Posted on 03/26/2005 3:13:41 PM PST by Crackingham
A week after their unprecedented intervention in the Terri Schiavo case, Republican congressional leaders find themselves in a moral and political thicket, having advanced the cause as a right-to-life issue -- only to confront polls showing that the public does not see it that way.
"How deep is this Congress going to reach into the personal lives of each and every one of us?" asked Rep. Christopher Shays (Conn.), one of only five Republicans in the House to vote against the Schiavo bill.
Republican lawmakers and others engaged in the debate say an internal party dispute over the Schiavo case has ruptured, at least temporarily, the uneasy alliance between economic and social conservatives that twice helped President Bush get elected.
"Advocates of using federal power to keep this woman alive need to seriously study the polling data that's come out on this," said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, who has been talking to both social and economic conservatives about the fallout. "I think that a lot of conservative leaders assumed there was broader support for saying that they wanted to have the federal government save this woman's life."
Some Republicans said they do not believe the vote to allow a federal court to examine whether any of Schiavo's constitutional rights had been violated will become a political issue, especially since 47 House Democrats voted for the measure, while 53 voted against.
"It was not a partisan issue. It was one of conscience," said Rep. Eric I. Cantor (R-Va.), the chief deputy whip. "People will remember that the majority attempted to address a very difficult situation and did it with a real seriousness of purpose."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
RINOs for Federalism? Time to repeal the 17th Amendment and see how many go for it.
A gutless RINO who cowers at the alter of 'respectability' and wanting to be 'popular'.
You mean like the ABC poll, Grover?
Geez. The government is issuing licenses to kill and this twit is worried we may not reform tax policy.
Why is a legislative body asking the courts to take a new look "government intervention", and a squadron of armed police preventing a good Samaritan or a mother from giving a woman a sip of water something less odious? Liberal madness.
Only to be rebuffed at the polls, with a growing support of those shouting "Ein Volk, Ein Fuerher, Ein Deutschland!"
What's the option for the Republicans? Join the growing parade, or, take notice of the brewing storm and encroachment of Evil, to stand up and be counted, against possible troubles and attacks?
Forget the polls. Anyone with a conscience is torn up by this thing. Lots of poeple don't have a conscience.
"Republican congressional leaders find themselves in (the)moral and political thicket (of the MSM's making.)"
There. Fixed it! :)
Also, She should be able to receive the Body and Blood of Christ every single day. I would have to believe that denying her this would be Unconstitutional...
If I were a lawyer, I would argue this point..
BACKLASH BLAST HIS ASS!!
How many of us realized that one needs "federal power" to secure basic bread and water? It's the same thing that keeps us all alive, numbnutz.
Why doesn't someone argue the case on a Religious Freedom point of view? As a Catholic, Terri should be able to receive the Body and Blood of Christ every single day...
OK Grover this is over the top. You are not a real conservative. The real conservatives on FR, many who came over from DU, will now flame you for daring to speak the truth.
Is that really what's holding back the republicans? Could it not be that they really don't care about Terri Schiavo? Perhaps they are silently enjoying the spectacle of the religious right getting smoking mad about a liberal court that is placing her life in the hands of an untrustworthy husband? The republicans are afterall going to try and put more conservatives on the benches.
It's not about the GOP. It's not about politics.
No, He was referring to 3 nationwide polls since Bush made the Schiavo intervention. Bush's popular support is now the lowest it has ever been in his presidentcy.
Poll: Bush ratings hit record low - March 26, 2005
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/orl-asecbush26032605mar26,1,6587053.story?coll=orl-home-headlines&ctrack=1&cset=true
Poll: Bush's 45% approval rating his lowest rating
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/index.php?page=national&story_id=032505a1_bush_poll
This vox populi demonstrates Bush better start getting back to core conservative Republican priniciple soon.
I have posted on FreeRepublic before about my neice, my brothers, daughter, who a year ago in February had a similar thing like Terri happen to her. She was without oxygen for a period of time and in a complete coma and on life support for over a month. She came out of her coma and, unlike Terri, she was able to be SPOON FED. (but we don't know for sure that Terri couldn't be) My neice will never be able to feed herself because she now has such spastic movements she would never get the spoon to her mouth. Also my neice is able to utter a few words that are (if you listen closely) understandable. (Just because Terri's might not be completely understandable she responds.)
Anyway my brother called the other day and I asked him what he thought about the Terri Schiavo situation. He said; "It is utterly ridiculous. And that this circus is all a political ploy." I asked him; "Would you tell the nurses to stop putting the spoon to your daughters mouth and not feed her anymore and just let her die." He said; "Well this is different. If my daughter was in a coma and brain dead, I would let her go." I kept asking him are you aware of this, and this, and this? His reply everytime was No!, but I WOULD NOT WANT TO LIVE LIKE THAT. I said to him, HOW DO YOU KNOW TERRI WOULD NOT WANT TO LIVE LIKE THAT?
So you see the lines are drawn even between families. Most on that side are totally ignorant of what has happened except what they see and hear on the National News.
Bye the way, my brother is a DEMOCRAT.
The polls are slanted.
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