Posted on 04/21/2008 9:11:53 PM PDT by Lesforlife
Critics ask: Is Schaffer going soft on abortions?
By Lynn Bartels
Originally published 06:56 p.m., April 21, 2008 Updated 06:56 p.m., April 21, 2008
Republican Bob Schaffer, an ardent pro-life advocate in the state legislature and Congress, now faces critics who question whether he really opposes abortion.
The criticism, which comes as Schaffer campaigns for the U.S. Senate, has upset some of his backers.
"Of all the Colorado politicians that we have, this is one of the few where I would not question his commitment to pro life," said state Rep. Kevin Lundberg, a fellow Larimer County Republican.
In recent days, Schaffer has been accused of ignoring forced abortions in a U.S. territory and of refusing to meet with a Colorado anti-abortion group.
But Dick Wadhams, Schaffer's campaign manager, ripped the credibility of those questioning Schaffer. He said Schaffer, a Roman Catholic and father of five, remains strongly opposed to abortion.
Steve Curtis, spokesman for American Right to Life, said his members want to question Schaffer on two issues: China and a proposed "personhood" ballot measure for November.
"I belive Bob Schaffer believes he's pro life, but there's an inconsistency here," said Curtis.
(Excerpt) Read more at rockymountainnews.com ...
I see this "American Right to Life" group is only a few months old. And they're spouting the same old "Republican congressmen support Marianas forced abortions" crap that we were inundated with here in Colorado's 4th Congressional District in '04.
This stinks to high heaven!
In 2004, billionaire Democrats tried to divide pro-life voters in Marilyn Musgrave's district by creating and endowing with unlimited million$ a fake pro-life 527 group called "Coloradans for Life" that accused Musgrave of being in favor of forced abortions.
This group inundated Republican and independent households with their lying literature. Their claims were short on details, but if you researched everything they said, following the links to put together the whole chain of what they were actually claiming, it went something like this:
Years ago, some big labor union wanted to grow fatter by unionizing textile workers in the Marianas (Saipan) who were mostly single Chinese women shipped out there to work at wages that are low by US standards but attractively high by Chinese standards. Because the islands are administered by the US, but are not a state, normal labor laws don't apply to them.
The unions got a boost from some leftist film makers who came out to do a documentary - to be broadcast on PBS stations - on how awful life was for these highly paid (by Chinese standards) textile workers. To spice up the film, they left no stone unturned, no innuendo nor unsubstantiated claim nor rumor left out.
One of these was an interview with a woman (or maybe it was with someone who knew someone who knew someone who knew a woman .... I forget) who claimed that when she announced to her boss she was pregnant, she was told she would lose her job if she didn't get an abortion. The woman said she defied her boss and had the baby anyway. Curiously, there was no word on whether she was fired, or if so, whether there was any proof of her word against theirs.
But at any rate, the unionizers and their lobbyists at PBS (paid for by your tax $$, don't forget) were countered by the textile firms, who lobbied hard against having the whole raft of US labor laws applied to the Marianas as well. One of the factory owners at some time in the past donated money to Tom DeLay. In turn, DeLay ran several conservative PACs, which in turn donated money to the Republican Natl. Committee. In turn, the RNC donated money to all GOP candidates in tight races, including Congresswoman Musgrave.
Therefore, Musgrave clearly supported forced abortions! Did you follow that whole chain? Supposedly, we pro-life voters were so stoopid that we would believe that this Leftist-billionaire-funded fake pro-life group was a REAL pro-life group, and vote against Marilyn that November.
So now, when I see this article above claiming that a bona-fide pro-life conservative Republican I know well, and have spoken with hundreds of times, is actually pro-abortion, and then they bring up that "Marianas forced abortion" crapola, I see red!! (No, actually I see blue)
I have two theories here: Either this newly formed "American Right to Life" group is just the latest fake pro-life group funded by leftist billionaires, or else they really are true pro-lifers who actually swallowed hook line and sinker that Marianas crap put out by the fake pro-life groups 18 months ago. I don't know which scenario is worse.
