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Pro-Abortion Republicans Will Hold Largest Fundraiser Ever at GOP Convention
LifeNews.com ^ | August 23, 2004 | by Steven Ertelt

Posted on 08/23/2004 3:40:15 PM PDT by WKB

New York, NY (LifeNews.com) -- In addition to their efforts to overturn the Republican Party's pro-life position on abortion and to include a unity plank into the platform, leading abortion advocates are planning to hold their largest fundraiser ever. The shindig will receive support from some key Republican notables.

Jennifer Blei Stockman, co-chairman of the Republican Majority for Choice, a pro-abortion political action committee, says her group will hold its biggest fundraising effort on the second night of the convention at a club in New York City.

Stockman told the Greenwich Time newspaper that she expects 450 people to attend, including members of Congress, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York first lady Libby Pataki.

"We've never done anything of this magnitude," Stockman said. "We're calling it the 'Big Tent Event,' because we've invited everyone, all Republican members of Congress, even those who are not pro-choice."

The event will honor the 40 pro-abortion Republican members of Congress.

Stockman also said her group would try to influence the Republican Party platform, which for decades has backed a Human Life Amendment to the constitution. However, she admits the prospects are dim.

"With an incumbent president, I think it's very unlikely that we're going to see changes," she told the Connecticut newspaper.

Last week, pro-life Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour was chosen to craft the abortion part of the platform.

Pro-life attorney Jim Bopp is a member of the platform committee and he told LifeNews.com that Barbour's selection should ensure the platform will remain strongly pro-life.

"I am very pleased with the appointment of Gov. Haley Barbour as chairman of the Family subcommittee," Bopp said. "He has a strong pro-life and pro-family record and will be a powerful advocate for President Bush's positions."

Bopp, who has done legal work for the Republican Party and is general counsel for the National Right to Life Committee, tells LifeNews.com that he "expect[s] the pro-life plank to be retained and strengthened."

Though most Republicans, including President Bush and most GOP members of Congress, are pro-life Stockman told the Greenwich paper she plans to stay in the party and hopes to change it from within.

"But instead of leaving the party, as so many people have done, we're organized, we are now well-funded, and we're in there, working within our own party structure to try to change things," Stockman said.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Politics/Elections; US: Mississippi
KEYWORDS: abortion; abortionplank; bigtent; bigtentrepublicans; dissentingopinion; prolife; rncconvention2004; rncplatform
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To: Fatalist
I can't kill my neighbor under the guise of having the freedom to make the wrong choice,

Your neighbor does not live within the body of another human and your neighbor has awareness beyond the interior of another human body.

nor can a woman abort her child under such pretenses.

The decision to abort a developing human is not done under the pretense of a wrong decision. That decision is believed to be the best option under the circumstances (all of which are often known only to those directly involved).

The point regarding freedom was that if there is no freedom to make a wrong decision, then there is no freedom at all. Humans do not make correct decisions all the time but they are always trying to make correct decisions.

61 posted on 08/23/2004 10:12:21 PM PDT by Semper
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To: NCPAC; Long Cut
"One issue does not a RINO make. One issue does not a "real" Republican make. I will add this; I work with young GOPr's everyday. By and large, these 20-early 30 somethings don't consider abortion a pivotal issue - and they are the future. In 15-20 years, they are running the Republican party."

Pro-life NOT "pivotal"??

I haven't seen your planet yet, but if your script becomes reality, the noveau RINO sell-out pragmatists will have shrunken the GOP to half it's current number in order to co-opt the so-called "social liberal/fiscal conservatives."

There WILL be a conservative Third Party to fill the vacuum waay before then -- and I'm assuming it'll be strongly pro-life, pro-gun, pro-US sovereignty, anti-socialism, AND pro-tradition on cultural issues. Everything RINOs are willing to cave into in order to retain power.

62 posted on 08/23/2004 10:27:52 PM PDT by F16Fighter
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To: F16Fighter
There WILL be a conservative Third Party to fill the vacuum waay before then -- and I'm assuming it'll be strongly pro-life, pro-gun, pro-US sovereignty, anti-socialism, AND pro-tradition on cultural issues.

And it won't win any elections.

63 posted on 08/23/2004 10:58:59 PM PDT by malakhi
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To: malakhi
"It [Third Party] won't win any elections."

Not yet.

