Comments on: Senator McCain expresses belief that Roe v. Wade should be overturned

By: jpe

jpe — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 17:57:29 +0000

jpe- perhaps he thinks “that the principle of the sanctity of life is widely accepted.” now.

That would seem to be the only thing that could save him from the charge of flip-flopping. As a factual proposition, it’s dubious at best, though.

By: Bachbone

Bachbone — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 05:34:46 +0000

Sen. McCain’s position on Roe v Wade aside, his other anti-conservative positions (e.g., immigration, gun control, campaign finance “reform,” tax cuts) and his many anti-Bush Administration statements and actions make it more likely for Al Gore to be correct about global warming than for McCain to get the GOP nomination. And should he by some miracle manage to bamboozle enough people to get it, a lot of conservatives, including me, will never vote for him.

By: Little Miss Chatterbox

Little Miss Chatterbox — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 04:18:09 +0000

I just don’t trust anything McCain says anymore. I totally see this as him trying to pander to conservatives and I’m not buying it.

Someone who talked recently about McCain being toast brought up that some of us on the right will never give him a chance and the more he tries to pander to us the more he alienates his core constituency, the Drive by Media.

By: forest hunter

forest hunter — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 22:47:59 +0000

jpe- perhaps he thinks “that the principle of the sanctity of life is widely accepted.” now.

By: jpe

jpe — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 20:47:25 +0000

It’s still a flip-flop, albeit one on a more nuanced position. Then: doesn’t like abortion, but Roe shouldn’t be overturned until such a time that the principle of the sanctity of life is widely accepted. Now: Roe should be overturned now.

By: Nick Kasoff

Nick Kasoff — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 20:16:39 +0000

I agree, this is probably not a flip-flop. But it is, at least, a subtle and finessed position. This, as another member of the Senate who recently ran for President will confirm, is political death. Nick Kasoff The Thug Report

By: Big Dogs Weblog

Big Dogs Weblog — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 19:11:00 +0000

Senator McCain expresses belief that Roe v. Wade should be overturned

Men have always been president and that should not change. There is no reason that a woman should be president regardless of what the Constitution says about the subject. The fact that a person is a woman automatically, despite any other qualificatio…

By: Steve Skubinna

Steve Skubinna — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 17:43:21 +0000

IF Roe v. Wade is ever overturned, abortion is not going to go away. The question will devolve to the states, and return to the political arena instead being a toy for judicial activism. In other words, back to that sticky “We the people” nonsense lefties try so hard to suppress.

Without Roe v. Wade you can bet there will be restrictions, even bans on abortion in some states, but can you claim with a straight face that Massachusetts or California will outlaw or restrict it? Look at a red state/blue state map and you have an pretty good idea of what the national picture will be.

By: Emboldened » Blog Archive » McCain’s Abortion Position Is Not A Question

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 16:55:25 +0000

[...] Sister Toldjah also rightly took The Right’s Field to task for casting doubt on McCain’s anti-abortion credentials by using McCain’s 1999 quotes to the San Francisco Chronicle as evidence of any real pro-choice positioning. [...]

By: The Right’s Field » McCain’s Abortion Position Is Not A Question

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 16:54:53 +0000

[...] Comments The Right’s Field » McCain’s Abortion Position Is Not A Question on McCain Flip-Flops, Says Roe Should Be Overturnedmatt on Giuliani Would Lose NYSister Toldjah» Senator McCain expresses belief that Roe v. Wade should be overturned on McCain Flip-Flops, Says Roe Should Be OverturnedTeddySanFran on Rudy Giuliani, DivaMatt Ortega on Cox Camp Alleges Media Working to Elect Obama [...]

By: Matt Browner Hamlin

Matt Browner Hamlin — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 16:48:53 +0000

I'm with you Sister Toldjah, this is who McCain really is. But I think Thomas makes a good point about how this would be talked about if it was a Democrat under scrutiny. I say that broadly and not in specific reference to what your response would be. Scott Lemieux has a lot more on why McCain isn't flip-flopping here.

By: Sister Toldjah

Sister Toldjah — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 16:38:33 +0000

I *am* being honest about McCain’s postion on abortion. This isn’t a flip flop.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 16:35:24 +0000

oh, come on – if this were a lefty candidate, you’d be hollerin’ “flip flop” from the high balconies. We on the right will lose everything if we won’t be honest. McCain’s positions twist in the wind – he wants to be a player and will say whatever he needs to depending on his audience.

By: Matt Browner Hamlin

Matt Browner Hamlin — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 16:11:19 +0000

I'm not voting for him, but I don't actually buy that McCain ever was pro-choice. I think what he's saying now is his actual position. That said, I think conservative voters who want to see Roe reversed have to trust that what McCain is saying now is his position. He's not Romney on abortion, but he also isn't Bill Donohue. Some of his past statements certainly support the contention that he is adjusting his views into alignment with what the Republican base wants to here. If you're going to rebut what was a prominent statement by McCain on his views of abortion eight years ago, you have to be prepared to accept the consequences, namely that you might be wrong about McCain. Is that a risk you want to take? 49% of America thinks McCain is not a conservative, so people are going to have to start reconciling the public image of McCain as a maverick/moderate with his actual positions. If I was a McCain supporter, I'd be pushing back against the maverick meme hard.