John McCain Will Not Pick Pro-Abortion Running Mate, Rules Out Tom Ridge

Life News ^ | 8/19/08 | Steven Ertelt

[wagglebee]

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- John McCain has reoprtedly confirmed he will not be picking a running mate who takes a pro-abortion position and has ruled out former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, who media outlets promoted as a possibility. McCain aides told Republican Party officials of the decision and they confirmed it to Fox News.

The aides and officials indicated that McCain “got the message” from pro-life advocates that picking an abortion advocate like Ridge was non-negotiable and could cost him votes.

National Review editor Rich Lowry responded to the news and told Fox News that he saw no benefit for McCain by selecting Ridge as his running mate.

“I think it’s a hard sell and I don’t see much upside to Tom Ridge except for John McCain likes him a lot,” Lowry said.

“I don’t think he’s going to be a big benefit in Pennsylvania and even if he is, I think the downside is the rest of the country among conservatives are going to be upset about this, just at the moment they're beginning to work up being excited about John McCain," he added.

Meanwhile, ABC News reports conversations with toip Republican officials who say McCain hasn't made a final decision.

It reports on two GOP operatives who say the McCain campaign solicited opinions about picking a pro-abortion running mate and that the response against it was significant.

“They’re getting a lot of pushback,” one official said, explaining that the calls to the McCain campaign warned of a November loss with an abortion advocate. "You’ve got to keep the coalition together. The Republican base is just coming home.”

While McCain has apparently ruled out a pro-abortion running mate, the same can't be said of pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama.

All of Obama's potential running mates are strongly pro-abortion, including Senators Evan Bayh and Joe Biden as well as Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia.

[wagglebee]

The aides and officials indicated that McCain “got the message” from pro-life advocates that picking an abortion advocate like Ridge was non-negotiable and could cost him votes.

Now he just needs to get on board with the rest of the conservative agenda.

[wagglebee]

Pro-Life Ping

[TitansAFC]

Unfortunately, the report comes from the RNC and not the McCain camp. After this report - AFTER - Lieberman submitted info to team McCain and aides said Ridge is still very much under consideration.

See National Review for an update as such.

[Jeff Head]

Rediculous and worrisome that such an exercise was even conducted...as if though if there had not been significant push back he would have done so.

His own moral compass and his own position on that issue...as stated in the debate...should have been his guiding light and obviated the need for such an exercise.

[LS]

Well, that was a no brainer, and after his solid performance at Saddlesore, it would have been a shame to blow that momentum.

In all objectivity, if one looks at the McCain campaign since he got his new campaign manager, it has been on fire, even if McCain himself has been low key. He has obliterated a heavy Obama lead in almost every state.

[buccaneer81]

I’m thinking Sarah Palin.

[Nam Vet]

Thank God. I can still hold my nose and vote for McPain. Hanging by a thread, but can still do it. I wasn't sure until I saw him in that face-off a couple of days ago.

He claimed my vote by his statements there. He will gain an avid supporter of the ticket IF he picks a young Conservative as his VP.

Nam Vet

[cpforlife.org]

Let's PRAY that this will be the case.

After his Pro-Life response SAT night it seemed more certain. He would be contradicting himself w a Pro-Abort pick.

[wagglebee]

I’m in the same vote. I am willing to vote for McCain because I believe Obama will cause irreparable damage to America, but pro-abortion VP would be a deal breaker.

[MinuteGal]

Hang up all your cares and woe on the old oak tree......McCain will not select a pro-infanticide running mate. His choice will be Mitt Romney and it's already decided and has been for a number of weeks.

All the noise going on is beanbag.

Leni

[BrerRabbit]

Unfortunately, the report comes from the RNC and not the McCain camp. After this report - AFTER - Lieberman submitted info to team McCain and aides said Ridge is still very much under consideration.

See National Review for an update as such.

I think this is correct, but do you have a link to NR?

[cpforlife.org]

Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius has also been mentioned 4 Huessien Nobama.

She would be the perfect Abortion running mate. She is friends with Tiller the Killer and IIRC hosted some type event for him in the Guv’s mansion. She's a public Pro-Abort Catholic. Her bishop has admonished her publicly and I think said she may not receive Communion. She and Huessien are the match made in hell.

[Cicero]

I’d like to see a good, strong conservative, but pro-life is the bottom line for me. I WILL NOT VOTE for an abortionist. And neither will millions of Evangalicals.

McCain is pro-life, with the stem cell exception. If he values the lives of the unborn, why on earth would he want to forward the career of a baby-killer? Or maybe it doesn’t really mean anything to him after all?

[Lesforlife]

Romney is a pro-abort in spite of his denials.

artlaction.com/video/romney-fairytale

[Miss Didi]

RUSH: I have been referring today to the possibility that Senator McCain would choose Senator Lieberman as vice president as perhaps floating a trial balloon. I have since been informed that it is far more than a trial balloon. Apparently, the McCain campaign is having delegates to the Republican convention polled on the issue of Lieberman on the ticket. Also, the highest-level donors, those who have given $2 million or more are getting calls from Carly Fiorina and Schmidt, the new guy brought in to run the campaign of Charlie Black. It's not a head fake, apparently, it's a serious float. McCain's trying to gauge, take the temperature of delegates to the convention and these high donors. (cont.)

Choose Wisely, Senator McCain

[varina davis]

I like John Kasich and he IS from Ohio.

[JoeFromSidney]

I like John Kasich and he IS from Ohio.

I don't like him. He voted for the Clinton gun ban.

[LS]

This would be, as Tom Lantos used to say, “soo-eee-cide.”

[Lexinom]

John McCain is a stubborn man, but he's not dumb. Aside from the obvious ethical implications, from a purely strategic standpoint, he has to pick a pro-lifer. If he did not so, he would be faced with a large number of us, perhaps 10% based on 2004 data showing that # of single-issue pro-life voters (compared to 8% pro-choice single-issue, Zogby numbers) sitting out the election. Pro-abort single issue voters will be supporting Obama anyway, so McCain has nothing to gain by doing picking a pro-abort.

[MHGinTN]

We ought to hope Obamessiah chooses Sebellius because the issues of pro-life reality will be front and center for several weeks, exposing the dead-soul democrats like Sebellius/Tiller.