Free Republic

For those of us who are not involved actively in letter to the editor writing; advocating for the pro-life cause by writing our senators and congressmen; working for pro-life candidates, may this be a wake-up call to GET INVOLVED and work for the unborn. Our votes matter, our advocacy matters. Think about forming a chapter of your state's right to life if it really is right to life, as well as forming a "Republicans for Life" coalition in your state - that will give you access to the podium at your state conventions. Dems have such a group too, but they don't seem very effective. Just some ideas to make changes. Glad to read of all of you who stand with the unborn.

"extreme positions on social issues" by Cain and Collin?

- It's hard to see how being against killing unborn children in cases of rape and incest is an extreme position. I for one am extremely thankful that nearly 50% of Georgia voters WANTED candidates who don't discriminate against the unborn based on the circumstances of their conceptions. Hopefully Isakson will come around to that position and join other fine Senators, such as Rick Santorum and Sam Brownback, who work tirelessly to protect the unborn. Perhaps he will finally come out and disavow his LONG pro-choice record which he sought to conceal during the primary.

What a disappointment! Lesson learned from this race for me - media and money drive politics. Mac Collins visited our county THREE times - these were not even fundraisers. Isakson visited ZERO times. Cain visited once. Yet Isakson swept the county - Cain came in second, and Mac last. I guess all those lovely mailings from the realtors paid off for Isakson. What a letdown! I wrote letters to the editor, distributed voter guides, canvased the Wal-mart parking lot, researching Isakson's record and shared it with many people. And THIS - a pro-abortion, moderate Senator - is the result! A reminder to me that though we must strive for getting things RIGHT in politics, only when Christ returns and makes things RIGHT for good, will we see relief from domination by liberalism and liberation for the precious unborn children.

We contacted the Christian Coalition to express our concern about their lack of support for Mac or Herman as well as what appeared to be their embrace of Isakson. If you're familiar with this story, it looks like Isakson duped Sadie Fields into believing he was really pro-life. I feel like the Coalition's position gained some support from people who otherwise would have supported Mac or Herman. For example, Robert Lamutt, a pro-life Ga. senator, endorsed Isakson early on, lending his name to Isakson's campaign and getting some of his supporters to back Isakson. Even the Senate voter guide put out by the coalition did little to help the pro-life candidates. It was just posted on the website and not distributed, so who would know about it? And the only question about abortion the guide asked was about abortions in military hospitals (why not ask about the constitutional amendment to really get to the heart of the issue). Fields said in one article she felt like Isakson was on a "journey" on the pro-life issue, but we sure don't need somebody like that in office. We need the rock-solid pro-life commitment held by Collins and Cain. I also know the coalition gave money to Isakson's political action committee back in 1999 or 2000 - why I have no idea. Even the former state chairman of the coalition, Jerry Keen, is backing Isakson publicly. All this makes me think the coalition needs a new board of directors that will actually work towards living up to the name of the group. As far as Georgia Right to Life, they have done a great job getting out the facts about Isakson. They have thousands of people on their mailing list and sent out a great publication telling the facts about JI and also Mac and Herman. We personally gave out our own voter guides in some of our local churches to educate people on this issue. If anybody reading this is interested in getting a copy, reply off-board and I will send you what we prepared. I think it changed some minds, and it might help in the (Lord willing!) run-off.

My guess is that Collins would endorse Cain in a run-off and Cain would endorse Collins. I am a volunteer for Collins, and my conversations with Cain volunteers have always been amicable and we always say these two are the best. I am sticking with Mac today because I know his record and his hard work through the years for solid conservative principles even when it meant bucking the status quo. I trust his viewpoints and his experience. He's been there for conservatives in Georgia all these years, all the while we've longed to have someone like him in office he has been there, and I am going to be there for him today. Best of luck to Mac and Herman today! Whatever the outcome, I feel like together they will be responsible for forcing Isakson into a run-off, when hopefully conservatives will band together and vote for the Big C!

What do you guys think of the polls? My natural suspicion of liberal media leads me to believe they aren't very reliable. I was at a Party for the President in Augusta Thursday night and saw little support for Isakson. Most people there were for Cain or Collins. I would really be surprised, not to mention extremely disappointed and ready to start a new party!, if Isakson won outright. I keep hearing from some of the higher ups in the Republican party that unity is so important we need to support all Republican candidates (this while they post Isakson signs exclusively in their yard), yet they are totally ignoring that some Republicans, like Isakson, shouldn't be supported because they don't even support the Republican platform.