As the GOP attempts to wean mor "moderates" into the party, they will abandon the traditional party platform (notably pro-life).

If the GOP is willing swap its pro-life base for moderates, both the Dems AND GOP will weaken, and a conservative Third Party will establish itself quickly. Then ANYBODY will have a shot.

64 posted on 08/23/2004 11:14:04 PM PDT by F16Fighter
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To: F16Fighter
"Everything RINOS are willing to cave into in order to retain power."

F16, in order to "cave into" something in order to retain power you have to ignore your beliefs and do the opposite to hold power. The majority of this younger set isn't caving into anything: Their core belief IS that abortion is NOT a pivotal issue. That IS their belief, that IS their tradition. Rightly or wrongly, a post-Roe America is all this group knows. It IS their tradition.

I have to add that, when you say that there "WILL be a conservative Third Party to fill the vacuum way before then - " I imagine you are speaking of a "social conservative" party, made up of social conservatives, who represent one branch of conservatism.
65 posted on 08/24/2004 3:34:30 AM PDT by NCPAC ((Live without Fear: Don't worry about what may happen. Concentrate on what must be done.))
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To: TOUGH STOUGH

Pre-Roe, each state decided the parameters of the abortion issue within its respective borders.

You don't fight big government with big government. Period. Too many self proclaimed conservatives want to destory federal power by expanding federal power. That philosophy is "nanny" at its core.


66 posted on 08/24/2004 3:39:17 AM PDT by NCPAC ((Live without Fear: Don't worry about what may happen. Concentrate on what must be done.))
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To: F16Fighter; NCPAC
"There WILL be a conservative Third Party to fill the vacuum waay before then -- and I'm assuming it'll be strongly pro-life, pro-gun, pro-US sovereignty, anti-socialism, AND pro-tradition on cultural issues. Everything RINOs are willing to cave into in order to retain power."

Already is. It's called the Constitution Party (even though its tenets have little to do with that document). They pull off the difficult task every four years of getting even less of the vote than the Libertarians, and have NO elected officials to their credit.

"I haven't seen your planet yet, but if your script becomes reality, the noveau RINO sell-out pragmatists will have shrunken the GOP to half it's current number in order to co-opt the so-called "social liberal/fiscal conservatives."

Not if the Constitution Party is any example. Fact is, the portion of the GOP that holds abortion as its number-one issue is shrinking steadily. And don't make the mistake that it's going away for good...it's being replaced by those Young Turks NC speaks of as the older generations retire from the field.

67 posted on 08/24/2004 4:11:10 AM PDT by Long Cut (The Constitution...the NATOPS of America!)
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To: F16Fighter
You make the mistake that the Republican party, or the conservative movement itself, is based on the prolife movement. It IS one element, and is still influential, but it is only one element of an overall philosophy. Not all that many modern GOPers as you seem to think consider it to be the main plank in the party.

Those who have grown up post Roe simply do not devote much time at all to thinking about it. Those who favor Republicans and conservatism, when they think of it at all, tend to be prolife, but not to the point that they will march in the streets for it. It's more of a "Well, I'LL never get one, but..." attitude. They simply do not wish to enforce their own morals on others.

It may be shocking to those who feel passionately about abortion, as I'm sure you do, but that's reality...young people today just do not think so much about it. They DO thinkk about Social Security, taxes, the War, and freedom and liberty of the individual. Mostly, they are pro-gun as well, but again they tell no one else that they SHOULD own guns, they just buy them themselves. (Quite often too...including the ladies).

Social issues, such as abortion, are viewed by them as a sideshow, a distraction from what they see as REAL issues. Considering my previous post about the likelihood of abortion ever being banned again, they may be right, too.

68 posted on 08/24/2004 4:20:59 AM PDT by Long Cut (The Constitution...the NATOPS of America!)
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To: WKB

"Too bad they weren't aborted!!
"

Now, there's an ugly sentiment. Shame on you!


69 posted on 08/24/2004 6:06:08 AM PDT by MineralMan (godless atheist)
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To: malakhi

Exactly!

That third party will never win an election and eventually there stands a strong likelihood that they will splinter internally over issues of who's stronger on abortion or the right to bear arms.


70 posted on 08/24/2004 6:06:29 AM PDT by MplsSteve
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To: WKB

Do these pro-abortion Republicans think that liberals are going to vote for them when the race is between a pro-abortion Dem and a pro-abortion Republican? They're going to vote for the Rat every time.


