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Posted on 09/08/2010 8:44:09 PM PDT by Tabi Katz
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Haley Barbour is the latest potential Republican presidential candidate to suggest that social issues like abortion should be taken off the table while making the economy the main focus. Despite the fact that polls show Americans strongly oppose the pro-abortion health care law, Barbour says fiscal issues should take priority.
At a breakfast with reporters this morning sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor, the Mississippi governor said those who focus on social issues like abortion are taking the GOP off message this election cycle.
“Any issue that takes people’s eye off of unemployment, job creation, economic growth, taxes, spending, deficits, debts is taking your eye off the ball,” Barbour said, according to a Daily Caller report.
“But if somebody goes to campaign for governor candidate x, I would hope that somebody would stay focused on the issues that matter to the campaign: jobs, the economy, taxes, spending, debt, deficits,” Barbour continued. “You run down rabbit trails, you're wasting— you're using up valuable resources that could be used to talk to people about what they care about.”
He said his advice is primarily for candidates seeking election in November, even though polling data makes it clear that Republicans, the overwhelming majority of whom are pro-life, are much more enthused about voting than their largely pro-abortion Democratic counterparts.
Barbour was asked about the "truce" potential presidential candidate Mitch Daniels, the Indiana governor, called for on social issues that quickly got him in trouble with pro-life advocates.
Though Barbour is strongly pro-life and has signed pro-life legislation, he said he agreed with Daniels' sentiment, which Daniels partly walked back in a subsequent interview.
Barbour said a candidate's stance on abortion “ain’t going to change anybody’s vote this year."
During the breakfast, The Hill reports Barbour said he has not thought much about running for president and wouldn't make a decision until at least after the elections.
“I'm not giving serious thought to running for president until after the November election,” Barbour said, adding, “I expect this to be a very wide open nomination contest."
He has said he is aware that he may have limited appeal as a presidential candidate because he is seen as a southern conservative "bubba" who is overweight and possesses a heavy drawl accent.
But, if Barbour begins telling pro-life voters they need to take a back seat and that the issue of abortion won't determine how they vote, his potential campaign may be dead before it begins.
So he’s not running, is that what I’m hearing?
Thank you, Haley. At least someone is showing sense.
The Economy is a winning issue, and easily divides the electorate into two parts, a majority of which favor our side.
ANY other wedge issue will serve only to take SOME Of those supporting us on the economy and push them back to the democrats.
We can’t forget the other issues, but do you really think there is a pro-life voter out there who isn’t already going to vote for a republican who is pro-life, whether or not they speak about it during the campaign?
Is he the guy that speaks like he has a mouth full of you know what?
What an ignorant a-hole. Let us tell Christians to stay home on election day too why don’t we.
Not seriously anyway; he clearly doesn’t want to win. Even so, we can do without his divisive rhetoric, especially at a time when most Americans - especially Republicans - consider themselves pro-life.
Come on. Hes hitting it.
Adding every issue upfront in public means less votes.
I am pro life but I am willing to bide my time a bit more.
We can win with one or two issues and then leverage the winners into policy changes.
and that is how the left has been doing it since 1964.
You can hate Obamacare because of its intrusion and not get on the Abortion issue. You can hate the takeover of GM and Chrysler because of lost jobs and government intrusion, not because of prayer in school. You can hate the government stimulus because it’s funding un-needed things, not because it’s paying for the construction of mosques.
Focus on jobs, government over-regulation, and the economy. EVERYTHING ELSE IS SECONDARY.
THAT is exactly what I just heard...
This title of the article needs edited.
Should read “Presidential Contender Commits Political Suicide”.
I mean HOW many of these folks can they get to split the RINO McWillard vote ??
Too bad too... I was sorta liking him.
Scratch that.
How about Sheriff Joe ?? He’s in NH soon !!
Yep, that's the one!
Not sure why Haley thinks he needs to give this advice to candidates all around the US. His judgment usually seems good, but this is odd, especially since the effect of addressing or not addressing these issues could vary greatly from state-to-state and district-to-district.
FWIW, Haley Barbour _is_ a social conservative.
Nevertheless, within the state is is usually Lt. Governor Phil Bryant who leads on these and immigration issues, very articulately and publicly.
Neither of these guys is a Trent Lott type.
I will have to ponder this. Barbour is not a squish.
Government funded abortions are a fiscal issue.
*facepalm*
Thank you Haley ... NOW - go STFU... Conservative Republican Principles must be espoused ... they must be part of the Republican set of campaign issues ... Any compromise on Conservative principle is a political ‘Death Wish”...
Oh goodie, libertarian food. Barbour is an RNC big tent moron, that seems to have drank the koolAid, and I like the guy.
Definitely. Thousand of children being slaughtered every day is such a distraction from the important things.
I agree with Gov. Barbour. We’re all pro-life, but people who are unemployed aren’t going to feel passionate about stopping abortion if they cannot even put food on the table.
Aww Geez, another one to scratch off the list. And at his age he should definitely know better. A southerner no less!! Haley you should be ashamed of yourself! Yes we conservatives still believe there is such a thing as shame. Imagine that!
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