Posted on 03/22/2005 3:19:56 PM PST by Crackingham
The extraordinary steps taken by congressional Republicans to save the life of Terri Schiavo have won plaudits from evangelical Christians and other conservative activists, but some Republicans worry about a potential backlash among others who view the intervention as an overbearing use of government power.
Just as Congress passed and President Bush signed legislation allowing federal courts to review whether Schiavo's feeding tube should be withdrawn, a poll by ABC News found that 70% of those surveyed believed congressional intervention was inappropriate.
Though some GOP strategists have argued that the issue is a political winner for the party because it appeals to religious conservatives, other Republicans warn that the bold maneuver risks alienating swing voters as well as Republicans worried about government invasions of individual privacy.
"It goes beyond shameless politics," said Tony Fabrizio, a Republican pollster. "It becomes a more crystallized proof point that we are no longer the party of smaller government. We have become a party of 'It doesn't matter what size government is as long as it is imposing our set of values.' "
Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), before voting against the bill Bush later signed, asked: "How deep is this Congress going to reach into the personal lives of each and every one of us?"
snip
Some of the conservative critics of Congress' action say the issue goes to the core of what kind of party the GOP will become. They worry it will further erode the party's commitment to limiting the role of the federal government.
"Conservatives who have criticized the idea that Washington should run everything ought to be sheepish" about getting involved in the Schiavo case, said David Boaz, an analyst at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
I just heard that most members of the Congressional Black Caucus voted FOR Terri's bill ("the Palm Sunday compromise").
And I just saw JESSE JACKSON on the MSNBC Dan Abrams's show say he thinks Terri's feeding tube should be reinserted.
Jackson added that Terri was "not brain dead, but brain impaired," and that it was wrong to starve a person to death.
I think that if the perception is to override the young lady's wishes, then that would turn voters off.
If the perception is to get a new look at the case, given a lot of dubious facts and innuendo, that's not a problem.
Freepers seeking to make Terri's plight a surrogate for something else are being foolish.
The Feds pretty much did what they could - there isn't anything left for them to do as a practical matter. The Schindler's attorney's should have pressed for a true de novo fresh look at the facts of the case. They didn't - that legal strategy could have cost days, and that could cost Terri her life.
Pressing beyond that, from a practical standpoint, doesn't make any sense. We called our congressclowns, they did their part, but it crapped out.
Sad.
Although the Mainstream Media has a harder time pulling off outright frauds nowadays, it is still in control of the Sheeple's minds by controling what the Sheeple will not hear as the Sheeple will do little to seek out information for themselves.
How much do the Sheeple really know about this case?
Consider the following ways to frame this issue in a poll:
"Should Congress interfere in the private legal decisions made by a husband and wife regarding their health care?"
"If your husband was living with another woman and having children with her, would you rather have your husband or your parents deciding end of life issues on your behalf?"
I agree completely. This whole show has made me queasy with our elected leaders. I'm just not comfortable with pushing through legislation that could later be used to interfere with marital privacy or invalidate living wills. If it's not done correctly, it could damage the pro-life arguement. This all should have been worked out earlier, before the need was so pressing to save Terri.
It is sad.
If the Schiavo bill alienates some voters, then so be it.
It's time to separate the wheat from the chaff.
I'd rather have people in the GOP who believe in life and are willing to act according to principles and for what is right.
Dear GOP, stop worrying about the ABC poll and just get the facts out. They're simple:
1) there is nothing but hearsay evidence from an estranged husband who remembered seven years after his wife's medical emergency that she once told him she didn't want to "live like this". There is nothing from Terri on this issue;
2) Terri is a disabled woman who responds to her environment, feels pain, and does not need "extraordinary measures" to stay alive --- just food and water;
3) Terri has a family willing and able to assume responsibility for her continued care and recovery; and ready to grant her estranged spouse the freedom from "the situation" that he seeks;
The GOP should grow a spine and stand tall and proud of its choice to fight for life over court-ordered murder.
Hmmmmm ... I wonder why FR is such a magnet for polls?
Actually, I think our elected leaders did just fine. They made no effort to undermine Terri's wishes - if that was the goal, I don't think it would have passed (or gotten close, in fact).
Nothing in what congress did was substantive - it can't be used to interfere with marital privacy or invalidate living wills. If anything, the debate makes it clearer than ever that there is a value in having a living will.
All Congress did was arrange for a fresh look at the case by the Feds - that's legit under due process guarantees by the 14th Amendment.
Freepers need to cope with the fact that we did what was right, but it looks to me like the Schindler's lawyers dropped the ball by not pushing for a full new de novo review of the case, which might include new discovery and a new finding of facts. That's all I was hoping for.
Anyone looking to make a more extended policy point - invalidating living wills, for example - will find themselves in the minority in the USA. They should just call their legislators and let them know of their desire to make those types of instruments illegal, and then leave it up to the legislative process.
Terri's case is not an avenue to change policy. In fact, if it was very clear and credible that Terri didn't want to live like that, it wouldn't have got national attention, and anyone who had a problem with that would just be in a strong, angry, but ultimately impotent minority.
The Schindlers need a better lawyer. That's not something we can do a whole lot about.
Deep enough to keep the state of Ct from abusing your inalienable rights dingdong.
But not the LA Times... The LA Times HOPES that it alienates GOP voters.
Pray for W and Terri
You handled that quite well.
It's just the truth. I read another posters analysis of the Schindler's lawyers legal misstep and given that posters rep (I didn't read the papers) it does seem like the screw-up here isn't Dubya or the Congressional GOPers and Dems.
It's the Schindlers lawyers misstep that's the issue here. They had an opportunity to ask for a new review of the facts, including discovery of new facts. They didn't. That's a blunder that may cost Terri her life.
Freepers (or anyone) who can't cope with that are making a mistake.
PS - An a peripheral note, I traditionally don't like it when in situations like this, the whole country somehow gets on a first name basis with the parties. 'Terri,' 'Baby Jessica,' etc etc. Just a pet peeve!
Should we take a poll to find out?
No, I meant that as a compliment.
For the past year I am like a moth to the flame with this Schiavo posting.
Though I attempt to verify allegations, I am set upon for daring to say anything other than kill Michael, or hang Greer, or other such nonsense.
If you want facts on any of these posts, or dare to insinuate the proper channels have been looked into, you are condemmed as the devil incarnate.
You did very well.
Sure add another.
I agree. Although I wish she could be saved, I don't think that congress has the power to legislate on this issue.
I took it as a compliment, friend. I didn't mean to suggest otherwise.
Passions run high on the issue for a variety of reasons. We did our part, consistent with the law. There's nothing left.
Keep on truckin!
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