Posted on 10/17/2007 8:08:58 PM PDT by Calpernia
Dateline: NASHVILLE
U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson says he seldom hears about abortion in campaign travels throughout Tennessee and hopes the issue is downplayed at the Republican National Convention.
The Tennessee Republican, an abortion-rights defender in a party with an anti-abortion tilt, is preparing for next week's convention in San Diego . He said the party must avoid distracting issues and focus on electing Bob Dole as president.
''We need to concentrate on what brings us together and not what divides us,'' Thompson said in an interview with The Tennessean published Tuesday.
Thompson said he opposes making early-term abortions a crime, as some Republicans would like to do with a constitutional amendment.
''But I don't think you should bolt on one issue. I'm still not convinced platforms are a good idea. We know what we believe in and I don't think we need to write it all down in a document,'' Thompson said.
''We're going to have to decide in this country whether we reduce the number of abortions or fight about the number of abortions. There are lots of things that we could do in terms of education and adoption to reduce the number of abortions. The two sides are so vigorous in opposing each other that they ignore the question of the number of abortions taking place.''
Thompson, a lawyer and actor born in Lawrenceburg, is seeking to keep the Senate seat once held by Vice President Gore.
In 1994, an obscure opponent got 37 percent of the vote against Thompson in the Republican primary, which some observers attribute to an abortion backlash.
Last week Thompson got 96 percent of the Republican primary vote against another unknown opponent.
Abortion isn't likely to emerge as an issue in Thompson's 1996 general election campaign. His Democratic opponent, Covington lawyer Houston Gordon, favors abortion rights, said campaign manager Joyce McDaniel.
Thompson said he has voted consistently against providing federal funding for abortions and voted for a bill, vetoed by President Clinton, to ban late term partial-birth abortions.
It has come down to politics being about money, because we let it. Politics is suppose to be about leadership. That is where my vote goes, to leaders. My vote hasn’t been, nor will ever be for sale.
Rudy Giuliani thanks you for your vote. But, at least you got to use it to make yourself feel good, right? Good.
"Senator Thompson had an excellent pro-life voting record while in the U.S. Senate," she said.
Pointing to records of his votes against abortion, euthanasia, and experimentation on unborn babies, Cross said “National Right to Life PAC supported Senator Thompson for the U.S. Senate in 1994 and 1996, and considered him to be a very pro-life Senator."
http://www.blogsforfredthompson.com/national-pro-life-leaders-rallying-defense-fred-thompson-0
I guess an official with National Right to Life is not conservative enough for you then. Guess she is getting conned as well.
It must be hell to be the keeper of all things conservaitve.
I tell you what Kimmy, when you get your butt up and go out and take control of the National Right to Life, and put hours in on just this issue alone, giving your time and effort day in and day out, I'll elevate your opinion over those who are ACTUALLY doing so now.
>>>BTW, 107th congress was on one vote, the military abortion issue. So it is skewed a bit.
Why is that? The vote had a clause exempting conditions of the life of the mother, rape or incest. What makes it skewed?
Or save the lives of the innocent.
Not the vote itself, but that fact that it was the ONLY one listed that session on that site.
Money is an indicator of support. It takes money to run campaigns, buy ads, and pay for the travel necessary to get in front of the voters. Like it or not, a candidate has to be able to raise money if he wants to win.
Duncan Hunter (if you exclude the vanity campaigns of Cox and Keyes) is dead last in fundraising. He's in a tie for dead last in national polling. There's no state where he polls high enough to even be considered a spoiler.
And he's been running for how long now? How many national "debates" (for lack of a better word) has he been in? If he's still doing this poorly after all of that, what does that say about his ability to lead and inspire?
My fear of fred doesn’t start and end with abortion. That is just the topic here due to the content of the post. So there is no 80% compromise with me. I’ve gotten to the point in my research that I can’t even find 20% to be in agreement with him on.
So be it.
I don’t understand?
Raise money for a campaign is a lot different then selling your vote. Selling your vote is compromising for gain, ie., pay to play.
Donating to a campaign one believes in is investing.
Two different issues.
One official with National Right to Life, James Bopp (their top attorney), has endorsed Mitt Romney and joined his campaign and is his loudest defender on the pro-life issue. James Bopp is the man who wrote the actual pro-life plank that is in the Republican Party Platform. Bopp considers Romney to be a very pro-life candidate. How about them apples?
On one hand you've got Tony Perkins of NRLC stating rightfully that Fred Thompson has a good pro-life record as Senator. On the other hand, you've got one of NRLC's highest officials not only endorsing Mitt Romney but joining Romney's campaign - and almost purely on the pro-life issue alone. Which carries more weight? Someone saying a couple of good things about Thompson due to some criticism that Thompson has received? Or a top NRLC leader putting his career on the line to endorse and work for Mitt Romney to further the pro-life cause?
Tell me, which pro-life leaders have endorsed Fred Thompson? Which pro-life groups have endorsed Fred Thompson? Which pro-life leaders have been so impressed by Fred Thompson that they've joined his campaign?
I tell you what Kimmy,
Your condescending attitude and vandalism of other posters' names is neither deserved nor appropriate. Grow up and debate like an adult.
when you get your butt up and go out and take control of the National Right to Life, and put hours in on just this issue alone, giving your time and effort day in and day out, I'll elevate your opinion over those who are ACTUALLY doing so now.
So, are you then prepared to elevate James Bopp's opinion over other opinions since he is a top official in the NRLC?
That kind of dishonestly in the pursuit of political advantage saddens me.
Every one of Thompson's "negative" votes on those scorecards were for campaign finance reform legislation. On actual pro-life issues, he was 100%.
On the other hand, at the same time, the Massachusetts RINO, was pledging support to Planned Parenthood:
For anyone reading along. KevKrom is not telling the truth. Click the links yourself. The issues are there.
Very good.
Have you read your own links? Thompson's only "bad" votes on those scorecards are:
105th: McCain-Feingold "campaign finance reform" -- Cloture Vote, McCain-Feingold "campaign finance reform"
106th: Shays-Meehan "campaign finance reform", McCain-Feingold "campaign finance reform"
107th: McCain-Feingold "campaign finance reform", Shays-Meehan (McCain-Feingold) "campaign finance reform"
So you can quit with calling me a liar or spreading the "Thompson isn't pro-life" myth.
If you don't understand that CFR wis a major pro-life issue, then you're demonstrating your ignorance. Why do you think that the pro-life groups dinged congressional ratings on the issue. Heck, the premiere pro-life organization felt the issue was so important in the 107th Congress, that they gave Thompson a 33% rating due to his support of CFR.
The NRA felt pretty much the same way on the CFR issue although the ratings they gave to representatives weren't quite so heavily affected by it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.