Posted on 10/20/2011 6:40:19 PM PDT by wmfights
It’s a nice try but this doesn’t jibe with the exchange between him and Piers Morgan.
Yesterday in an interview with Piers Morgan on CNN, I was asked questions about abortion policy and the role of the President.
I understood the thrust of the question to ask whether that I, as president, would simply “order” people to not seek an abortion.
My answer was focused on the role of the President. The President has no constitutional authority to order any such action by anyone. That was the point I was trying to convey.
As to my political policy view on abortion, I am 100% pro-life. End of story.
I will appoint judges who understand the original intent of the Constitution. Judges who are committed to the rule of law know that the Constitution contains no right to take the life of unborn children.
I will oppose government funding of abortion. I will veto any legislation that contains funds for Planned Parenthood. I will do everything that a President can do, consistent with his constitutional role, to advance the culture of life.”
No one on either side is arguing that the president has a constitutional power to issue executive orders barring women from having abortions. I’ve never heard even a diehard pro-lifer suggest that, so in essence, he wants you to believe here that he was responding with a point that no one disputes to a question that no one ever asks. Which means either he’s lying about what he understood Morgan’s question to mean or he’s so unacquainted with the most basic terms of the abortion debate that he genuinely felt obliged to reassure Americans that he won’t be sending the FBI to pregnant women’s homes to make sure they carry to term. Bad, bad news either way.
Beyond that, though, it’s simply not true that his response to Morgan was couched in terms of the limits of presidential power. Go back and watch the clip again. Morgan asks him what he’d want his daughter or granddaughter to do and Cain quickly arrives at this answer:
No, it comes down to is, it’s not the government’s role — or anybody else’s role — to make that decision. Secondly, if you look at the statistical incidents, you’re not talking about that big a number. So what I’m saying is, it ultimately gets down to a choice that that family or that mother has to make. Not me as president. Not some politician. Not a bureaucrat. It gets down to that family. And whatever they decide, they decide. I shouldn’t try to tell them what decision to make for such a sensitive decision.
He’s talking about the entire government, not just the presidency, and of course it’s a core argument for pro-lifers that Congress should act to make this decision on behalf of women if/when Roe v. Wade is overturned. A moment later he told Morgan that his opinion as president shouldn’t necessarily operate as a “directive” on the nation, but then he was back to broad language about government again: “The government shouldn’t be trying to tell people everything to do, especially when it comes to a social decision that they need to make.” No pro-choicer could say it any better. How did we get from that to “I am 100% pro-life, end of story” in the span of 24 hours?
Question, then: Does this hurt him at all, and if it does, has the damage been done to his social conservative credibility or to his overall credibility, i.e. the basic belief that presidential candidates are fully engaged on complex but essential issues? For now, the rest of the field is attacking him on the former point. Santorum questioned his pro-life cred earlier this morning and then Perry, who desperately needs Cain to fade in social-con bastions like Iowa and South Carolina, issued this statement:
The campaign of Texas Gov. Rick Perry has responded to Cain’s comments, with Perry communications director Ray Sullivan saying, “A number of the Republicans candidates have flip flopped or been tripped up on the abortion issue. Governor Perry has been proudly pro-life for his entire career, successfully working to pass a parental consent law, a pre-abortion sonogram law, and defund Planned Parenthood in the state budget.”
That’s awfully timid. Let’s see what happens at the next debate. Until then, read HuffPo’s report on the reaction of Iowa social conservatives to what Cain told Morgan. Exit quotation from talk-radio host Steve Deace: “Cain is good at regurgitating talking points, but when he is forced to explain what he believes the devil is usually found in the details. Based on the testimony of his own words, Cain is neither ready, willing, nor able to honor the oath of office required of a President of the United States.”
Urging blacks to vote pro-life is nice, but being in office where you can make ACTUAL change is more important, wouldn’t you say?
Bearing False Witness is still a sin.
What is being reported here , and what was actually said by Cain, are two completely different things.
"I believe that life begins at conception. And abortion under no circumstances," Cain said. Morgan asked Cain if that meant he felt the procedure was impermissible in cases of rape and incest, which many anti-abortion activists and conservatives carve out exceptions for.
Cain reiterated that there were "no circumstances" under which he supported abortion. "If one of your female children, grandchildren was raped, you would honestly want her to bring up that baby as her own??"
Morgan asked. Cain said that Morgan was "mixing" questions, but then replied: "No, it comes down to it's not the government's role or anybody else's role to make that decision. Secondly, if you look at the statistical incidents, you're not talking about that big a number. So what I'm saying is it ultimately gets down to a choice that that family or that mother has to make. Not me as president, not some politician, not a bureaucrat. It gets down to that family. And whatever they decide, they decide. I shouldn't have to tell them what decision to make for such a sensitive issue."
I don't know how he could make it any clearer then this.
People around here who are emotionally tied to other candidates in the campaign need to keep in mind the 9th Commandment is not a suggestion.
You’re a freaking idiot.
It was two questions. They took the second question out and strung his answers together to make him sound less pro-life. I’m sure it is not the last fabrication we will see.
Bearing False Witness is still a sin.
What is being reported here , and what was actually said by Cain, are two completely different things.
"I believe that life begins at conception. And abortion under no circumstances," Cain said. Morgan asked Cain if that meant he felt the procedure was impermissible in cases of rape and incest, which many anti-abortion activists and conservatives carve out exceptions for.
Cain reiterated that there were "no circumstances" under which he supported abortion. "If one of your female children, grandchildren was raped, you would honestly want her to bring up that baby as her own??"
