Posted on 05/10/2007 8:37:53 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
It is one of the enduring features of the modern Republican Party: Since the rise of Ronald Reagan and the empowerment of the social conservatives, the party has formally stood in firm opposition to a constitutional right to abortion and the Supreme Court decision that established it.
Yes, there were always Republicans who broke with party orthodoxy on the issue, from New England moderates like Senator Olympia J. Snowe of Maine to pragmatists like Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California. But the party’s platform, if anything, grew less pliant on abortion over the years. And the party invariably nominated presidential candidates who embraced, rather than challenged, the full “pro life” position. (Just as the Democrats did, on the “pro choice” side.)
Now, with Rudolph W. Giuliani one of the front-runners for the Republican nomination, the question inevitably arises: Is the party moving on this issue, ready for more flexibility? Can a supporter of abortion rights, even one with caveats and qualifications, make it to the top of the Republican Party in 2008?
~~snip~~
In the past, such a position brought a quick and determined push back from the party’s social conservatives. Candidates lacking strong anti-abortion credentials, in fact, rarely made it to the top tier. Party moderates regularly tried over the years to soften the Republican platform, and were just as regularly beaten back.
The Republican abortion plank endured: “The unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed,” and the party is committed to supporting the appointment of judges “who respect traditional family values and the sanctity of innocent human life.”
~~snip~~
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Anti-abortion leaders say that if anything, their movement is resurgent — with a round of recent victories in the courts and the state legislatures — and that they are confident it will exert its power in 2008, just as it has in every other presidential campaign for three decades.
If Mr. Giuliani endures, in short, he will be bucking an awful lot of history.
Nope.
The next question would be, can the GOP survive Giuliani?
I don’t know but if he wins it will be without my vote.
Wonder when Robin will write a similar article about the Democratic party and its reluctance to nominate a Presidential candidate who doesn’t toe their line on abortion.
The GOP? Maybe. Conservatives? Not a chance.
NO.
And NO.
No.
no
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Same here.
The RINO gets MY “NO”!
Absolutely not. He’s toast. No way he can back out of it now.
If I ever do cast a vote for Guliani, it will certainly be in a general election and definitely not in a primary. I sincerely hope that it will never come to that.
If he hadn’t been such a weasel about his true position on abortion in the past few weeks, he would have more credibility. All this talk about judges like Alito and such.
Now he’s ready to “reveal” his true position. I don’t like his true position but I would have had more respect for him had he just come out and said it from the beginning.
As someone who greatly admires the turn-around New York City experienced under his administration, I am disappointed that he would try to be so much like Hillary from the get-go.
I like Rudy, but the bottom line: Stick a fork in him, he’s done.
No.
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