Comments on Creative Minority Report: A Tale of Two Parties

I'm with Kit and Elizabeth B. I'll take my chance...

2008-08-19T16:39:19.179-04:00

I'm with Kit and Elizabeth B. I'll take my chances anyday with the approach of LOUDLY and FREQUENTLY pressuring a McCain White House vs. the shut out we'll face with Obama in the White House with both houses of congress AND the media in his pocket. Make no mistake - a vote for Barr or any other 3rd party is a vote to get Obama elected. With Supreme Court justice picks on the line, this won't be a short term bump in the road - an Obama victory will have a serious and lasting impact in our current culture war. McCain hasn't even picked a Veep candidate yet and we're ready to concede the election by staying home or throwing away our votes? We're in this fight for the long haul, inch by inch and it will never be easy. To be blunt, I think taking our marbles and going home is a cop out. McCain was pretty much my last choice too, but that's no reason to fold the hand we've been dealt. The church does in fact support a vote for the lessor of 2 evils if that's the best path for the journey. We're stronger together and I'll take my chances that we'll be more effective influencing the McCain camp than we'd ever have with an Obamessiah. SD

As another red vote in the likely blue state of PA...

2008-08-18T22:41:54.608-04:00

As another red vote in the likely blue state of PA, I would just like to urge everyone who has commented and who is (rightly) ticked off at McCain to LOUDLY and FREQUENTLY tell his campaign how you feel. Call them more than once and let them know that you'll be staying home if he picks a pro-abort VP. And, of course, pray!

I have to admit that I'd probably vote for him with my nose held even if he did pick Ridge--I think McCain would do more good for the country than Obama. Rather than weigh the "lesser of two evils" I think it is better to ask which candidate will do more good (even if limited good) for the country. On a number of fronts, McCain seems to me the better choice. Far from perfect, but better.

But let's definitely tell him what we think about his choice for VP!

--Elizabeth B.

When Bernardine Dohrn is sworn in as a Supreme Cou...

2008-08-16T15:05:28.881-04:00

When Bernardine Dohrn is sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice, I'm going to send you all a Thank You card. Kit

Tito,I'm with you on Bob Barr. The Libertarian ti...

2008-08-16T13:17:15.123-04:00

Tito,

I'm with you on Bob Barr. The Libertarian ticket, while not expressly pro-life, has put forward a pro-life candidate in Barr, one who is solid on that issue in terms of leaving it to the will of the people (not to a militant judiciary or an invasive federal government), who have time and again demonstrated that they are pro-life. I say we should stop voting against people and actually find someone to vote FOR - then we might actually find some real representation in Washington.

If McCain picks a pro-abortion veep, I'm voting 3r...

2008-08-16T11:47:05.459-04:00

If McCain picks a pro-abortion veep, I'm voting 3rd party.

Alan Keys or Bob Barr anyone?

Sorry to keep beating a dead horse, Matthew, but i...

2008-08-16T10:27:28.735-04:00

Sorry to keep beating a dead horse, Matthew, but if Obama is elected president for even one term, he very likely will be able to appoint a few judges to the Supreme Court. They will undoubtedly be young and very very liberal. After Scalia is gone, there will only be three right- thinking judges left. I respect your opinion, too: I almost share it. But I think it is too risky. For now I will do everything I can to try to convince McCain et al. to run a prolife conservative. That includes some money and lots of prayers. Thanks, Kit

K, I respect your opinion. It's a difficult one. B...

2008-08-15T23:25:58.516-04:00

K, I respect your opinion. It's a difficult one. But I truly believe if we elect a pro-choice Veep, our days of being a force in the party are over.
And Roe will remain the law of the land.

P.P.S. I just got off of the McCain website. I se...

2008-08-15T23:06:52.238-04:00

P.P.S. I just got off of the McCain website. I sent them a clear message re the running mate as above - and sent it with a contribution. I have a clear conscience about it. I think that anyone who is prolife, profamily, and proAmerica can support McCain in his contest with Obama. Regardless of the running mate, McCain is so far ahead of Obama on moral issues that the choice is clear. K

You are right, Daddio. An Obama presidency would ...

2008-08-15T22:32:39.041-04:00

You are right, Daddio. An Obama presidency would be a short term loss. Just as if I were shot through the aorta I would sustain a short term loss - of my entire blood volume in less than 5 minutes. Short term and fatal. Sorry to be so blunt, but this is a very serious matter. Kit. P.S. I am registering my displeasure to the McCain campaign re the prospect of Mr. Ridge or any other pro-abort running mate.

McCain's lost my vote for even considering Ridge. ...

2008-08-15T21:36:54.484-04:00

McCain's lost my vote for even considering Ridge. How can I trust him to appoint conservative judges? And yeah, I live in New York so what does it matter who I vote for anyway.....

The SILENCE from the USCCB is DEAFENING

2008-08-15T20:31:39.640-04:00

The SILENCE from the USCCB is DEAFENING

Why do we easily reject the "Seamless Garment" arg...

