So, it would be “pandering” if Fred came out against murder?
No, it would be pandering to give this narrow group the answer they wanted instead of an honest answer. Fred gave an honest answer. The Schiavo case was not closely followed by the vast majority of Americans, even though some were deeply and emotionally involved. Those in the legislature at the time knew something about the case because legislation was proposed, although most of them knew little of the facts or complex litigation that had already ensued.
If this group wanted to know Fred's position on guardianships of incompetent, handicapped people, they could have asked him about that. Fred is an attorney and knows better than to make public comments about a specific legal case in which he is not fully apprised of the facts. Non-attorneys would do well to follow this example.