Posted on 08/20/2008 12:30:43 PM PDT by mojito
If you want to understand just how potent the issue of abortion can be in this campaign, take a look at this segment from Hannity & Colmes last night. Sean Hannity laid out for Bob Beckel in a specific, careful, calm way the fact that Barack Obama opposed legislation protecting children who had survived an abortion attempt. (For more on this issue, go here, here, and here).
In response, Beckels head began to explode.
Beckel seemed quite unfamiliar with the specifics of the issue (for example, he asserted existing Illinois law protected children who survived an abortion attempt, even though the state attorney general said it did not; that reality is what launched the national debate in the first place). Beckel therefore decided to go on the offensive. Enraged, he said that while he knew Republicans would go low, even he didnt think they would go this low. Why dont conservatives go back to accusing Obama of being a Muslim, Beckel shouted, rather than accusing him of supporting infanticide? What Republicans were doing was obscene and disgraceful. Alan Colmes decided to join the festivities as well; he said what Republicans were saying about Obama was outrageous and insulting.
In fact, its not. Regardless of what Obamas personal beliefs on the matter are, he voted against legislation that would have protected the rights of children who survived an attempted abortion. That fact is so stunning, and the implications so brutal, that Beckel and Colmes simply could not process it. They assumed it had to be impossible. But its not only possible, its true. Obama cast the vote he did. And its clear from last nights exchange that Democrats understand how explosive this issue can be.
It doesnt help matters, of course, that Obamas story is falling apart. Obama has been insisting that if the wording of the Illinois Born-Alive Infant Protection legislation had been similar to the wording of federal legislation, he would have voted for the legislation. But as the Washington Post reports today, Obama aides acknowledged yesterday that the wording of the state and federal bills was virtually identical.
Oops.
Its worth noting as well that the effort by the New York Times to provide a political life-raft to Obama on this issue has been taken apart by my colleague Yuval Levin here.
While a state senator in Illinois, Barack Obama cast the most extreme vote imaginable on abortion, worse even than supporting partial-birth abortion. Children who had been targeted for abortion but were born alive were still not safe; in Barack Obamas America, they still do not possess rights or the protection of the law. Obamas effort to explain his vote away is in the process of collapsing. And the gap between him and McCain continues to close. For the first time in this campaign, Obama is on the defensive, a bit rattled, and worried. He has reason to be.
There could be a video on YouTube of Barry Hussein lopping the heads off babies and liberals would still vote for him.
...and if that fails, just say "Well, everyone does that!"
I've been to several dinner parties loaded with libs over the past year and I always bring up the Infants Born Alive Act because it is impossible for anyone to agree with Obama on this issue, no matter how liberal they are. Inevitably, their responses were that I had my facts wrong, that this was just a right-wing talking point, blah-blah-blah. One putz even suggested that I had "swallowed the Kool-Aid." It's a good thing I was at the home of a close friend, because I was ready, willing, and able to physically extract a refutation of that comment. ("Take it back or die, liberal putz!")
I’m not sure about saying he favors murder (you have to believe its murder for it tobe murder), but from the beginning, I was a astonished that the Dems would run an extremist like Obama and expect success. It’s like the GOP running Jesse Helms for President and expecting a landslide victory. It’s just dopey.
That’s my experience, as well - they simply deny that this is his position on the issue.
“Oh, he doesn’t favor killing those babies, he just voted against REQUIRING aid for them.”
The last Zogby had his numbers with Catholics at
Catholics 47%, July 36% August
That is a drop of 11 points with Catholic voters. Keep in mind this poll was taken between Aug12-16.
Saddleback was not held until the evening of Aug 16th.
“That’s not the Obama I knew.”
Been saying that for several days now. Mccain play this one point correctly he could win everything but DC and VT. Them two would vote for Satan(D).
Hello, Hanuman...... Hello, Jerry.
Watching the panel at the end of H&C last night was fascinating. To hear Betchell accuse and attack Hannity and Anne Colter, asking "How low can you Republicans go?" Wow!!!
I cannot call it abortion after the fetus would be viable, maybe 5-6 months. To partially deliver an 8-month premie and suck it's brains out isn't abortion, it's murder to me and to most Americans. Obama supports that form of infanticide and it was just a small step for him to prefer the killing of a survivor of a "botched abortion" whatever that phrase means.
I really believe that this punk State Senator five years ago didn't envision himself being on the national stage in such a short time having to defend his punk statements about an "Infant Protection" bill potentially impacting partial birth abortions and eventually all late-term abortions, thus limiting Roe v. Wade.
What I've heard is that Obama chaired the Health Committee in Illinois and blocked this bill from even coming a vote two or three times. When it did get past him he voted against protecting infants once and the other time, he denounced the Infant Protection bill then voted "Present".
Dang his mojo need a lot of help. What happened to the Cross and his Voodoo doll.
Saw it. It’s just too easy to push Beckel’s hot button and watch his eyes turn black. He starts screaming above those trying to speak so that the truth can’t be understood, all because either he doesn’t understand it or doesn’t want others to. He’s so predictable now.
Look at our favorite limericker.
Unfortunately for BO, allowing a baby that survives an abortion to die it is still murder (negligent homicide).
If I killed an illegal immigrant and did not think the laws against murder applied to them because they were here illegally, I would still be guilty of murder.
Is a child that survives an abortion attempt no less a person and deserving of legal protection than an illegal immigrant?
This is what will sink Obama on this issue.
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
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