2008-08-15T17:08:46.125-04:00

Why do we easily reject the "Seamless Garment" argument which gives Catholics moral cover to vote for pro-abort politicians, but when it comes to the same sort of argument involving Supreme Court nominations, we get week in the knees? In my mind, it is a clear evil to vote for a ticket that supports abortion. Who gets on the Supreme Court with Obama in charge, and what choices those justices might make is a big question mark (look at the "conservatives" Bush I appointed). That more babies will die if we have even a partially pro-abort White House is a fact.

In my mind, we should vote pro-life and thereby do not cooperate in evil, or don't vote at all. Let God sort out the rest.

Kate

Well and truly said. One cannot compromise with m...

2008-08-15T16:29:03.480-04:00

Well and truly said. One cannot compromise with mass murder.

Folks keep telling us that we have to choose the lesser of two evils. Well, we don't. "Least weird" is no choice at all. I'll pray for a write-in choice.

-- Mack

No way, no how, will I vote for McCain if he pande...

2008-08-15T14:41:46.444-04:00

No way, no how, will I vote for McCain if he panders to the prochoice faction of the GOP.

We answer for eternity for the actions we take in this short life.

For me, if we put a pro-choice Republican in the W...

2008-08-15T13:07:19.342-04:00

For me, if we put a pro-choice Republican in the White House, the party will never put up a hardcore pro-lifer again. And pro-lifers could be split with many going to a third party while some continue to vote Republican because of other issues including wanting to avoid Presidents like Obama.
If pro-lifers lose hold of the Republican party we will cease being an effective political voice.

McCain is basically in my view placating the pro-c...

2008-08-15T12:16:18.186-04:00

McCain is basically in my view placating the pro-choice wing of the party. You have to show them a little attention so they will come out and vote for you and not get their feathers ruffled.

I also think Ridge is not viable because he is not MR Popularity.I think the Media thinks he has a huge following but does anyone glow and talk about Ridge when he was working for Bush I?

We need to pray and to be informed (thanks CMR for...

2008-08-15T11:58:36.429-04:00

We need to pray and to be informed (thanks CMR for reporting this). And then, ensure our family/friends/network are informed as well. Finally, we need to tell McCain that what he's doing isn't a good idea...for him or for our nation. Blogging about this issue can only help. =)

Anon #2,I disagree. A single Obama term would be ...

2008-08-15T11:55:56.166-04:00

Anon #2,
I disagree. A single Obama term would be a short term loss. Even two McCain terms would be practically no gain at all.

http://www.catholicmediacoalition.org/catholic_act...

2008-08-15T11:07:40.523-04:00

http://www.catholicmediacoalition.org/catholic_activism.htm

How did Ridge fall from VP frontrunner status back to the relative obscurity where a pro abort Republican belongs? The story goes back to Ridge's days as a little known US Congressman from Erie PA.

After an Erie area March for Life delegation met with a freshman Congressman Ridge in Washington on January 23, 1984, the March 1984 issue of the Erie Echo reports Ridge responded, "Does government have a right to force a woman to be an incubator for nine months for another individual?" Ridge served in the US Congress for twelve years during which time he was able to accumulate an almost perfect pro-abortion voting record.

While the remainder of the state had never heard of him, wealthy pro-abort Republicans, including Elsie Hillman, a wealthy pro-abort PAC contributor from Pittsburgh, tired of the pro-life Republican leadership of the 1980s, saw Ridge as a Catholic family man, veteran, and ruggedly good-looking candidate who could be quietly groomed, via the State Governor's mansion, for eventual national leadership, putting an end to the control of the party by the pro-life right wing.

To this end, Ridge was pulled from his relative obscurity in Washington to become a front runner for the Governor's position. Utilizing a campaign that emphasized his moderate to conservative positions, while minimalizing if not obscuring his pro-abort voting record, Ridge was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 1994. Few Catholics, even pro-lifers, realized the depth of Ridge's pro-abort sentiment. It was simply assumed that Ridge was pro-life and his campaign rhetoric, if anything, supported that misconception.

The outgoing Governor Bob Casey was a faithful pro-life Catholic even in the midst of the moral rot of his Democrat party. Governor of Pennsylvania from 1986 to 1994, Casey persevered through the 1992 Supreme Court Case, Planned Parenthood vs. Casey, which challenged the constitutionality of 1989's Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act. The law required parental consent for minors, a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion, the filing of detailed reports about each abortion and distribution of information about alternatives to abortion, and was upheld by the Supreme Court.

In his campaign, Ridge pledged to uphold the victories hard won by Casey in defending the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act. His actions once in office belied his pro-abort stance and angered many Catholics who had voted for him. His complete failure to enforce the dictates of the Abortion Control Act proved Ridge's 1994 promise to uphold it was "campaign rhetoric."