Hmmm, now that I think about it, there's a possible third explanation: Just as the GOP has a "more conservative than thou" wing that will spend all their waking hours attacking GOP candidates (like McCain) who don't measure up to their standards, while refusing to waste a single calorie of energy fighting against someone like Obama or HRC, so too does the pro-life movement have its own "more pro-life than thou" wing that will concentrate their efforts fighting against pro-lifers who they find lacking, leaving little or no time to fight against the abortionists.
We have a group like that here in Colorado - the Colorado Right to Life group. Their attacks against James Dobson, among other shameful actions, got them disaffiliated from Natl. Right to Life. Dobson last year praised a US Supreme Ct decision upholding a law that put restrictions on (but didn't totally outlaw) Partial Birth Abortion.
But because neither the restrictive law itself, nor the USSC decision, went as far as COLO RTL wanted, the imbeciles who run that group wasted the precious funds entrusted to them by Colorado pro-life donors, by spending big bucks on full page ads lambasting Dobson (for his praising a USSC decision upholding an anti-PBA law!!)
If James Dobson is considered "pro-abortion" by this group, then Bob Schaeffer should consider it an honor that he's been placed by them in the same category.
With friends like these, who needs enemies?
I've never understood the perversity that drives some conservatives to ignore everyone on the far left end of the political spectrum, while they fire all their ammunition at allies standing right next to them.
Bob has refused to sign the Personhood Amendment petition.
We asked for a meeting to discuss why but were told no.
You were correct.
I’m VP of Colorado RTL.
Richard Nixon?
No, Mister "coloradorightwinger". I actually smell TWO RATS now. And you're the other one. You created an account on FR only today with your lone post on the forum being to me. (Gee. 100% of your attention given to me. I'm honored!) Smells like another Troll to me.
And you totally mis-characterize the RMN article above. Every mention of China in the article ties back to the same old tired "Chinese Woman in the Marianas Forced to Have Abortion by Republican Lawmakers!!" smear that the Fatcat DemocrRAT funded fake pro life 527's here in Colorado threw against Congresswoman Musgrave in 2006.
And now we see a new "pro life organization" in Colorado (only a few months old! created just in time for a major election! what a coincidence! imagine that!) using the same vile lie again, this time against a second solidly pro life candidate, Bob Schaffer, to every reporter within hearing distance.
I'm going to ask you straight out, Mr. Ten Minute Old Freeper "coloradorightwinger": Are you another DU plant? Do you expect to get anywhere with this strategy of faking to be pro life so as to better divide conservatives?
It didn't work against Musgrave 2 years ago and it won't work against Schaffer this year.
I'd love it if someone could dig into the finances of this newly formed alleged Colorado pro-life group. I'll bet some combination of the names Pat Stryker, Tim Gill and Jared Polis show up at the head of the money trail.
I appreciate your long work with the pro-life movement, no doubt a lot longer than my own (since the early 90s, triggered on the joyous day when my hands helped guide my firstborn into the world of light, leading me soon after to wonder what were the odds for all the other babies making the same journey that same day, that they would emerge into the hands of a waiting abortionist instead of into the loving hands of a Dad and a compassionate doctor?)
But I am distressed by the fact that you are so quick to threaten sending an attack email against Bob Schaffer to thousands of fellow home-schoolers in Colorado?
If you're active in CO home-schooling circles, than certainly you are familiar with CHEC - (as in chec.org) - Christian Home Educators of Colorado? I used to assist with maintaining their website and their majordomo "listserv" server. I'm a friend of their longtime webmaster, Scott Lundberg. I also count as a friend his father Kevin, a board member as well as an original founding member of CHEC, who also happens to be one of the most (if not THE most) reliable social conservative Statehouse Rep in Colorado.
I've walked many miles of precincts in Kevin's district in the past 3 elections, and gotten to know both him and Bob through countless Monday morning breakfasts and various political events in Larimer County.
If you know Kevin personally, than you know without a doubt that he is a man worthy of great respect. And so, if you don't want to take my word about Bob, perhaps you'd consider Kevin at his word, when he says in the RMN article being discussed here: "Of all the Colorado politicians that we have, this [Bob Schaffer] is one of the few where I would not question his commitment to pro life."
Do you consider yourself part of the "100% or nothing" group? I am guessing that based mostly on your comment about Dobson. But I haven't read enough of your posts to be certain.
NOT!!!
