Life of the Party

Ames Straw Poll Wrap-up

Don McDowell at Cyclone Conservative has an excellent analysis, from an on the ground perspective, of the Iowa Straw Poll.  It is a must read.  He also posted the actual results of the straw poll. 

I agree with Don Ward at Sound Politics who considers it a loss for Romney after spending millions on campaigning there:

Some of the news reports are falsely portraying this as evidence that Romney is gaining street cred with conservatives in the party. Quite the contrary. The poll participants broke overwhelmingly away from the Massachusetts politician.

Basically what was told to Romney is given the choice between him and a group of political nobodies by a two-to-one margin, the poll participants said "We like these guys who don't have a rat's-ass-chance of winning over you and your money, pretty boy."

The real winners of the straw poll were Huckabee, Browback and Tancredo.  It would be nice to see a serious televised debate between the three of these candidates, since all of them are pro-life.  Pro-lifers could really get a look at where they stand on other issues we care about and then make a more informed choice so we can pool our efforts together.  If the pro-life vote continues to go divided, we will surely end up with one of the "top tier" who are either pro-abortion-choice or cosmetically pro-life. 

Update: Pro-life blogger, Leticia's asking, "Will GOP get the hint?" 

Before You Jump on the Fred Thompson Band Wagon....

...you must read this from RNC for Life:

WHERE IS FRED THOMPSON ON THE RIGHT TO LIFE? 
The answer is, we don't know. What we do know is the following:

• "On abortion, both Thompson and Cooper (Thompson's Democrat opponent in the 1994 U.S. Senate race) are pro-choice.  But Thompson favors parental notification, Cooper voted against it." (National Review, 6/27/94)
• Although Thompson says he's pro-choice, his voting record on abortion issues (which includes opposing Henry Foster's nomination for surgeon general) has earned him high marks from both the Christian Coalition and the National Right to Life Committee.  He has also won the backing of the tobacco industry and the NRA.  (Washington Monthly, 12/1/96)

Click here to read more:

National Right to Life Committee's voting records for the 105th, 106th and 107th sessions of Congress show that, on the votes NRLC scored, he voted to restrict or regulate the practice of abortion every time.  He did not earn a 100% rating from NRLC because he voted for the McCain/Feingold campaign finance reform measure. (http://www.capwiz.com/nrlc/home/)

But, voting to restrict or regulate abortion does not necessarily mean he believes that every innocent human life is entitled to protection under the law from conception until natural death.  We do not know where Fred Thompson stands on the right to life of the human embryo.  Nor do we know whether he justifies abortion for babies conceived through rape or incest.

Before pro-lifers jump on the Fred Thompson band wagon, and it appears that some are doing so without performing their due diligence, they and we need the answers to these questions.  The fine pro-life candidates who are already in the race for the 2008 Republican nomination-Senator Sam Brownback, Congressman Duncan Hunter, Congressman Tom Tancredo, and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee-should expect no less of pro-life Republican primary voters.

More News on Fred Thompson's "Pro-Life" Position

Pro-lifers better re-think their support for Fred Thompson.  Renew America offers a good look at all the Republican presidential hopefuls and their positions on abortion. 

GOP Moderates Like Fred Thompson

While pro-life Republicans should be looking to coalition with other conservatives to support a presidential candidate, there should definitely be some clear cut objectives before doing so.  Otherwise, we could be getting sold down the river.  Remember, it's not enough for a candidate to simply say "I'm pro-life".  It really isn't enough to look at his record either.  But a pro-life record, combined with a committment to do what one can to end legalized abortion and any other threats to innocent human life. 

Life of the Party remains open to supporting any truly pro-life candidate for the GOP nomination.  Fred Thompson hasn't made his position clear enough yet, and furthermore he has not officially announced that he's running.  In the meantime, we should keep an eye out for what his real positions are and realize that "moderate"/"small 'l' libertarians" are just as hopeful when it comes to their interpretation of his positions on social issues. 

Pro-Abortion Republican Birds of a Feather....

...hire the same campaign spokesman.  Remember the name Elliot Bundy.  Mary E. is shining the light of truth again.

Tom Tancredo, Pro-Life Republican, Makes Presidential Bid Official

"The outpouring of support we have received over the past three months has been tremendous and, frankly, it has far exceeded what I anticipated," Tancredo said this morning. 