Morgan asked. Cain said that Morgan was "mixing" questions, but then replied: "No, it comes down to it's not the government's role or anybody else's role to make that decision. Secondly, if you look at the statistical incidents, you're not talking about that big a number. So what I'm saying is it ultimately gets down to a choice that that family or that mother has to make. Not me as president, not some politician, not a bureaucrat. It gets down to that family. And whatever they decide, they decide. I shouldn't have to tell them what decision to make for such a sensitive issue."
I don't know how he could make it any clearer then this.
People around here who are emotionally tied to other candidates in the campaign need to keep in mind the 9th Commandment is not a suggestion.
You are saying this is 'spin coming from Cain' when he was sandbagged by a talk show host who was fired by the BBC for faking Iraq war torture photos? Jeeze, amazing how people trust the media now over someone with a lifetime pro-life record.
Thanks for your helpful insights, and your fine grammatical sense. I look forward to more in the future.
Then let's get him in office. Lord knows the career politicians who 'talk' on the subject haven't gotten anything of substance done (on this or any other Conservative issue). Maybe it is time to stop the 'doing the same thing over and over expecting different results' with these career politicians.
Please look at post 11 and read for yourself. Before publishing it in attack form, they took out Morgan’s second question to make it sound pro-death.
Bearing False Witness is still a sin.
What is being reported here , and what was actually said by Cain, are two completely different things.
"I believe that life begins at conception. And abortion under no circumstances," Cain said. Morgan asked Cain if that meant he felt the procedure was impermissible in cases of rape and incest, which many anti-abortion activists and conservatives carve out exceptions for.
Cain reiterated that there were "no circumstances" under which he supported abortion. "If one of your female children, grandchildren was raped, you would honestly want her to bring up that baby as her own??"
Morgan asked. Cain said that Morgan was "mixing" questions, but then replied: "No, it comes down to it's not the government's role or anybody else's role to make that decision. Secondly, if you look at the statistical incidents, you're not talking about that big a number. So what I'm saying is it ultimately gets down to a choice that that family or that mother has to make. Not me as president, not some politician, not a bureaucrat. It gets down to that family. And whatever they decide, they decide. I shouldn't have to tell them what decision to make for such a sensitive issue."
I don't know how he could make it any clearer then this.
People around here who are emotionally tied to other candidates in the campaign need to keep in mind the 9th Commandment is not a suggestion.
By the way, "the Law is not made for the righteous man but for the ungodly."
He is talking out of both sides of his mouth.
Bearing False Witness is still a sin.
What is being reported here , and what was actually said by Cain, are two completely different things.
"I believe that life begins at conception. And abortion under no circumstances," Cain said. Morgan asked Cain if that meant he felt the procedure was impermissible in cases of rape and incest, which many anti-abortion activists and conservatives carve out exceptions for.
Cain reiterated that there were "no circumstances" under which he supported abortion. "If one of your female children, grandchildren was raped, you would honestly want her to bring up that baby as her own??"
Morgan asked. Cain said that Morgan was "mixing" questions, but then replied: "No, it comes down to it's not the government's role or anybody else's role to make that decision. Secondly, if you look at the statistical incidents, you're not talking about that big a number. So what I'm saying is it ultimately gets down to a choice that that family or that mother has to make. Not me as president, not some politician, not a bureaucrat. It gets down to that family. And whatever they decide, they decide. I shouldn't have to tell them what decision to make for such a sensitive issue."
I don't know how he could make it any clearer then this.
People around here who are emotionally tied to other candidates in the campaign need to keep in mind the 9th Commandment is not a suggestion.
Cain is 1005 PRO LIFE and says life begins at conception on Hannity interview today - good enough for me
Darn, I must have missed the part where it says, "unless you are tearing down every other candidate but your own" clause. That must have been in one of those 'lost books' of the Bible.
Johnnie, do you remember the good old days when a majority of FReepers were good at discerning when the media was trying to play them? Now,they just play along and smile.
Cain also says believes in woman’s choice on abortion in case of rape. So if you are going to go after Perry on that aspect you have to go after Cain as well.
Social conservatives, unlike certain political operatives, know the 9th Commandment is not a suggestion.
Bearing False Witness is still a sin.
What is being reported here , and what was actually said by Cain, are two completely different things.
"I believe that life begins at conception. And abortion under no circumstances," Cain said. Morgan asked Cain if that meant he felt the procedure was impermissible in cases of rape and incest, which many anti-abortion activists and conservatives carve out exceptions for.
Cain reiterated that there were "no circumstances" under which he supported abortion. "If one of your female children, grandchildren was raped, you would honestly want her to bring up that baby as her own??"
Morgan asked. Cain said that Morgan was "mixing" questions, but then replied: "No, it comes down to it's not the government's role or anybody else's role to make that decision. Secondly, if you look at the statistical incidents, you're not talking about that big a number. So what I'm saying is it ultimately gets down to a choice that that family or that mother has to make. Not me as president, not some politician, not a bureaucrat. It gets down to that family. And whatever they decide, they decide. I shouldn't have to tell them what decision to make for such a sensitive issue."
I don't know how he could make it any clearer then this.
People around here who are emotionally tied to other candidates in the campaign need to keep in mind the 9th Commandment is not a suggestion.
And that would be wonderful. Perry indeed has a solid record as well, so I would hope we can agree that, while Perry has actually done pro-life in the arena, Cain has the potential to do the same things as Perry in the office of President.
A perfect summary.
Right now, Cain is our best shot.
Perry can’t speak at all. His positions are right on everything except the illegal alien subject.
Romney is unthinkable and totally unacceptable. The longer this goes on, the worse he looks philosophically. He would be to the LEFT of Bush II.
Bachmann can’t get off the ground.
Paul is too old and a foreign policy catastrophe.
Santorum ain’t going anywhere.
Gingrich would be great but has no traction so far.
That’s pretty much it.
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