Then why won't you take Kevin L at his word regarding Bob, instead of still threatening to try to hurt Bob, a hurt that can only help a radical pro-abort like Mark Udall(D-Boulder)?
Sigh.....
Apparently I find myself in the middle of a blood feud between two factions of the pro-life movement.
Or half of a blood feud, anyway. Because while one side is concentrating their fire on the abortionists, the other side appears to be concentrating most of their fire against their fellow pro-lifers.
TALE OF TWO WEBSITES
I found an article at WorldNetDaily with a good presentation of both points of view on the Personhood issue. Sounds to me like there are good points to be made for both sides. But when I visited the opposing pro-life camps' websites, I was blown away by the stark difference:
The level of respect I had for these guys following the WND article (that calmly presented good talking points for both sides) was severely diminished by seeing them in action on their website.
One camp is fighting the bad guys to their utmost. The other is fighting the good guys for not being good enough, also to their utmost. Which side should I favor? Now, that's a tough decision...... not!
It certainly is these people's prerogative to believe that any new law or any new court ruling that merely gives another serious wound to the Abortion Juggernaut without completely killing it all at once, should not only be poohpoohed, but actively opposed. And it's their right to write nasty diatribes on their webpages against fellow pro-lifers. And it's their right to call press conferences to try and damage pro-life candidates' chances against their abortion-worshiping leftwing opponents this Fall, by repeating nasty blood-libel lies created by leftist, Daily-Kos activists - like the "Chinese Woman in the Marianas Forced to Have Abortion by GOP Lawmakers" smear I talked about in this thread.
But it's ironic that people who describe themselves as anti-suicide have so vociferously chartered a course of political suicide for the pro-life movement as a whole.
Recently I've heard about the Personhood Petition being circulated, though I haven't seen one yet. I'd been planning to actively seek out one to sign and distribute on my own, and to donate some money to the effort.
Or at least up until today that was true. But with all I know now, I'm not so sure. It's unclear to me whether the Personhood group is affiliated with American RTL or Colorado RTL. I require first seeing proof that they have publicly and strongly dissociated themselves from these bomb-throwing suicidal ("If we can't have a hundred percent immediately, let's all commit Political Suicide together!") alleged pro-life groups.
Over the years I've donated thousands of $$ and countless volunteer hours to strong pro-life candidates at all levels in Colorado, from Marilyn Musgrave and Bob Schaffer on down to local statehouse candidates such as Kevin Lundberg and others you never heard of, as well as national pro-life candidates such as Alan Keyes and GWB. And I've supported Dobson's FOTF forever now with cash. So I tell you, I would be absolutely MORTIFIED to ever discover I'd donated cash to a pro-life group that took my hard-earned $$ and used them to attack any of these fine people, via media ads or press conferences!!!
If that's all you had said on this thread, then No, that is not wrong of you.
But what you also said was this:
If Bob doesn't respond soon, then an email will be going out to about 15,000 hard-working homeschooling Republicans warning them about Bob's stance.
And that has been my bone of contention with you from the beginning. Sorry if I hadn't made that clear somehow.
The only way that the email goes out is if it is shown that Bob has not signed the Personhood amendment and is shying away from it for political reasons. I doubt this to be the case, but am following through to make sure. We must ask the tough questions to those that seek higher office.
If the former, than I think you have a noble purpose behind your question. If the latter, than perhaps not.
Well, the article at the "head of the thread" claims it is, but it's short on any details re this split:
In addition, Curtis said there is concern Schaffer so far hasn't publicly supported a proposed ballot measure that would change the state constitution to define a fertilized egg as a person entitled to constitutional protections of inalienable rights, justice and due process.
"It's not on the ballot yet so we haven't taken a look at it," Wadhams said.
Right-to-life groups are split on their support for the measure, with some thinking it goes too far.
From the 4-22-08 RMN:
“Wadhams said Schaffer hasn’t formed an opinion on the personhood measure, in part because it isn’t on the ballot yet.
“It’s a lie, an absolute lie,” Curtis countered. “Of course Bob Schaffer has an opinion.”
Colorado for Equal Rights Personhood Amendment language:
“As used in the state Constitution . . . the terms ‘person’ or ‘persons’ shall include any human being from the moment of fertilization.”
BTTT!
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