Posted on 05/07/2007 5:25:31 PM PDT by madprof98
Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani in his campaign appearances this year has stated that he personally abhors abortion, even though he supports keeping a legal right to choose. But records show that in the '90s he contributed money at least six times to Planned Parenthood, one of the country's leading abortion rights groups and its top provider of abortions.
Federal tax returns made public by the former New York mayor show that he and his then-wife, Donna Hanover, made personal donations to national, state and city chapters of Planned Parenthood totaling $900 in 1993, 1994, 1998 and 1999.
The returns have been on the public record for years, but the detail about Giuliani's support for Planned Parenthood -- along with e-mailed copies of the returns -- was provided to The Politico by aides to a rival campaign, who insisted on not being identified.
Giuliani's old contributions could echo throughout the 2008 GOP nomination battle, as he seeks to lessen the political impact of his support for abortion rights -- an unpopular position among the social conservatives who in recent elections have weighed decisively in the primaries and caucuses. The issue was raised anew at last week's debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, when Giuliani gave a noncommittal answer to the question of whether it would be a good day for the country if Roe v. Wade were overturned.
"It'd be OK," Giuliani responded, adding that it would also be all right if the Supreme Court decided the other way.
On the campaign trail, Giuliani has a consistent mantra when the abortion issue comes up. "I'm against abortion. I hate it. I wish there never was an abortion, and I would counsel a woman to have an adoption instead of an abortion," Giuliani said last month in Columbia, S.C., in a typical comment.
He also frequently notes that, during his tenure as mayor, the number of abortions went down in New York City and that, as president, he would appoint "strict constructionist judges," a description meant to reassure social conservatives.
Asked how Giuliani could reconcile personal opposition to abortion with a contribution to Planned Parenthood, a Giuliani spokeswoman reiterated the former mayor's stump message and took what could be construed as a shot against former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who has recently become an opponent of abortion rights.
"Mayor Giuliani has been consistent in his position -- he is personally opposed to abortion, but at the same time he understands it is a personal and emotional decision that should ultimately be left up to the woman," said Maria Comella.
Comella added that, "from the start, Mayor Giuliani has been straight with the American people about where he stands on the issues and saying exactly what he thinks.
"Ultimately, this election is about leadership, and it's a sign of leadership to stand by your position in the face of political expediency."
Giuliani's bid will test how far an abortion-rights politician can advance within the GOP. Every Republican nominee since 1980 has opposed abortion.
Opposition researchers for other candidates hope to make Giuliani's life more difficult at regular intervals -- and to help them out, they have a trove of video clips and quotes from Giuliani's time in City Hall showing him to be a vocal advocate of abortion rights.
For example, in 2001, appearing at a NARAL/Pro-Choice America luncheon, he voiced the conservative case for abortion rights, arguing that it "might be more consistent with the philosophy of the Republican Party.
"Because the Republican Party stands for the idea that you have to restore more freedom of choice, more opportunity, more opportunity for people to make their own choices rather than the government dictating those choices," said Giuliani.
Told of Giuliani's contributions to Planned Parenthood, Clemson University political science professor Dave Woodard said, "If he actually gave money to Planned Parenthood, boy, that puts him in a very precarious position, at least in the South Carolina Republican Party."
A Republican, Woodard noted that a personal contribution is something that is difficult to explain away to abortion opponents. "This isn't something like where your position is misunderstood," he said. "An overt act of giving money shows support for a position. That can't be a mistake or misinterpretation."
Merle Black, an Emory University political science professor and author, along with his brother, of a new book on American politics, "Divided America," agreed that the contributions would again push Giuliani "on the defensive" on the issue.
"He's got to change the subject or come up with much more effective answers than he had (at the debate)," said Black.
Still, Black noted that there are "a lot more issues" than just abortion and that Giuliani's strength on national security -- along with the enhanced importance of more moderate states like California, Florida, New York and New Jersey in the GOP primary process -- could lessen the social litmus test.
Amy Walter, a political analyst with the Cook Political Report who is set to take over The Hotline next month, said Giuliani's past contributions and current rhetoric could combine to make him look like an opportunist. The issue threatens to go to "the heart of what opponents of Giuliani are hoping to do, which is undermine him on his greatest strength, which is his credibility and leadership."
