In a marked departure from last week's Democratic presidential debate, the differences among candidates were most pronounced on social issues. In addition to abortion rights, those issues included federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and whether it was proper for Congress to intervene in the Terri Schiavo case in 2005.
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On some hot-button issues, including the Schiavo intervention, the seven second-tier candidates attempted to portray themselves as more in line than the front-runners with the GOP's base. Giuliani, Arizona Senator McCain, and former Massachusetts Governor Romney all said or implied that Congress was wrong to intervene in the case, while Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback and California Rep. Duncan Hunter defended the move.
"Even if it's in that difficult moment that she's in at that point in time, that life is sacred," Brownback said of Schiavo. "And we should stand for life in all its circumstances."
GOP Debate Reveals Sharp Divisions on Major Issues
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I think this emphasis is ludicrously out of step with the actual concerns of Republican primary voters, but very much in tune with the stereotype of Republicans that the MSM seek to convey. (It was no accident that one of Chris Matthews' questions was about Terry Schiavo!)
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