The unofficial Tancredo for President Blog is keeping track of some of the coverage.  (The Team Tancredo Team has just launched an official blog for the campaign, linked to the actual campaign website.  Check it out.)  Finally, Tancredo's pro-life credentials are getting recognition.  Here's what LifeNews.com had to say:

Congressman Tom Tancredo, a pro-life Republican from Colorado, made his bid for the GOP nomination for presidential official on Monday. He traveled to Iowa, the site of the first presidential caucus, and told a radio program that he is an alternative to the establishment candidates in the race.

"When I look at the field of candidates running for president, I don't see anyone discussing the topic to the level it needs to be discussed, so I am going to run for president," he said during the statement.

The congressman said he chose talk radio to make his announcement rather than a large press conference because it gives him "a megaphone I would have never had" and added that he's spoken with 1,800 radio programs about his beliefs.

Tancredo is mostly known primarily for his stance against illegal immigration but has voted against abortion and embryonic stem cell research.

Tancredo has been a solid pro-life vote in Congress and earned a 100 percent pro-life voting record from 2005-2006 from the National Right to Life Committee.

During the 109th Congress, Tancredo voted against funding either abortions  in various situations or embryonic stem cell research. He voted repeatedly to uphold parental consent and notification laws on abortion and supported a bill telling women of the pain their baby will feel during an abortion procedure.

Tancredo has a perfect pro-life voting record with the group dating back to 1999 with the exception of one vote on a bill that NRLC worried would ration health care for seniors by limiting their access to prescription drugs paid for with their own funds.

In addition, Tancredo believes all innocent human life should be protected.  He does not discriminate according to how the child was conceived as so many "pro-life" candidates and politicians do.   He is also one of the rare Republicans at the national level who support a Human Life Amendment to the Constitution, restoring the unalienable right to life to pre-born children, that has been infringed upon against the intentions of our Founding Fathers.   All that, and he wants to enforce our immigration laws and put an end to Corporate America endangering our national security by employing their "cheap labor" slaves!

"24 Carat Conservative" Reaches $1 Million Fundraising Goal

Colorado Congressman and Presidential candidate Tom Tancredo, has reached and surpassed his fundraising goal of $1,000,000,000.  Of course, this amount is far from being in the same ballpark as the "front-runners" in the race, but that is to be expected.  Their money comes from large corporations.   Some of those large corporations benefit financially from illegal immigration.  But $1 million is certainly impressive for a candidate the media and Republican party leaders would rather ignore.  It clearly demonstrates a grassroots movement.

Other news about the campaign: Bay Buchanan joins the team, and the campaign website has a new look, with many more headlines (including "New Hampshire voters call Tancredo "The Conservative!~"24-carat conservative on everything from entitlement spending to abortion to illegal immigrants to the threat of a rapidly arming China").  Take a look and contribute. 

Tancredo Places Second in Straw Poll

I attended my county council district caucus yesterday, which was well attended, considering it being an "off year election".  Delegates were anxious to have a say in issues the party should address as well as who our presidential nominee should be. 

Although the ballots we were given did not include Tom Tancredo's name on it, it was pointed out, and we were given the opportunity to write in a candidate under "other".  Newt Gingrich placed first, with Tancredo only one vote short of being tied with Gingrich.  Fred Thompson placed third, Romney fourth.  What does this tell you about the media's proclaimed "front-runners" and the grassroots?  Giuliani and McCain were not even close. 

Other interesting notes:  The ballot included Fred Thompson, though he has not yet even formed an exploratory committee.  The ballot also had a poll for V.P., though nobody is actually running for V.P. at this time.  The V.P. portion of the ballot included only 3 names:  Mary Bono, J.C. Watts, and I think Fred Thompson.  The absurdity was pointed out and delegates wondered out loud, who prepared these ballots?  Where did they come up with Mary Bono?  J.C. Watts?  Why not put in our second choice for president?  Why the names of random political figures not even running for president?  The answer is still a mystery. 

Fred Thompson, Fishnet For McCain?

That's what some are saying.  He did, afterall, consistantly support McCain's infamous campaign finance reform bill.  Others are saying that he is just getting his name out there to boost his new radio show.  It's all speculation, but perhaps there's some merit to it.   This should be watched closely.

Life of the Party was at first optimistic about Thompson's candidacy, due to his conservative reputation combined with his star power and charisma, but now has concerns about the lack of clarity in his stated positions on the issues, and what he would do with those issues as president. 

For reasons more clarity is needed, read this.  Meanwhile, we'll be keeping an eye on Fred Thompson. 