71 posted on 08/24/2004 6:10:21 AM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
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To: F16Fighter
As the GOP attempts to wean mor "moderates" into the party, they will abandon the traditional party platform (notably pro-life).

And I along with many others will leave the Republican party when it does. The sanctity of life and the protection of our species should be a top priority for us all.

Want a party where abortion is applauded and promoted? Give the DNC a call.
72 posted on 08/24/2004 6:31:03 AM PDT by reagan_fanatic (Jesus is my savior!)
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To: NCPAC
Before Roe, abortion was virtually illegal in every state.

Babies in the womb need to be protected. The wrong was done at the Federal level, and needs to be corrected at that level. The idea that such is a NANNY state is a laughable joke. Period.

73 posted on 08/24/2004 6:31:36 AM PDT by TOUGH STOUGH (Vote for anyone but Darlin' Arlen in November.....)
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To: WKB

These are the same people who presided over the GOP when it was mired in the minority.

Now, after the GOP has the majority, in part by embracing a pro-life position, these freaks continue to say "You Religious Wackos are way out of the mainstream and we're going to lose because of you!"

Gerald Ford, the loser who is the Spiritual Leader of this bunch, is still upset at the social conservatives in the Party.


74 posted on 08/24/2004 6:34:24 AM PDT by Guillermo (OJ is innocent because Mark Fuhrman said the "N" word.)
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To: WKB

What a terrible war these babies are fighting.
God keep them at peace.


75 posted on 08/24/2004 6:38:03 AM PDT by sweetiepiezer (GO "W")
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To: tkathy
The road to political power is to attract more than half the voters, not chase voters away.

What you have to understand is that there are certain Republicans who, deep down inside, enjoy being in the political wilderness.

76 posted on 08/24/2004 6:41:31 AM PDT by Modernman (Hippies.They're everywhere. They wanna save the earth, but all they do is smoke pot and smell bad.)
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To: TOUGH STOUGH
Let me get this straight. If Roe was overturned, and a Human Life Amendment restoring the law pretty much to it's original state was passed, that is NANNY government?

Overturning Roe is one thing. However, conservatives are supposed to be in favor of States' rights. Why not leave this issue to the States to deal with?

77 posted on 08/24/2004 6:48:32 AM PDT by Modernman (Hippies.They're everywhere. They wanna save the earth, but all they do is smoke pot and smell bad.)
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To: Long Cut
If I'm not mistaken, California and New York had liberalized their abortion laws several years prior to Roe v. Wade. However, most states, especially those in the South and Midwest, had not done so in 1973. Were that ruling to be overturned by a future Supreme Court, as the Warren Court did to Plessy v. Ferguson in 1954, the pre-1973 State laws would once again be in effect. It would be extremely difficult for permissive abortion legislation to be passed by the legislatures, even in Democratic leaning states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin (both of which have large Catholic populations and a substantial minority of evangelical Christians).

I do not see liberalized abortion happening in Texas, should Roe v. Wade be overturned, as it would cause the GOP majority in the Legislature to become hopelessly divided. Additionally, many Democrats are elected by predominantly Hispanic, and therefore heavily Catholic, districts. Outside of Austin and a few precincts of Dallas and Houston, white liberals, the most enthusiastic pro-aborts, are a relatively rare breed in Texas. Both parties would likely not touch the issue of liberalizing the pre-1973 abortion prohibition.

78 posted on 08/24/2004 6:48:52 AM PDT by Wallace T.
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To: Long Cut
C'mon over and watch the fire and brimstone directed at REPUBLICANS! Bring some marshmallows and sticks!

Isn't that exactly what you are doing by flagging your "Help me Spock" list? As an aside, instead of lecturing conservatives on what we are supposed to have as our priorities, how about leaving that up to us.

79 posted on 08/24/2004 7:00:54 AM PDT by Hacksaw
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To: Guillermo
These are the same people who presided over the GOP when it was mired in the minority. Now, after the GOP has the majority, in part by embracing a pro-life position, these freaks continue to say "You Religious Wackos are way out of the mainstream and we're going to lose because of you!"

Exactly. I think conservatism has done quite fine without taking the abvice of those who want us to moderate our prioroties, lest we offend someone or appear insensitive.

80 posted on 08/24/2004 7:10:57 AM PDT by Hacksaw
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