You spouting the media’s logic has no effect?
Then why do you believe that this whole issue has any effect? If joining the media bandwagon against Mourdock has no effect, then who exactly does the media bandwagon affect?
People seem to be afraid that these comments will impact undecided voters. If so, then the thing that will stem the loss of undecided voters is pointing out why the media is misrepresenting what Mourdock said and/or meant. They’re trying to make it appear that Mourdock said women should be glad they were raped because God willed it, and you’re saying how stupid it was for Mourdock to say what he did. What does that do to help?
I’m saying that Mourdock never said that rape is fine, or that women should be glad if they were raped because it is God’s will. I’m saying that Mourdock said God is the author of life and that He works to bring good out of bad - which means that nothing bad that is done to us can destroy us, because we have Somebody working it out for good.
I’ve also challenged the idea that it’s OK to hate and destroy a child for the crime of his father. I’ve challenged the idea that we are guaranteed to be able to control everything about our life, or that if we are hurt we can pass that hurt on to somebody else just to be “fair”. I’ve challenged the idea that one innocent person’s right to say “no” legally trumps another innocent person’s very life (Does a homeowner have the right to knowingly kill and remove the body of a person who was kidnapped and placed within their home?)
Your venting about how stupid Mourdock is makes a net gain of zero at best. Makes you feel better, maybe. At worst it reinforces the very arguments being made by the media, which you claim to lament - and will lead undecided voters to vote against Mourdock and depress the vote of those who intended to vote for Mourdock but now believe it is hopeless.
Does feeling good about showing how stupid Mourdock is compared to you, arrogantsob, justify the potential harm you’re doing to Mourdock and conservatism?
I have reservations about Mitt Romney. I’ve written a letter to the editor opposing Mitt Romney in the primary because of his forcing Catholic hospitals to perform abortions. Now that Romney is the candidate, I want him to win because he’s the lesser of the 2 evils, but I can’t put a Romney sign in my yard. What I CAN do is argue the points I can in good conscience make, to fight against Obama and those who think like him. If/when Romney is elected I can then try to deal with his wrong stuff, but right now is not the time for that because there is a worse enemy we have to fight. I am choosing to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
Which are you? Don’t answer here if you don’t want to. This isn’t to put you or anybody else on the spot publicly, but to get each one of us to think about the impact we are having, compared to the impact we intend to have.
Why do I believe this will have a negative effect? I have watched for 40 yrs as the media takes comments by the Right and turn them into weapons to be used by the Left. It happens over and over and still these guys go out of their way to stick their feet in their mouths and to give the Left all it needs to beat them.
Had he said something like “As you know, I am Pro-Life so I would consul any woman who is pregnant to have the child. BUT it is NOT my decision to make.” There would have been no controversy or harm to his chances. Nor would he have lied or ditched his principles.
The media does not even HAVE to distort his comments. He shot himself in the foot. Our people must be CONSTANTLY aware of these traps the media set for us. He blundered blindly right into it. This should have been foreseen and properly prepared for.
Unlike the Democrat voters, Republicans cannot be afraid to tell the truth about their candidates as you propose. We have a higher standard than that.
Me having to call Mourdock’s comment “stupid” does not make me feel good at all. I hate seeing things like that giving aid and comfort to our enemies. But there is no way to avoid telling the truth about it.
No one is talking about abortion per se, the sanctity of life or the “father” but about the use his comments will be put to by the Left. Are you utterly blind to this reality? What have you been watching for the last half century?
Conservatism is not harmed in any way by me but it is harmed by blindly excusing mistakes and blunders on our guys’ part.
“At worst it reinforces the very arguments being made by the media, which you claim to lament - and will lead undecided voters to vote against Mourdock and depress the vote of those who intended to vote for Mourdock but now believe it is hopeless.” This is PRECISELY what I am saying and why it was such a totally bone-headed statement.
Romney was never my candidate but I have to say he has run a brilliant campaign mainly because he has NOT let his mouth run ahead of his brain. Mourdock would now be absolutely dead in just about any other state but Indiana. He might still win but he made it MUCH harder for himself and for the GOP throughout the country.
THAT is the damage to conservatism.