2008 Presidential Candidates on Life Issues

Note: New updated information has been added to this post concerning the potential candidacy of former U.S. Senator from Tennessee and actor, Fred Thompson. 

The following is taken from the Republican National Coalition for Life's "Fax Notes".  RNC for Life is the leading organization responsible for ensuring a pro-life Republican platform at the national level and is a valuable source for finding out who really is pro-life and who is just pandering with "cosmetically pro-life" speak. 

(LOTP notes that because of Sam Brownback's position on illegal immigration amnesty, conservatives need to carefully consider whether or not he is worthy of support.  In addition, the news of his being fickle on the human life amendment to the Constitution should give pro-lifers pause as well.) 

2008 Presidential Candidates' Positions on Life Issues 
(Listed Alphabetically)

SAM BROWNBACK Senator Brownback is the pro-life leader in the U.S. Senate. He has sponsored numerous pro-life bills including the Human Cloning Prohibition Act, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act, and the Assisted Suicide Prevention Act. He has held hearings on life issues, among them the Impact of Abortion on Women. Senator Brownback is a sincere and dedicated champion of the right to life from conception.

JIM GILMORE A former Governor of Virginia, Jim Gilmore supports legal abortion until the 13th week 8.57 weeks ("60 days") of gestation pregnancy (the first trimester), and in cases of rape or incest when necessary to save the life of the mother. He has supported an informed consent law and a 24-hour waiting period for abortion.

NEWT GINGRICH His book, "Winning the Future: A 21st Century Contract with America" said virtually nothing about abortion. John Lofton, who interviewed Gingrich for American View asked, "Do you think abortion should be a crime?" Gingrich answered tepidly, "I think that abortion should not be legal, and I think that how you would implement that I'm not sure."

RUDOLPH GIULIANI "I'm pro-choice. I'm pro-gay rights," Giuliani said. He was then asked whether he supports a ban on what critics call partial-birth abortion. "No, I have not supported that, and I don't see my position on that changing," he responded. — CNN.com, "Inside Politics" Dec. 2, 1999. Now that he is running for president he says he would support it, but only if it has a life-of-the-mother exception, (Hannity & Colmes, 2/5/07) even though there is clear evidence that killing a baby during delivery by stabbing him in the back of the neck and sucking out his brains is never medically necessary.

In a 1989 conversation with Phil Donahue, Giuliani said he would "uphold a woman's right of choice," and "oppose going back to a day in which abortions were illegal." When Donahue asked what advice he would give his daughter if she became pregnant, he said . . . "if the ultimate choice of the woman — my daughter or any other woman — would be that in this particular circumstance she had to have an abortion, I'd support that. I'd give my daughter the money for it."

MIKE HUCKABEE The former Governor of Arkansas thinks abortion should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered. He would eliminate public funding for abortions and public funding of organizations that advocate or perform abortions. He supports "A Woman's Right to Know" legislation.

DUNCAN HUNTER Rep. Hunter is a committed pro-lifer and chief sponsor of the Right To Life Act (H.R. 618) to extend Fourteenth Amendment protection to the unborn child. He is now serving his 14th term as Congressman from the 52nd District of California.

In an interview with Human Events (12/4/06) Rep. Hunter was asked, "What would you do about abortion if you were President?" He responded, "I'd do everything I could to work toward doing everything we could to eliminate abortion." When asked, "What sort of people would you name to the United States Supreme Court?" he answered, "I would name people who have a sensitivity toward human life."

JOHN McCAIN Sen. McCain has voted to restrict or regulate the practice of abortion but, although he says Roe v. Wade should be overturned, he supports abortion in cases of rape and incest and has endorsed legislation that would expand federal funding for research that kills human embryos.

RON PAUL Rep. Paul was the Libertarian Party nominee in 1988. His libertarian views have conflicted with his pro-life stance on many occasions. From 2005 - 2006, Paul had just a 56 percent pro-life voting record as he voted four times against a federal law protecting teenagers from being taken to other states for secret abortions in violation of the parental notification or consent laws of their home state. In previous years, Mr. Paul had a 73 percent, 81 percent, and 79 percent voting record going back to 1999, according to the National Right to Life Committee. He doesn't think federal law should cover abortion issues. He opposes using taxpayer funding for both embryonic and non-embryonic stem cell research. (LIFENEWS.com)

MITT ROMNEY Mitt Romney ran against Ted Kennedy for the U.S. Senate in 1994 as a pro-choice candidate. As a candidate for Governor in 2002, he answered Planned Parenthood and NARAL questionnaires saying he supported "the substance of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade" and, "I respect and will protect a woman's right to choose . . . Women should be free to choose based on their own beliefs, not mine and not the government's." (The Weekly Standard, 2/5/07) Now that he is running for President, Mr. Romney would like us to believe that, after 34 years of legal abortion in this country and an entire political career as an enthusiastic pro-choicer, he has just seen the light and is now "pro-life."