Glad you all are out there working hard for the good guys. Keep it up!

Such a comment hardly merits a reply, but if you've Mac Collins, you would know that his hard work, common sense, and real life intelligence have taken him far in life. I don't know what math courses he took in high school, but for him to have started a multi-million dollar statewide company, reared 4 children, served at all levels of government, been appointed by the Speaker of the House to the Permanent House Select Committee on Intelligence, and traveled throughout the world on business for the people of Georgia assures me that he is 100% qualified for the job of US Senator.

Mac gave up his seat knowing that a strong conservative would win it, so he knew a conservative voice would remain. All 3 of the candidates for his seat are pro-life, endorsed by Georgia Right to Life. I know that Mac would never have left the House if this hadn't been the case, and also that he knew the Senate needs a strong, experienced conservative from Georgia to bring about changes in our laws to protect the unborn, uphold the bedrock institution of marriage, and to limit government and lower taxes. His 12+ year record is indisputable evidence of his commitment to conservative ideals.

By the way, I wish we could see a REAL debate - they seem to all look the same during these debates!

Hi. Just wanted to follow up on the American Dream - Mac is in that group too. With no college degree, but with lots of hard work and common sense, he started his own trucking company at the age of 18 (was joined the next year in his efforts by his high school sweetheart when they married). Now it's a statewide, multi-million dollar company run by his son. His upbringing focused on family, faith and freedom. Now he has 4 children and 11 grandchildren, all who share in love of country. I used to work for Mac before our children were born, and believe me, he is a hard worker for the people of Georgia and doesn't back down when standing up for the people. I like to say he's a work horse, not a show horse.

Hi. Just wanted to follow up on the American Dream - Mac is in that group too. With no college degree, but with lots of hard work and common sense, he started his own trucking company at the age of 18 (was joined the next year in his efforts by his high school sweetheart when they married). Now it's a statewide, multi-million dollar company run by his son. His upbringing focused on family, faith and freedom. Now he has 4 children and 11 grandchildren, all who share in love of country. I used to work for Mac before our children were born, and believe me, he is a hard worker for the people of Georgia and doesn't back down when standing up for the people. I like to say he's a work horse, not a show horse.

Cain and Collins are right to highlight the difference on the abortion issue with Isakson, and the pro-life community is right to make this a political dividing line. Would you use this same logic if one party or candidate believed it was acceptable, as Princeton ethicist Peter Singer recommended, to confer personhood on a child only 7 days after birth, giving parents a week to decide whether the child should live? Surely we would all agree that such a political should not be supported, no matter how good his positions on other issues. We need a very clear stand on the abortion issue, and though this may make us appear narrow-minded to some, human life is too precious to give up ground on this matter for the sake of appearing unified, tolerant, etc... I say this all respectfully and I hope it gives you some food for thought. When I was younger, before I had really researched the issue, I kind of thought, well, abortion is really bad, but maybe it's more of a private issue - the exact kind of squishy thinking Isakson holds to and that gave us Roe v. Wade and 30+ million lives lost. But as I studied the issue from a medical, philosophical and spiritual viewpoint I came to see that we must be 100% pro-life (as are Mac and Herman) and not allow the government or any politician to place a lesser value on the unborn because of either their stage of development or the circumstances of their conception.

Let me know if this was helpful and what your thoughts are!

Hi guys from a Mac supporter. Now I am not against Herman, but I did want to say I sure know Mac is grassroots and I've got the chigger bites on my legs to prove it! We've got a great group of folks working hard for Mac locally. Any event I go to I meet with more. I know Herman has got grassroots people too, but Mac has definitely got things going in that area. I volunteer my time for this. Like a lot of you, I've never gotten involved in a campaign, but just like you, I see the importance of this Senate seat NOT going to a moderate/liberal. Even though I have lots to keep me busy with caring for my children fulltime, I am committed to seeing this through and doing all I can do help Mac (and then whichever pro-life candidate makes the run-off). I used to be a staffer for Mac and saw firsthand the long hours and hard work he put in for his constituents. Also his unwavering stand on being pro-life. I like that he has a 12+ year track record we can look at to know how he would vote.

Anyway, it's great to converse with pro-life Republicans (like all Republicans should be!).

