Fred Thompson: Pro-Choice Republican

Libertarian Republican ^ | April 7, 2007 | Eric Dondero

[Spiff]

All I posted were FACTS about FT — if you don’t like them, examine your support of him, don’t shoot the messenger, which is what you are doing.

First, the LIE that I referred to was your outright LIE that Giuliani's and Thompson's positions on gays and abortion were identical. They're not even close and your lies won't change that.

Second, as to the facts that you posted, one must examine the reason that you posted those facts in the manner that you did. It is obvious that you posted mostly irrelevant facts about Thompson in an effort to paint Thompson as someone more liberal than he is.

You made that more obvious in your laughable false claim that Thompson's positions on gays and abortion were "identical" to Giuliani's liberal positions. You made your agenda obvious. That is, to misrepresent conservative Fred Thompson and discourage FReepers from supporting him. You posting history demonstrates that you are doing this to somehow garner support for your liberal candidate. What you're doing is wrong.

If you once were a conservative FReeper, then you've really fallen quite far. You're here trying to get conservative FReepers to support a liberal candidate. You have joined the ranks of the trolls and disruptors who have come on to Free Republic to attack conservative candidates and to promote candidates like Clinton, Gore, and Kerry.

[cpforlife.org]

“Keep misrepresenting Fred on the issues, and I’ll keep calling you on it. End result: Fred picks up new backers every time.”

Sturm Ruger is correct. “Fred picks up new backers evey time.” And I'm PINGing hundreds to this thread.

While no candidate is perfect Rudy is quite frankly a disgrace.

I think Thompson would be at least as good—or better—than Rudy on the war.

Rudy has no true positives but plenty of negatives.

On virtually all social issues Rudy IS Hillary.

FairOpinion, you should stop posting like such a sad liberal.

[Victoria Delsoul]

We produce Rudy's PUBLIC record on what he has done as a matter of reference. Not just what some other talking head THINKS. That is what you Rudybots do. Produce opinions of others while ignoring the factual basis for our concerns about Rudy or the reality of voting records for Thompson

Do you have a reading comprehension problem? Or did you deliberately miss Thompson's quotes which I posted yesterday.

I will post them again:

Thompson said he opposes making early-term abortions a crime, as some Republicans would like to do with a constitutional amendment. "But I don't think you should bolt on one issue. I'm still not convinced platforms are a good idea. We know what we believe in and I don't think we need to write it all down in a document," Thompson said. (AP, 8/6/96)

Furthermore, I'm adding this from the American Spectator posted just a few days ago:

In the interview, Thompson was asked: "Some conservatives got flustered by your comments on abortion and Roe vs. Wade. Would you like to explain your position on abortion?"

Thompson answered: "Government should stay out of it. No public financing. The ultimate decision must be made by the woman. Government should treat its citizens as adults capable of making moral decisions on their own."

First-trimester abortion has had constitutional protection since the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, and the decision says “the fundamental right of single women and married persons to choose whether to have children is protected by the Ninth Amendment, through the Fourteenth Amendment," reading the right of privacy to now include a woman's unfettered right to have an abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy, and even later if it's to save the mother's life. It's relatively easy for Thompson to keep his first trimester pro-choice stance while keeping with the rest of the pro-life vote.

In other words, since first trimester abortion issues weren't ever put to a senate vote, Thompson never had to vote against first trimester abortions because it was always legal under the USC for his entire tenure as a senator .

However, his 1994 comments are valid and there hasn't been any comment from him since then in which he opposes first trimester abortions.

So saying he is pro-life except for favoring first trimester abortions smacks of hypocrisy and quite frankly, dishonesty. I am unaware of any mainstream pro-life position where one is pro-choice during the first trimester and pro-life for the next 6 months of pregnancy.

There is no question Rudy is pro-choice and he has never denied it, and I have never denied it, either. But my post wasn't about Rudy's well known pro-choice stance but rather Thompson's position on the issue. Saying that Roe vs Wade is bad law is giving lip service to the intellectually challenged. The question is, what is he going to do about it? Does he oppose first trimester abortion now? By the way, I spent a quite deal of time looking for any statement from him opposing first trimester abortion and couldn't find it.

Thompson's quote again:

"Government should stay out of it. No public financing. The ultimate decision must be made by the woman. Government should treat its citizens as adults capable of making moral decisions on their own."

And since you are proud of producing public records and public quotes when it comes to Rudy, produce a quote from Thompson in which he unambiguously opposes first trimester abortion. Unless you have this statement, refrain from replying to me with another attempt at spin, because I'm not at all interested.

[HitmanLV]

His promise to appoint judges in the Roberts-Alito mode is nothing more than a sop to pro-lifers and conservatives in general.

That's a conclusion, not an argument. There's no reason to believe that he won't keep his word. Indeed, as it has been posted elsewhere, and which is over the heads of many pro lifers, a politician may be pro abortion but against the Roe decision - that is, leave it up to the states to make policy.

A pro abortion judge can also think Roe is a bad decision, and that policy is best left up to the states.

I see no reason to believe that Rudy won't nominate judges as he has said. The fact that he is pro abortion isn't a reason.

[garv]

I see no reason to believe that Rudy won't nominate judges as he has said. The fact that he is pro abortion isn't a reason.

Let's see, I think it's unlikely he'll appoint Judges in the Scalia-Thomas mold based on his record, his ideology, and his contradictory statements.

You're basing your belief on "because he said so".

I'll stick with my method.

[Aussie Dasher]

If Thompson still holds to this view, we better start looking elsewhere.

Romney might just be the one.

[MNJohnnie]

Intresting that a supposed “Libertarian” is so desperate to slime Thompson. Sounds to me like Thompson is his ideological soul mate so why the pathetic need by this supposed “Libertarian” to go after him?

Something about this story stinks. Either the “Libertarian” writing this is not really a Libertarian or the story is not quite accurate.

[laurie_d]

I don’t get it.

Free Republic is full of conservatives bashing other conservatives. Either they’re not conservative enough, or they disagree with something, or they said something once that wasn’t in total agreement with what someone else said....

It’s great to disagree and get the best candidate for the job in 2008. But, I’ve seen many posters here claim they will refuse to vote for GOP candidate A, B, C, D, etc. if that candiate is nominiated because he’s not conservative enough.

elections have consequences, in case some of you have forgotten.

[RunningJoke]

That image you posted is very interesting. Beyond the comparison, Roe v. Wade bypassed the entire law making process.

"The left frequently poses as the champions of democracy. It has to, because liberals are generally committed to the democratic idea, and the left relies on liberal support to secure mainstream legitimacy for its agenda. Recall, however, that the left has won virtually all of its victories in America not through the democratic process but by going around it. How did abortion become legal? How did the left get its radical doctrine of secularism adopted? How has the left managed to overturn all laws against pornography? How is gay marriage being pushed today? In every case, the left has relied on the courts to declare a "right" and then enforce that right against the will of the American people and their elected representatives. In this sense, the biggest victories of the cultural left in the past few decades have all been achieved undemocratically." --Dinesh D'Souza, The Enemy at Home