Posted on 05/07/2005 11:34:27 AM PDT by ChuckK
In a major campaign mailing, Republican gubernatorial candidate Win Rockefeller stresses repeatedly that he is anti-abortion, even citing actions by the Arkansas Senate, over which he presides but in which he has no vote except in the rare case of ties. "He is readjusting his position on the abortion question," Rockefeller’s gubernatorial foe in the 2006 Republican primary, Asa Hutchinson, said Thursday of the mailing. "That’s really the essence of the letter."
The two-page letter from the lieutenant governor was sent to "tens of thousands" of Arkansans, said Rockefeller campaign spokesman Stacy DeJarnette. It urges recipients to become members of the Rockefeller core team.
The theme of the mailer is that Rockefeller ardently opposes abortion. "It is up to us to promote a culture of life, and change hearts and minds when it comes to preserving life," Rockefeller writes.
He calls partial-birth abortion "an abomination."
The mailer also says: "Parents have a right to know and consent before their minor daughter undergoes a major medical procedure." " We must protect our children by teaching the importance of abstinence. "" As your Lt. Governor, I have applied my life experiences to protecting the unborn. "" To promote the culture of life, the Arkansas Senate has passed a ban on partial birth abortions, the Fetal Protection Act, the Safe Haven Act, an Act to Assure Women Adequate Information, Parental Consent, and legislation to create the Unborn Child Pain and Prevention Act. "" Besides encouraging our state government to promote life, [my wife] Lisenne and I have contributed our time and money to helping young women in trouble by promoting adoption and ensuring every child is loved, educated and cared for. "" I believe the blessings and challenges life has thrown at me have made me stronger, a better Christian and will ultimately make me a better governor. "
Nearly two months ago, Rockefeller said that sometime between 1998 and 2002 he changed his mind on Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion, because of his faith and because he has two children with Down’s syndrome.
The change was not because of political considerations, he said.
Hutchinson has said Roe v. Wade was" a bad decision" and that he has been opposed to abortion throughout his political career.
Two Hutchinson supporters who heard that the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette was working on an article about the Rockefeller mailing contacted the newspaper this week and questioned the tone of the letter and Rockefeller’s credentials on the abortion topic.
One of them is Betsy Hagan of Little Rock, president of the Eagle Forum of Arkansas, which she called a "pro-life" group.
She said she was puzzled about Rockefeller’s trying to take credit for anti-abortion legislation approved by the Senate when he had nothing to do with the bills.
Hagan said Rockefeller is redefining himself by trying to link himself with the passage of anti-abortion bills. "I have some questions about that being fact, and I was out there [at the Legislature]," she said. "From my perspective, I didn’t see that happen. Although he presided over the Senate, I wouldn’t say he was out there leading the fight.
" We have all made changes from the inside out, and I am the first to say I believe in that. "But it puzzles me about the timing of the thing." "In the Republican Party, to win it is very clear you have to be pro-life or you are not going to go anywhere," Hagan said. "When it comes to the abortion fight, Asa was with us 20 years ago. I am going to support him because I know where he is on that particular issue, and that alone would make the difference to me."
The other Hutchinson backer who contacted the newspaper is former state Rep. Randy Minton, R-Ward.
He was in the state House of Representatives from 1999 to 2003 and serves on the board of directors for Eagle Forum. He said he doesn’t recall that Rockefeller was involved with anti-abortion bills.
Rockefeller’s mailer "makes it read like he is taking credit for some of the things that passed, and all he was doing was presiding over the Senate. He was a moderator. I don’t remember him saying anything publicly."
Also, Minton said, Rockefeller’s home was the site of a fund-raiser for Planned Parenthood, a group that is "on the other side of the life issue."
At the time of that fund-raiser in 1991, a protest took place outside Rockefeller’s house. Members of a group called Friends for Life held posters covered with anti-abortion statements and photographs of fetuses both in the womb and aborted.
Nancy Liebbe, executive director of Planned Parenthood, said at the time that the event was a major fund-raiser for the organization and that the Arkansas group’s main function was providing family-planning services.
The $75-a-ticket event was expected to raise about $25,000 for Planned Parenthood, according to organizers at the time.
Hutchinson said he hadn’t talked to Hagan or Minton about the Rockefeller letter.
Rockefeller, who has been lieutenant governor since 1996, issued a statement late Thursday saying he has eight children, two with "special needs," and believes that every life is precious. "They are a living example of the importance and sanctity of human life."
He said he has supported all legislation against abortion enacted in his tenure as lieutenant governor. "I strongly support President Bush’s view that we need to create a culture of life in America," he said.
He also said he has personally supported crisis pregnancy centers that promote adoption, rather than abortion, as well as the Arkansas Right to Life Educational Trust.
Arkansas Right to Life Executive Director Rose Mimms of Little Rock declined to comment on Rockefeller’s mailer.
Arkansas Right to Life hasn’t endorsed Rockefeller in any of his races, Mimms said. She said the organization hasn’t endorsed any candidate in the governor’s race yet.
Hutchinson said late Thursday that he was surprised that Rockefeller made the abortion issue a feature of his campaign.
But, he said, it’s "a good start for an issues discussion in the campaign." "My pro-life stand is well known, and it is an important stand to take," he said. "I welcome the lieutenant governor addressing the abortion issue and clarifying his position. I hope to win on the issues of what I can do in leadership on job growth in our state and addressing the problems of our young people, crime and education."
"The change was not because of political considerations, he said."
I doubt it. Sounds like a typical "Rockefeller Republican".
I never thought I'd live to see the day that someone would have to duck the Rockefeller name :-)!
More on Win Rockefeller's "conversion" to pro-life:
http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2005/05/11/DavidJSanders/321090.html
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