Posted on 04/11/2007 6:56:56 AM PDT by Princip. Conservative
WASHINGTON After months of meetings with people on both sides of the stem cell debate, Sen. Bob Casey said he will oppose a bill that would clear the way for government financing of new embryonic stem cell research.
Legislation coming up for debate today in the Senate would lift President Bushs 2001 ban on taxpayer-funded research of embryonic stem cells developed after that time.
In an effort to win the support of lawmakers like Casey who have backed the ban, sponsors included a provision stating that Congress endorses all types of stem cell research. A similar bill passed Congress last year, but was vetoed by President Bush.
Casey, D-Pa., has been lobbied by bill backers attempting to garner the two-thirds Senate support needed to override a presidential veto.
Casey, who is Catholic and opposed to abortion, said in a statement released Monday he doesnt support the bill because I remain opposed to federal funding for research that involves the destruction of living embryos.
As he said in his campaign last year, Casey noted he continues to support funding for other types of stem cell research that dont involve the destruction of embryos, such as umbilical and adult stem cells.
He also said in the campaign that he supported Bushs ban.
I have listened carefully, especially to those whose loved ones are suffering from serious diseases and disabilities and who disagree with my position, Casey said. I deeply respect their views and hope they can come to understand mine.
(Excerpt) Read more at cumberlink.com ...
Nice try but no stogie.
Bob Casey Sr. was as pro-life as they come.
Apparently his son is pretty good in the pro-life department as well.
if his vote was the deciding vote for victory on this issue - the Dems would have it. If its not, they are letting him take a free ride here. That’s all this is.
Casey will not be the deciding vote to deny a veto override. The Dems don’t have the votes for an override unless the republicans crack big time on this. That’s the purpose of this whole exercise - to see if the Republicans crack big enough to shift enough votes for an override.
You are just blathering.
Some folks do look at more than politics on such issues.
will Casey be the deciding vote on a successful veto over-ride in the senate? you’ve yet to give your prediction on that question.
the Dems will let him slide on this one, because its a meaningless vote if an override is not close to having enough Republican votes to pass.
Great news - I also doubted Junior would follow in his father’s (solidly) pro-life footsteps. If I was wrong about him, I will gladly admit it. His father, for all his other political faults, was certainly not afraid to stand up to his own party on behalf of the unborn.
That being said, I agree with the posters who state that the real test will come either if he is the deciding vote to override a veto (67th vote, not 60th as posted here) and/or his vote on any conservative SC nominations.
In order to maintain their majority - the Dems are clever to deliver “empty votes” to the so-called conservative Dems in their party needed for them to maintain control.
contrast that with the republicans - who want to chase out every moderate and RINO from the party, even when the result leaves us in the powerless in the minority. they don’t call us the “stupid” party for nothing.
Casey is a stuffed shirt, and he knows he’s goat a 160k+ or whatever it is now gig for life now that he’s in the senate... and PA will not re-elect him if he votes for abortion/stem cells.
PA is one of the most ardent anti-abortion states in terms of its voting population around.
I wish I could say Casey is being principled, but I don’t believe for one minute he is.
how “ardently pro-life” can PA be - if they voted for Gore, Kerry, and Spector. and who is the PA governor, is he pro-life?
This vote just gives Casey an opportunity to cement his hold on his position. He had no choice. The optics of this are all staged.
If Casey supports Bush nominees to SCOTUS then I will take a huge sigh of relief. It sure would be nice to have more than 1 Dem vote on the close ones.
Trust me, I live in PA, and if you come out and say I’m pro-abortion, pro-partial birth, pro-stem cell.. you can kiss your career goodbye.
You can argue nuances with national races, but state wide, no way. Trust me, in this state, ardent pro-abortion anti-life candidates lose state wide.
Our current governor is Rendell, and who knows what he believes, he’ll say anything to stay in power.
However remember that governor the DNC banned from speaking at their convention because he was indeed a indiological pro-life man? That was governor Casey... this senators Father... unfortunately the son does not have remotely the convictions or capacity of his father.
Don’t bet on it, Casey’s a stuffed shirt, he’ll tow the party line through and through on something like that one.
No, he’s not... his son is a stuffed shirt playing politics... He does not remotely carry his father’s ideology on abortion et al. He just knows he makes a blantant play pro-abortion, his free ride is over.
Casey will ABSOLUTE CARRY THE PARTY LINE when he has plausible deniability.. IE Judge confirmations.
When its a blatant issue about abortion without political cover he’ll not go for it, because he knows if he does he won’t get re-elected.
But don’t think for one minute Casey Jr. is his father.. he’s not. He’ll tow the party line when he has to.
Gore and Kerry both won state-wide races in PA - the last time I looked, the presidential election was state wide.
and the odds of a republican winning PA in 2008 - is low.
Republicans lose statewide in PA because the metro suburbs are increasingly voting Dem. These are white middle and upper middle class voters, who frankly don’t care that much about the social litmus test issues either way. They’ll stick with a Dem even if he his pro-life (Casey), but won’t go Republican simply because a Dem is pro-abortion.
Our side tends to think that every voter is a single-issue voter on abortion, guns, gays - these metro suburban voters aren’t. So if we can’t appeal to them on other issues, they vote Dem. And the Republican margins in the parts of the state where those single issue voters are - aren’t enough to make up the difference.
Oh really? Perhaps you can explain how Santorum managed to win handily in 2000 when he was ALSO running against a strongly pro-life, "centrist" style Democrat (Ron Klink). Klink ran as openly pro-life and Santorum mopped the floor with him, even while Gore was winning statewide in the same election.
Santorum's reversal of fortune in 2006 can be summed up in two words:
Specter Endorsement.
BS, suburbs are not increasingly voting DEM.. you should go look at the 2000 and 2004 blue/red breakdown maps.. you’ll see quite obviously that blue areas DECREASED and have been for many cycles.
National elections are not the same as state wide, sorry, you can think they aren’t, but they are.
I don’t think votes are entirely single issue, but I do know that Casey goes and votes in an open vote with no cover for abortion, partial birth, stem cell, he’ll likely not go back next cycle, and Casey stuffed shirt and all knows it as well.
He’s didn’t vote principle, he voted practicality. When a SCOTUS confirmation comes up, he’ll have cover, because he can reject for any reason he can make up, even when its Dems opposition to their abortion stand that will be at the heart of a matter.
Presidential elections have completely different dynamics than state elections. I’ll also tell you this much about PA and 2008.. if Hillary is the Dem nominee, PA won’t even be in play. She’ll lose this state big time. She is absolutely hated here, even among live long democrats.
I unfortunately agree with you. He will find some other reason to oppose well qualified conservative nominees. I TRULY hope that I am wrong. If I am not, then it will be kind of strange that the Dem senator from PA is more conservative than the R senator. Not that being more conservative than Specter is all that difficult.
so how did Gore and Kerry win PA then? Its the Philly suburbs that decide it, and these metro suburbs are going increasingiy Dem in many of the populated states. the NYC suburbs, the DC suburbs in northern Virginia (that was where Webb won it). How did McCaksill win Missouri?
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