It should have come as no surprise, however. While a Congressman, Ridge had initially supported Ronald Reagan's Mexico City policy, preventing US funds from going to overseas agencies supporting abortion services, then subsequently reversed his position. Just as one of Bill Clinton's first acts as President was to overturn the Mexico City policy of the previous administrations, one of Ridge's first acts was to overturn the 14 year old policy of Pennsylvania regarding family planning services. According to The Newsletter of Planned Parenthood of the Susquehanna Valley:

"...Since 1981, Pennsylvania has been one of only a few states that did not invest funds in contraceptive health services. Governor Tom Ridge made good on his campaign pledge to support funding for comprehensive family planning services by including $2.03 million for 'women's medical services' in his first budget...(legislators) inserted language that could have prohibited medical providers like Planned Parenthood from responding to patients' requests for abortion information or referral...Governor Ridge removed the ...'gag rule' language before signing the final budget. Ridge noted that he was 'expressly withholding (his) approval of that language'."

In May of 1995, Ridge emphatically stated that Pope John Paul II's new encyclical, Evangelium Vitae, would not cause him to reassess his position on the issue. In 1996, Governor Ridge joined other pro-abortion republican Governor in calling for removal of the pro-life plank from the Republican National Platform. Then during 1997, his Department of Health waived a requirement of the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act that requires an abortion clinic to obtain a written transfer agreement with a local hospital, allowing a new abortion clinic to open in State College. Newspapers quoted the clinic's director as saying the waiver allowed the clinic to open early, and the first abortion clinic ever in the central Pennsylvania Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown was open for business.

On January 20, 1998, the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare mailed a Planned Parenthood brochure to all PA Medical Assistance recipients. According to the Pro Life Union Inc. of Southeastern Pennsylvania News Bulletin, Respect Life Sunday 98:

"State of PA Caught Marketing For Planned Parenthood: This past January, PA residents who receive medical assistance from the Pa. Dept. of Welfare (DPW) received a brochure in the mail promoting Planned Parenthood. It was titled, "We're More Than You Think." It listed the "services" offered and advised the recipient they could come to PP without a referral or insurance . . . Although the brochure arrived in an unmarked envelope, recipients recognized it as typical of mailings they receive from DPW. . . "

"On further investigation, it was learned that the postal meter numbers used for the mailing belonged to DPW. . . Finally, on April 10, a letter was written admitting that DPW had made an "arrangement" with PP of Chester County, whereby PP supplied the brochure, but DPW stuffed, addressed and paid the postage . . . Another interesting fact, not previously known, emerged in the newspaper accounts. Frances Sheehan, Exec. Director of PP of Chester County, stated that "the actual text of the brochure was reviewed and approved by the governor's office prior to printing."

In January 1998, Ridge was entering into his 1998 reelection campaign full swing, his greatest challenge coming from a pro-life Catholic independent, Peg Luksik. Already he was telling political allies and members of the press of his intention to be the Republican vice presidential candidate in 2000. It is against this clearly defined backdrop, of an ardently and publicly pro-abort, ambitious "Catholic" politician, that our tale of heroic Catholic activism develops.

I am as unhappy as anyone that McCain is the Repub...

2008-08-15T10:34:30.890-04:00

I am as unhappy as anyone that McCain is the Republican nominee. But we are absolutely in a desparate situation. If Barack Obama is elected president with a Democratic congress, there will be untold damage done to this country. Let me count the ways: appointment of judges, ruining the economy with tax hikes, expanding government entitlements, a very weak presence in foreign affairs, etc. etc. We will never see Roe v. Wade overturned. This "I'll just sit this one out" attitude is suicide. If you stay home or vote for a third party loser: you've voted for Obama. That wouldn't sit well with my conscience. Kit

I'm not voting for John McCain in the fall. Based...

2008-08-15T09:48:51.694-04:00

I'm not voting for John McCain in the fall. Based on his stand in the past, I simply do not trust the man on abortion issues. That he is even considering choosing a pro-choice running mate is proof enough for me that he believes abortion is not a major issue in America. There is more at stake here than judges on the bench---my own soul. If more Republicans took this approach we might not be faced with John McCain at all. I will vote for the true pro-life candidate---whatever his party affiliation.

I reluctantly could accept Joe Lieberman for a one...

2008-08-15T09:21:17.172-04:00

I reluctantly could accept Joe Lieberman for a one term VP if he agreed to support Roberts/Scalia type judges.
I am reluctant to stay home and let Barack appoint Hillary and Devall Patrick type judges.

And here I was about to vote for the "lesser of tw...

2008-08-15T09:18:33.422-04:00

And here I was about to vote for the "lesser of two evils". Now I'm not sure which is lesser...

Agree with Anonymous. I think I'd probably vote for Paul if this happened. Better than not voting at all, right? It's interesting how the Republicans managed to take such heavy losses in 2006 and still don't get it. I just hope it will only take one Obama term to get them back on track.

pro lifers should vote third party or write in. L...

2008-08-15T08:50:58.236-04:00

pro lifers should vote third party or write in. Let's see who McCain picks. Then, if we need to, we'll figure out someone to write in. It would make more political sense for McCain to pick a Mitt Romney to appease the conservatives in the party, since McCain isn't really all that conservative. We'll see. Don't underestimate the power of prayer for these folks running for office.

What about Ron Paul? I think if everyone who has d...

2008-08-15T08:34:21.163-04:00

What about Ron Paul? I think if everyone who has doubts about McCain votes Ron Paul, it would be the "surge" we need to get him in. During the debates, I thought he was one of the few straight-shooters.
The FatMan