Romney supports killing human embryos left over from IVF treatments for research purposes as long as the parents give their consent.

TOM TANCREDO Although he is best known among conservatives for his leadership on immigration policy, Congressman Tancredo is solidly pro-life. NARAL gives him a 0% score on legislation related to life issues. (http://www.issues2000.org/House/Tom_Tancredo.htm) His website says this: "Throughout my public career I have always maintained a deeply held conviction that abortion compromises the sanctity of human life. Tragically, our nation has ignored our founding principle that all individuals have a right to life and in doing so has failed to protect the most vulnerable among us, unborn boys and girls. I do not support federal funds going to Planned Parenthood or any other organization that promotes abortion. I will continue to do everything in my power to protect the defenseless, and to end the practice of abortion." (http://tancredo.house.gov/issues)

FRED THOMPSON In a March 11th interview with Chris Wallace on FOX News, Sen. Thompson described himself as "pro-life" and said he thinks Roe v. Wade was bad law and bad medical science.  "I don't think the court ought to wake up one day and make new social policy for the country.  It's contrary to what it's been the past 200 years." (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,258222,00.html)

We have not located information on Fred Thompson's views on life issues other than abortion.  The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) voting record for the 105th, 106th and 107th congressional sessions shows that he voted pro-life on every bill to restrict or regulate the practice of abortion.  He did not receive a 100% score from NRLC due to his consistent support for the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Act.

Where Fred Thompson stands on respect and protection of the human embryo, embryonic stem cell research, or abortion in cases of rape or incest is unknown to us.  When we locate that information, we will certainly report on it.

TOMMY THOMPSON The former Governor of Wisconsin and Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Bush administration, Tommy Thompson supports abortion in cases of rape and incest, and endorses embryonic stem cell research, while claiming to be "pro-life."

Update: LOTP received the below correction from the Jim Gilmore campaign.  I have corrected what was false above and provided the notice below to show what was not reported.  Details are important:

Good Morning Michelle,

 

We hope you and your family are well. We wanted to request that you correct the following incorrect information posted on your Life of the Party blog: 

 

"JIM GILMORE A former Governor of Virginia, Jim Gilmore supports legal abortion until the 13th week of gestation (the first trimester), and in cases of rape or incest. He has supported an informed consent law and a 24-hour waiting period for abortion."

 

Governor Gilmore's has a long history of protecting life. Governor Gilmore has always steadfastly opposed public funding of abortions and his leadership as Governor led to successful legislation which he signed into law that created a 24-hour waiting period for women seeking an abortion, required parental notification for minors seeking an abortion and banned partial birth abortion. Jim Gilmore created the Virginia Abstinence Initiative and dramatically increased funding for adoption services.

 

Jim Gilmore signed into law legislation banning human cloning and went to court to try to prevent the removal of a feeding tube and save the life of coma victim Hugh Finn.  The Governor's long held position is that abortions may be allowed during the first 60 days or pregnancy, but after 60 days he opposes ALL abortions except those which are necessary to save the life of the mother.

Thank you for what you do to protect the life of the unborn.

 

The Gilmore Campaign

My response:

Dear Gilmore Campaign,

I have corrected the information regarding Jim Gilmore's positions at your request and am cc'ing Colleen Parro of RNC for Life, who was my source.  I know that RNC for Life is a trustworthy source for information on life issues and candidates' positions, and I'm quite certain that this was either an honest mistake on her part or somewhere along the line, either a source she quoted was wrong or positions have evolved.  It's important that voters have accurate information on the candidates. 

Nevertheless, I find that justifying abortion at any stage of life to be immoral and there are credible pro-life medical experts that say it is never necessary to perform an abortion to save the life of the mother.  I hope Mr. Gilmore will reconsider his positions.  We need leaders who will protect all innocent life. 

I thank you for your kind letter. 

Sincerely,
Michelle McIntyre

Update: Upon further review, it appears the information came from Jack Yoest's blog, Reasoned Audacity, who according to his report, formerly worked for Governor Gillmore, serving as Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services.  The source was even linked in the RNC for Life report that was cited at above.