If conservatives thought Isakson was seeing the light on abortion, think again. He voted yesterday to allow abortions in military hospitals. His weak excuse was so servicewomen could have the same rights as women here. But if he were truly pro-life as his supporters claim, he would be glad to join with other congressmen in working to protect as many unborn as possible.

On the other hand, Congressman Mac Collins has a long voting record of 100% support for protecting the unborn.

It's great to see National Right to Life getting behind Collins! His pro-life record and efforts through the years are a sure sign he will continue to be pro-life in the Senate.

Thanks for the information. I stand corrected when it comes to the tax issues. I wasn't aware of Cain's efforts in this regard, and I applaud him for that and hope he is able to continue those efforts. However, I still plan to support Collins because of his longer track record when it comes to legislation not only on this but also on social issues like abortion, which is of primary importance to me given that how we treat the unborn must be highest priority. I was excited to see today Collins was endorsed by National Right to Life.

This comment was given on the floor of the House during debate on the partial-birth abortion ban. Collins was also a co-sponsor of the bill, while Isakson was not, nor did Isakson make any comment on the floor about the bill. Collins clearly understands the issue.

Point well-taken, I wasn't trying to compare Santorum in every aspect to Cain or Collins (I am sure Mac wouldn't be stumping for RINO Spector either), just to point out that legislation doesn't happen overnight, and it's wrong to assume that just because a legislator hasn't been able to see every aspect of his platform enacted into law, he therefore shouldn't be in office. If Cain is elected, I am sure he will find that bringing about needed changes isn't automatic and requires lots of time and also requires like-minded legislators in office with you from elsewhere around the country. What I like about Collins is that he is familiar with the process and has proven his leadership ability to craft legislation and get it through.

I am not sure how you personally define "most conservative", but I feel like the way to be sure is when there's a proven record of conservative action and votes. With Cain, we have very impressive speeches and positions that are terrific, but with Collins, we have over 12 years of votes to look at. I am personally more comfortable going with someone I know for sure has put his conservative principles in action, and that would be Collins. Also, I had never heard of Cain as doing anything to change the way things are when it comes to issues like abortion or tax policy until he announced for Senate. I along with many others have been working for years trying to bring about change by writing letters, making phone calls, joining political action committees on these issues. We'd like to have someone represent us who has also been working hard at these things over the course of time, not just recently announcing their interest in them. I'm glad Cain supports all these things, but I prefer a seasoned leader like Collins who has not only supported them all along but has also been doing something about it. Cain likes to say that he's the best one for the job in part because he's never held public office and that the other two candidates aren't as good because they are already in office, but he hasn't said that he would limit his time in the Senate to 1 term. If being in office is a bad thing and renders the office-holder unable to do a good job, it seems like Cain would apply the same reasoning to himself. Also, I think it's a mistake to presume that things happen overnight in Washington. Take Rick Santorum and the partial-birth abortion ban. For years he has worked to move that through the Senate and gain this victory for the unborn. But he couldn't do it alone. It took his tireless efforts along with getting more conservatives in the Senate to get it through finally, which is one reason Collins wants to be in the Senate, to help build the conservative majority so the Senate will stop holding up good legislation coming from the House. Just a thought. Anyway, I am going with Collins because of his experience and his record, which I have taken a lot of time to research.

It's great to have 2 conservatives in the primary, but I'm with SmithPatterson - Mac Collins is the best man for the job. Though Cain has a great platform, where has he been this whole time? I had never heard of him until he announced for the race. There's no evidence that he was communicating either as a constituent or through any lobbying group to change the way things are done in DC. I and many others have been working at the grassroots level through letter-writing, phone calls, etc..., to try and change policies on things like abortion and taxes for years, and we want someone who has been at it with us. Mac Collins has been a workhorse for the past 12 years in DC - trying to build momentum among other legislators, thinking of new ways to do things, standing firm for conservatives principles. He hasn't been afraid to cast the unpopular vote when it was the right thing to do. I think it's a bad thing to equate being an incumbent with being a bad politician. I'd much rather have a seasoned leader who really knows the issues and is experienced at crafting and pushing legislation, than someone whose professes great zeal and energy for the job as of late. I worked for Mac as a staffer a few years ago and saw firsthand his integrity, energy, and conservative stands. It'd be great to see Cain involved at some level of Republican politics, but knocking out an experienced, proven leader like Mac would be a mistake. We need his leadership in DC.