Posted on 03/04/2009 11:55:34 AM PST by presidio9
After a day of uncertainty, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas said Tuesday he would vote to confirm Gov. Kathleen Sebelius for secretary of health and human services.
The president won the election and has nominated a Kansan to the Cabinet, Brownback said in a statement. Despite our profound policy differences, I will support my fellow Kansan.
Brownback joined Sen. Pat Roberts, who also made his intentions known Tuesday.
Earlier Tuesday, Brownback had deferred. He doesnt plan to say anything either way at this point, said a spokesman.
Some questioned how Brownback would decide, considering how abortion opponents who have long seen Sebelius as unacceptable are a major part of his base.
Brownbacks position had been a concern to the White House. Two sources have told The Kansas City Star that President Barack Obama himself called Brownback last week to gauge his reaction. The president wanted to be sure that Brownback wouldnt work to derail the nomination, a top Democrat said.
Unlike Roberts, Brownback was not at the White House ceremony Monday and seemed to be wavering.
Hes between a rock and a hard place, Kansas State University political scientist Joe Aistrup said before Brownback issued his Tuesday statement.
Ron Thornburgh, the four-term secretary of state running against Brownback next year for the GOP nomination for governor, had ripped Brownback for backpedaling from a joint statement issued Saturday with Roberts that said:
We are hopeful Governor Sebelius will be a voice for Kansas and rural America at the department. We look forward to working with her on issues important to the state
Thornburgh called the weekend statement tantamount to an endorsement: Im stunned that Sam would endorse her because shes an individual who goes against everything he has said he believes in
(Excerpt) Read more at kansascity.com ...
It would seem Republicans value comity in their club over the survival of the country. I was going to add that if anyone finds the Republican Party’s testicle to return them but to be honest I doubt there is anyone worth receiving them or would know what to do with them if they had them.
What a sorry bunch of losers.
Lincoln could have pushed for an emancipation of slaves in the loyal states, at the time of the Emancipation Proclamation. He did not.
I did not, ever, say that I oppose the goal of a Human Life Amendment. I stated that the radicals in the prolife movement treat almost anything short of a “no exceptions, no compromise” (no progress) approach to a Human Life Amendment as treason to the cause. I gave examples: 1.) the radicals refused to support Parental Consent, in Kansas, and actually lobbied against it, saying “no one can give consent” (even though ALL had supporting Parental Consent in other states) 2.) The radicals ripped Senator Orin Hatch apart when Hatch came up with a simple bill that would have ended most abortions. It did not stop ALL abortions so ALL opposed it. 3.) The radicals called the late Gov. Joan Finney a “traitor” because she signed a “compromise” abortion regulation bill. (George Tiller is now in criminal court, due to the bill that Finney signed.)
I have seen the pious, judgmental, “my way or the highway” type prolifers hand Tiller more victories than you can imagine. I support their goals, but many have a tendency to form circular firing squads, to eat their own. Why does Tiller make so much money? Why is Tiller so famous? Because most other states DO regulate abortion much more than we regulate abortion, in Kansas. We would have MORE abortion regulations if people like you would quit calling politicians, who try to regulate abortions, “traitors” for not doing exactly what you want! Think it through. Why do YOU think Tiller has easy laws to deal with, in Kansas, compared to the laws he would deal with in New York State or Massachusetts?
Hint: The prolife groups in those states were pragmatic, and went for the best legislation they could hope for. In Kansas, however, Right to Life of Kansas and George Tiller have been on the same side of legislative issues, more than once!
The National Right to Life Committee will, I am sure, strongly support Brownback for Governor of Kansas. (Right to Life of Kansas broke away from the NRLC long ago) I will listen to NRLC and KFL. They are the grown ups in this fight.
Sebelius, in Kansas, was protected by the local media. She is NOT ready for prime time. I think she will self destruct in this position. Her views are identical to the views of just about every Democrat in Congress. We will not get anyone who is less radical than Sebelius.
No matter who fills this spot, that person will be proabortion.
Therefore, there is no moral decision to be made.
Nonsense, the border states were not in rebellion and to abolish slavery there would have been unconstitutional.
I did not, ever, say that I oppose the goal of a Human Life Amendment.
No, you label those who do as "radicals".
We will not get anyone who is less radical than Sebelius.
Daschle was far less radical.
The decision to be made was “will you support ANY of them?” For Brownback, the answer, for his own purposes, turned out to be “yes.”
Any cooperation with evil, except to avoid an even worse, otherwise inevitable evil, is culpable. So Brownback needs to explain what worse alternative he avoided. Given that the pro-life faction is the minority we know in fact that there would have been no alternative, just a one-vote difference in her confirmation approval vote count.
Would it have been so difficult for Brownback to just say NOTHING?
That is the real crux of the problem here, there was NO REASON for Brownback to support her, if he simply wanted her out of Kansas that could have been accomplished by saying nothing.
Why are you so intent on supporting Brownback here? He had THREE CHOICES, he could oppose her, remain silent or support her; either of the first two would have been fine.
What will happen when the moderates in the GOP start saying, "If Sam Brownback can support a pro-abortion politician, it must not be that big a deal"?
I guess the 13th Amendment DOESN'T COUNT in your mind?
“Daschle was far less radical” LOL, not really.
In context, I of course meant, and said, in another post, that Lincoln did NOT push for a Constitutional Amendment at the time of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Lincoln played politics. Lincoln was a master at political games.
Lincoln did not “Free ALL the Slaves” Lincoln did what he could, at the time, while staying focused on the goal of defeating the enemy.
Brownback risked alienation of the apathetic majority, on the abortion issue, people who do not like “single issue” politicians.
Sorry, not buying it. A simple “no” vote without explanation or excuse would have been forgotten in a week, unless pro-choice zealots (do they exist in your worldview, or is it only those opposed to abortion who can be zealots?) chose to make an issue out of it, in which case their attack on Brownback would be the single-issue zealotry.
The correct answer when one doesn’t want to answer the press is “no comment,” or, more constructively “we’re studying the issue closely” (or “in depth,” or whatever other thoughtful and indefinite adverbs one cares to append...).
The MSM made abortion an issue, ever single day, against Phil Kline.
It was not pushing abortion, directly, but the MSM said Kline was a zealot, ignoring other duties, treating every other politician with a “litmus test”, was an “ideologue” etc etc.
Kansas went proabortion PRIOR to Roe V. Wade. We have had a terrible time, in this state, but we are fighting to get even with the restrictions placed on abortion, in the rest of the country.
Cooperation and consensus and compromise would put Tiller out of business.
However, the prolife radicals call anything short of a complete ban, “treason” to the cause!
I am guessing that few politicians will ever have your full support, at least not for very long.
Brownback wants her out of Kansas???
Then he should have either said he didn't support her or no comment, it's not like the press actually expected him to endorse her.
I am sure that Brownback consulted prolife leaders prior to his announcement.
Funny, NONE have come out to support him, though several have lambasted him for it.
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