The effort, Walter said, is not just to portray him as "not conservative enough, but to try to chip away at the image of a leader and nonpolitician."
Spokesmen for Romney and Arizona Sen. John McCain said their candidates have never donated to abortion-rights groups. (Romney gave to a Massachusetts anti-abortion-rights organization last year.)
Founded in New York City by Margaret Sanger in 1916, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America has 860 locations around the country. In addition to providing abortions, the organization also provides birth control, emergency contraception, testing for STDs and other gynecological services.
In 2005, the last year for which a Planned Parenthood representative could provide statistics, the organization performed 264,943 abortions and distributed more than 1.2 million emergency contraception kits.
I don’t know why the liberals here are so reluctant to just come out and admit that they are liberals and that is the reason they support Rudy.
Instead, they hide behind all of these talking points that have been demonstrably disproven.
Of course there is good and bad charisma...Clinton and the like have the darksides charisma. I believe Romney has the good charisma just like Reagan had. A candidate needs to draw people and make them enthusiastic. Just being right on the issues isn’t enough. Dole was right on the issues but didn’t have enough projection of enthusiasm.
I am STILL not ready to jump in with Romney. The shallow people of this country want charisma, slick — ie they wish to be played the fool and they may well be in the majority, BUT — right/wrong, win/lose — I will vote issues.
I am a social moderate. For persuasion, and personal responsibility concerning the single issue.
you are spinning what I am trying to say...charisma: “a divinely conferred gift or power.” The right issues are explained with conviction with that. So really, charimsa is not a correct usage for the Clinton types. More like hypnotic power.
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Yes. Agreed.
The good news is that there are a lot less of them than there were a month ago!
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Yes. More seem to be leaving daily. It's a brave thing to do, but Mr. Robinson is not lacking in courage.
What does that even mean?
Are you one of the "I would never commit infanticide, but I'm okay if others do" type of "moderates"? Are you okay with people committing other acts of murder and violence as long as you don't participate?
YOUR ATTITUDE of not standing up to evil has resulted in 50 MILLION slaughtered infants since 1973, who should take responsibility for that?
You’re more than welcome to vote for someone nominated from the political center of the GOP. It won’t be that far a trip rightward for you, as compared to the long trek to the left for conservatives to vote for Rudy. A journey that long requires that many principles have to be jettisoned.
The Rockefeller Wing of the GOP was pretty good at keeping the Dems in permanent power. Sorry, but we don't want to go back.
And they were NOWHERE NEAR AS LIBERAL AS ROOTY.
I have yet to find a social “moderate” explain how the social breakdown that results from their policies won’t result in fiscal liberalism.
You can’t refute it, because it’s irrefutable.
Social breakdown resulting from liberal social standards and policies ushers in massive amounts of tax money thrown at the problems (unwanted children, brokren families, molested kids, feral children, drug addicts, etc). Unless you’re a devout libertarian and won’t mind if they all die in alleys.
“”YOUR ATTITUDE of not standing up to evil has resulted in 50 MILLION slaughtered infants since 1973, who should take responsibility for that???””
For the sake of an intellectual discussion, I did a lot of research into the whole issue in the library back in the 70s. The RCC mystic Aquinas says that “the soul comes into the body after the mystical 40 days” Many spiritual traditions teach that the soul enters the body with the breath.
I had a lot of trouble getting pregnant, and probably had dozens of zygotes floating around. I don’t for one minute think that my zygotes were sentient human souls.
In an intelligently designed universe, which I believe in, billions of sentient human souls are not floating around in the sewers of the world.
Abortion is a world wide problem that is never going away no matter what. Laws will not stop abortion no matter what. Mexico is legalizing abortion because of the millions of illegal abortions.
Persuasion is the only way to lessen abortion.
The FACT is that almost all abortions are performed well after 40 days. But I guess your argument is that taking life is okay even though there is a question as to whether or not there is a soul.
Abortion is a world wide problem that is never going away no matter what.
Neither is post-birth murder, rape, arson, robbery, etc. -- should we legalize all of these as well?
Persuasion is the only way to lessen abortion.
Spoken like a true liberal. Unfortunately, the numbers don't add up.
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