It was the media spin that hurt the GOP, not the GOP actions themselves. As well all know the MSM spin on things has no basis in reality.
This case what ever side you're on might have hurt Jeb Bush but not exactly the GOP itself,at least I don't think so.
How can you be 'hurt' advocating for life?
You're bad.... stirring the pot!!
I don't know anyone on either side that isn't totally apathetic about this issue. I don't think it hurt anyone except the people involved. I heard some NBC mouth trying to stir up some more emotion from his audience but to me it just sounded like he was trying to sell soap.
Only time will tell. Some people would like for you to believe it hurt or is going to hurt the GOP.
But you know, many people disagreed with us on abortion and we were all just crazy right-to-lifers, etc....so it is not always popular to do the right thing. But in time, people usually come around.
The "circus" hurt everyone...nobody looks good in any of this mess...it is a national disgrace.
We need to be smarter - that means giving the rest of the party a "courtesy call" and ask for help and advice. Hannity was the only media personality who championed Terri's side effectively.
Amazing that upholding the Constitution is now presented as causing harm....
The true crime of this situation is there was only one court that established the "fact" that Terri wanted to die.
It is a travesty.
Ruben Navarrette Jr.? This is the guy who's going to tell Republicans how to be Republicans?
How come I never heard of him before?
Could it be because he appears in venues like NPR and SFGate?
Could it be because he's not a Republican?
I don't think it hurt the GOP except to the people who want it to hurt the GOP. I disagree with the positions some of our conservatives took on the issue, but I'm as loyal as ever. I don't generally agree on everything anyway.
Terri's saga has not hurt the GOP. However, the ultimate test is how the GOP handles these end-of-life issues going forward. If the GOP spokesman becomes Tom DeLay, then yes, it will hurt the GOP. Much as I've supported Tom in the past, he has a tendency to go overboard and doesn't know when to stop or pull back. If the GOP trods too heavily on families' abilities to make decisions for their loved ones, then the GOP will suffer at the ballot box. If, on the otherhand, the GOP leads a reasoned effort to address these issues, then it will be the Dems who suffer.
Tripe. Nobody was hurt in this except Terri.
We know the Dems weren't hurt...they have no feelings.
Now those gains are threatened by the rigid agenda of social conservatives within the GOP. Democrats once convinced themselves that they were more open-minded than anyone else; for social conservatives, it's all about being closer to God than anyone else. They spend a lot of time trying to convince the country that they have cornered the market on morality and they imply, or sometimes say outright, that anyone who disagrees with them comes up short in that department.I expect this goes over well in Coastal California--where, as we know, GOP voters abound.
Only the parents came out as winners.
Now Jeb Bush, he's toast. If any Republican was hurt it's Jeb Bush. He came across as wimpy. If ever there was a situation where a politician could have taken his shoe off and banged it against something this was it.
I don't think it hurt the GOP at all. Sure, the GOP was generally feckless and inept (nothing new there), but at least Republicans were mostly on the side of life.
I don't know how many of you saw the remarks by Terri's sister and brother following her death. I thought they were very inspirational and would recommend finding a transcript if you didn't see it. (I was a bit disappointed in Jeb's statement following her death; I think bro. POTUS' statement was much stronger and better.)