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The King who would be man...

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..................King is a long-time nemesis of pro-life forces in Tallahassee. Most notoriously, the Jacksonville Republican killed legislation – also sponsored by Webster – which attempted to save the life of Terri Schiavo, the severely brain-damaged woman who died in 2005 after a multi-year battle between her parents and husband.

In March 2005, in a last-ditch effort to pass legislation protecting Schiavo, King recruited eight other Republican senators to join him in opposing Webster’s bill. The senators became know as the “Republican Nine.” I wrote about King and the “Republican Nine” in a March 24, 2005, editorial.

It seems these “Republican Nine” are King’s target for his considerable lobbying efforts against Webster’s ultrasound bill. Who are these nine senators?

Nancy Argenziano is no longer in the Senate; she was replaced by Sen. Charlie Dean (R-Inverness).

Two, Sen. J.D. Alexander (R-Winter Haven) and Sen. Burt Saunders (R-Naples), voted in favor of Webster’s bill in their respective committees. Alexander confirmed to the Tribune he will vote on the floor for Webster’s ultrasound bill.

Sen. Dennis Jones (R-Seminole) voted in committee against the bill.

Sen. Mike Bennett (R-Bradenton) told the Herald he opposed the bill apart from King’s effort and Sen. Paula Dockery (R-Lakeland) told the Tribune she would vote “no.”

Sen. Lisa Carlton (R-Sarasota) and Sen. Evelyn Lynn (R-Daytona Beach) are undecided or their position is unknown.

With only one of the Senate’s 14 Democrats known to be in favor of the bill – Sen. Gary Siplin (D-Orlando) – if King really has six Republican votes, together with 13 Democrats, he only needs one more senator to kill the bill in the 40-member chamber, since 21 votes are required for passage.

Webster told the Herald he would insist on a floor vote, no matter the outcome.

“I’m going to give it everything I’ve got and bring it to a vote and let [senators] decide. This Legislature was set up not to be a battleground for any thing other than ideas. It’s not a battleground of personalities,” Webster said.

According to Herald-Tribune.com, Gov. Charlie Crist was non-committal on Webster’s bill on April 15, saying: “Let’s see what happens in the Senate first.” The House of Representatives passed a similar bill April 2.

Webster, a longtime member of First Baptist Church of Central Florida in Orlando, is serving in his last regular legislative session as term limits prevent him extending his 28-year, distinguished career in both the Senate and House of Representatives, where he served as Speaker of the House.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I note that Webster recently joined the 15-member Witness Board of Directors. Like all board members, however, he has no role in previewing or dictating editorial content, and he is completely unaware of this editorial.)

In one committee hearing, Webster rejected an opponent’s suggestion that he saw the ultrasound bill as an attempt to buttress his legislative legacy, saying he was “just trying to do good public policy.”

Indeed, Webster’s sterling legacy needs no further burnishing. He is a true statesman who has served his constituents superbly. Still, it is incredible that King would work so vigorously to oppose Webster on a priority bill in his last legislative session.

More important than a retiring senator’s legislative legacy are the lives of women and unborn children who would benefit from Webster’s bill. Tragically, without Webster’s bill, some unborn children literally will have no legacy.

Let’s pray a majority of the Senate and Gov. Crist put the interest of women and unborn children above King’s detestable lobbying efforts.

EDITORIAL: Sen. King’s detestable lobbying against life

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Hitlerean propaganda works so well with lefties because their fantasy thought process allows them to accept propaganda readily as fact. Rahm Emanuel exploits this in explaining away happenings in the voting public. I notice nothing is being made of Rush's "Operation Chaos" as a factor, but sure enough he echoes the now familiar strain that decent Americans wanted innocents like Terri dead and despise those who would try to defend her. As they shout it long enough so it becomes truth to the greater population, the libs already accept it as fact.

After 2006, some Republicans claimed these victories were a mere aberration. But the results of the 2006 election, combined with the overwhelming number of voters in the heart of the Republican base who are choosing to vote for a Democrat in 2008, prove that what we are seeing is not a fluke. Instead, we are witnessing a trend that is driven in large part by the Republican Party’s decision to take up all the wrong causes. When it comes to economic matters, Republicans have a message for the middle class: You’re on your own. But when it comes to your private life, Republicans don’t believe there is anything private about it. This philosophy was highlighted by the Republican Congress’ attempt to intervene in the case of Terri Schiavo.

This approach has left Republicans on the wrong side of key issues. Suburban voters are increasingly concerned about the growing threats to their standard of living. These voters have found little comfort in Republicans’ laissez-faire approach to our economy and apparent willingness to protect corporations at all costs. Whether it’s college costs, energy costs or health care costs, Republicans continue to ally themselves with the same special interests that suburban voters believe are the source of the problem, not the solution. At the same time, Republican activism on seemingly private matters has hurt the GOP at the polls. Republicans have lost votes in suburban and exurban communities by consistently opposing potentially lifesaving stem cell research....

Suburbs are key to Democratic victory

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