believe this happened before Romney was the nominee.

That being said, if Schieffer wants to keep them talking about birth control for 90 minutes, America will tune out which, at this point, would be a win for our side.


6 posted on 10/22/2012 2:09:38 PM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: NYer

Bob Schieffer, obsessed with the democrat obsession with painting the republicans as being obsessed with birth control.


7 posted on 10/22/2012 2:10:34 PM PDT by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: NYer

"We are totally FIXATED on birth control, here, at CBS."

8 posted on 10/22/2012 2:13:41 PM PDT by Diogenesis (Vi veri veniversum vivus vici)
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To: NYer

He is a senile old liberal man. THAT is his problem.


9 posted on 10/22/2012 2:13:57 PM PDT by buffyt (Ted Cruz, Allen West, Rand Paul, Tim Scott, Herman Cain -- for President -- 2016)
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To: NYer
Schieffer made it clear earlier this year that he thinks, when it comes to social issues, that Republicans are too focused on pro-life topics.

Isn't it interesting that liberals are "too focused" on pushing gay issues and, being the party who claims to represent the "little guy" is opposed to babies??

They have no problem protecting gays and making sure that they have "fairness" but, I guess since babies don't vote, the Dems have no use for them!

Their irrational "logic" defies me!!

10 posted on 10/22/2012 2:14:05 PM PDT by DustyMoment (Congress - another name for white collar criminals!!)
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To: Cyman
Well, as far as I'm concerned, if a lady opts for a recreational abortion, she has decided to become a murderer and must accept all of the self inflicted consequences INCLUDING THE INVOICE.
I do not advocate she should go to prison as I believe she will be judged by the only authority at the end of her life here on earth.
BUT do not make it the law of the land that I SHOULD PAY for her poor decisions.
11 posted on 10/22/2012 2:15:20 PM PDT by RavenLooneyToon (Tail gunner Joe was right.)
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To: NYer

Yeah, who cares about social issues? I mean who cares about morality...especially in the White House? If the president wants to have sex orgies in the Oval Office, it’s none of our business. We had a recent president who did do that. And we had a Dem congressman (guess who?) who had a friend who ran a homosexual prositution ring out of his, the congressman’s, apartment. Yeah, who cares about morality? That’s just for those nutty Republicans. C’mon, let’s do drugs in public and murder children even after they’re born. I mean plants and tree are more important than humans according to many libs. So say those “moral” liberals. (smirk)


12 posted on 10/22/2012 2:16:36 PM PDT by driftless2
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To: NYer; lurk
lurk, you are correct. As a matter of fact, in the late 1800's, a writer on the "Impracticability of Socialism" said as much.

From the Liberty Fund Library is "A Plea for Liberty: An Argument Against Socialism and Socialistic Legislation," edited by Thomas Mackay (1849 - 1912), Chapter 1, excerpted final paragraphs from Edward Stanley Robertson's essay:

"I have suggested that the scheme of Socialism is wholly incomplete unless it includes a power of restraining the increase of population, which power is so unwelcome to Englishmen that the very mention of it seems to require an apology. I have showed that in France, where restraints on multiplication have been adopted into the popular code of morals, there is discontent on the one hand at the slow rate of increase, while on the other, there is still a 'proletariat,' and Socialism is still a power in politics."

The concluding statement of his essay is quite interesting also:

"Freedom is the most valuable of all human possessions, next after life itself. It is more valuable, in a manner, than even health. No human agency can secure health; but good laws, justly administered, can and do secure freedom. Freedom, indeed, is almost the only thing that law can secure. Law cannot secure equality, nor can it secure prosperity. In the direction of equality, all that law can do is to secure fair play, which is equality of rights but is not equality of conditions. In the direction of prosperity, all that law can do is to keep the road open. That is the Quintessence of Individualism, and it may fairly challenge comparison with that Quintessence of Socialism we have been discussing. Socialism, disguise it how we may, is the negation of Freedom. That it is so, and that it is also a scheme not capable of producing even material comfort in exchange for the abnegations of Freedom, I think the foregoing considerations amply prove."
EDWARD STANLEY ROBERTSON

13 posted on 10/22/2012 2:19:09 PM PDT by loveliberty2
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To: DustyMoment

Abortion is murder.


14 posted on 10/22/2012 2:19:33 PM PDT by buffyt (Abortion is murder.)
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To: lurk; All

Unthinking reproduction made sense when the world population was small, that is no longer the case. I do not understand why conservatives would be against planning and spacing of children when they have no desire to pay for the social services needed by the more irresponsible elements of the population. Recent studies in St. Louis of 9,000 many lower income showed that when free birth control was provided that teen pregnancy and abortion rates dropped by around 80%. The preferred choice was long term prevention like IUDs, and I presume Norplant (although that was not stated).


15 posted on 10/22/2012 2:20:37 PM PDT by gleeaikin
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To: buffyt

I apologize for Texas that Schieffer was born in this state. He has become an embarassment for the state. He is, however, a songwriter....but I have never heard any of his songs. I did hear Imus say something about Billy Joe Schaffer had taken a look at some of his songwritings. But, songwriter or not, that does not excuse his liberalism.


16 posted on 10/22/2012 2:21:16 PM PDT by Texas Songwriter (,)
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To: driftless2

I was just saying the other day, you can’t cut down your own tree in Claremont, California. Heck, you can’t trim the branches off, without getting into trouble. But you can abort/kill your child. Don’t dare harm a Condor, Eagle, or Whale though!


17 posted on 10/22/2012 2:22:02 PM PDT by buffyt (Abortion is murder. It is not a Choice - It is a Child.)
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To: Texas Songwriter

I am a Texan by choice!~ Most of the time we live in Texas, with occasional temporary relocations in California - and people are NUTS out here.


18 posted on 10/22/2012 2:23:30 PM PDT by buffyt (Abortion is murder. It is not a Choice - It is a Child.)
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To: NYer

Why would this be of any concern given it’s had no positive net impact for Bobo, other than maybe to keep his choom hareem from abandoning him altogether....But those certainly aren’t Romney votes, and a big chunk of them won’t be getting off their lardasses to vote this time around anyway...


19 posted on 10/22/2012 2:25:19 PM PDT by StAnDeliver (2008 + IN, NE1, NC, FL, VA, OH, CO, IA, NV, NH = 291EV)
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To: buffyt
I am a Texan by choice!

You chose well, my friend. Stay thirsty, my friend. Stay thirsty. (I just wanted to say that...I love that commercial).

20 posted on 10/22/2012 2:28:44 PM PDT by Texas Songwriter (,)
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