Posted on 03/11/2009 9:02:19 PM PDT by xjcsa
In an interview with GQ, Michael Steele called abortion an "individual choice" and said the question should be left to the states.
Quotes from the interview; interviewer's questions in italics:
THE GOOD:
Do you think bipartisanship can work?
No. [pause] Look, I’m sorry, I know this is, you know, la-la land and Rodney King time and we all wanna get along, but that is not the nature of American politics. That is not the nature of politics, period.
I don’t know if refreshing’s the word, but to hear someone say bipartisanship doesn’t work—
It doesn’t work! I mean, I understand the ideal of it. But at the end of the day, this is a game of winners and losers. This is zero-sum. Your winning is my losing. My winning is your losing.
[snip]
THE BAD
Do you think homosexuality is a choice?
Oh, no. I don’t think I’ve ever really subscribed to that view, that you can turn it on and off like a water tap. Um, you know, I think that there’s a whole lot that goes into the makeup of an individual that, uh, you just can’t simply say, oh, like, “Tomorrow morning I’m gonna stop being gay.” It’s like saying, “Tomorrow morning I’m gonna stop being black.”
[snip]
THE UGLY
Are you saying you think women have the right to choose abortion? Yeah. I mean, again, I think that’s an individual choice.
You do?
Yeah. Absolutely.
Are you saying you don’t want to overturn Roe v. Wade?
I think Roe v. Wade—as a legal matter, Roe v. Wade was a wrongly decided matter.
Okay, but if you overturn Roe v. Wade, how do women have the choice you just said they should have?
The states should make that choice. That’s what the choice is. The individual choice rests in the states. Let them decide.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
“because we do not want to do anything that will result in more abortions”
So... if a woman hires a man to kill her six-week-old baby, she goes to prison for contracting a murder. But if she hires a man to kill her six-week-old fetus, she gets tea and sympathy? Really? That is what you honestly believe?
I guess you are aren’t really “pro-life”, you are more “willing to waffle on life if it is politically expedient”. Is it a life or not? If a fetus is JUST LIKE a baby, then don’t you treat them EXACTLY ALIKE? Doesn’t the fetus deserve the same justice as the baby?
A woman who kills her baby goes to prison. A woman who kills her fetus goes scott-free. And you guys are criticizing Michael Steel for being confusing!!
why do we stick criminals in jail? to deter other criminals...if sticking murderers in jail resulted in an increase in murder then I don’t think we would be able to continue such a policy.
You know how many people died because of those who thought that slavery was OK? Over 600,000.
“The Pro-Life movement adopted a position of Constitutional protections about the time they turned to a Constitutional amendment as a preference to overturning Roe v. Wade.”
the most popular ones simply repealed roe v wade. It may be easier to repeal roe via amendment than expect the SC to get its act together. At least it makes repealing Roe a national campaign issue and if that results in electing more pro-life conservatives then that can result in some good even if Roe isn’t immediately repealed.
That is *not* true. The realization may have come slowly to the national Pro-life mind, but the insistence came all-at-once, as socon impatience with the Republican party caused them to strengthen their demands wrt their organized support.
Just because the Republicans are trying to re-shape the socons by rejecting the ValueVoters for Saddleback, and trying to rollback significant issues like the Constitutional Life defense, and the Marriage Act, by offering less than rock-ribbed candidates on these issues, does not mean that the socons have forgotten.
In fact, I would wager that the Republicans will not win again because they refuse to toe the line for the Christian Right.
I have been giving Steele the benefit of the doubt and hoping he would turn things around, but he has to go. He is hopeless.
He is not nearly conservative enough and when he attempts to defend conservative principles he does so clumsily.
He also has no clue about what the GOP needs to do to attract Black and Latino voters.
Pandering to Latinos, on illegal immigration and telling the lie that the Republicans have never offered anything to Blacks is disgusting and counterproductive.
You can win Latino votes by emphasizing abortion. We could also remind Latino citizens that they can legally petition for close relatives, so illegal immigration does not help them. It could also be pointed out that illegals make it harder for honest, legal Latinos, who unfairly get lumped in with or mistaken for illegals.
Black votes can be won by remaining strong in opposition to the sodomite agenda and pointing out that illegal immigrants steal jobs from Blacks and depress their wages.
Votes from both groups could be won by simply asking them to take a look at their neighborhoods to see what Liberal rule has done for them.
Republicans need to treat minorities like grown-ups, and tell them the truth, not treat them like children and pander the way the Democrats do.
We won’t change everyone’s mind, but we will change enough minds to win elections.
Mr. Steele must go.
Excellent post.
I think his point about letting the states decide is key. Regardless of the issue we should let the states decide on what will be allowed. Then we have choices on where we decide to live.
Roe vs Wade should be thrown out and the states should adopt legislation on whether to allow abortion or not.
We need to get the decisions out of the hands of people like Frank, Pelosi, etc and put back in the hands of people we can elect locally that we can actually be informed about.
That was the whole point of the Republic.
Wow. Steele is SO outta here.
If you think some states should have the power to alienate the unalienable right to live, which of your other unalienable rights are you prepared to allow states to alienate??
New tagline...
The fedgov has no business usurping and arrogating the right of the states to decide the laws on this issue.
Saying that, you betcha I’d be working at my state level to get murder of the unborn made illegal.
It is NOT my RIGHT to impose my views on others. As a Democracy our laws should represent a middle of the road perspective. It is the only way it will work.
The whole point on states deciding is it lets us as voters have an impact on what we allow our government to do. That is the EXACT reason why I no longer live in New England.
Any issue is up for compromise and the beauty of letting the states decide is you as an individual can decide which state best suits your beliefs and views and not that of some left loon whacko like Pelosi.
I am a pro-life person all the way but I also understand that a Federal ban on abortion will be just as bad as the extreme position Obama is taking. I also believe there are legitimate cases where abortion should be allowed, incest, rape, etc.
“how did Steele ever get elected?”
Ummm... HE’S BLACK?????
Isn’t that a better choice than having to live under a federal law passed by people like Pelosi, etc.
At least you have a chance to make a difference if the states decide and some states will align with your beliefs as it will represent the will of the people living there.
Worst case scenario some of us have to move...
That is why I left New England...I couldn’t take the insanity up there anymore.
This dipstick needs to STFU, go back to his office and do some work.
Since CPAC and the Rush situation, this time is critical for GOP to spread the “gospel”. Full-page display ads in newspapers and 30-second extreme ads during “American Idol” NOW would be incredibly effective. For example, start with Carville’s statement on 9/11 that he wanted Bush to fail, then the poll in ‘06 that a majority of dems wanted Bush to fail, then Carville criticizing Rush for saying he wanted Hussein to fail because he’s a socialist.
People are paying attention NOW, and it’s up to us to get the word out in unconventional ways. MSM isn’t going to share the info. Instead, Steele will be doing his Schumer impersonation looking for the nearest camera, and he might decide to do some advertising six months before the 2010 election.
As for abortion, GOP’s platform in pro-life, not pro-choice, and the dolt needs to remember that. Thinking about abortion makes me throw up. The fact that most aborted people are future dems does cross my mind. If they weren’t killing their own kids/future voters, they wouldn’t have to import voters from Mexico.
As a Democracy our laws should represent a middle of the road perspective.
A) We're not a "Democracy," we're a republic. The rule of law, not the rule of the mob. And B) "Middle of the road" is just another name for roadkill.
Your own posts make it crystal clear that you're not.
It was also Susan Smith’s INDIVIDUAL choice to drown her 2 boys.
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