Did Raddatz ask abortion question to focus media on Obama ‘war on women’ playbook?

The Daily Caller ^ | 10/12/12 | Jeff Poor

[markomalley]

Heading into the closing stages of Thursday night’s vice presidential debate in Danville, Ky., moderator Martha Raddatz of ABC News steered the conversation away from foreign policy and the economy and toward abortion, a development that pleased both President Obama’s re-election campaign and some liberal media commentators.

Raddatz, who has been under fire in recent days for her decades-old association with President Barack Obama, instructed Vice President Joe Biden and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan to discuss their Catholic faith as it regards the emotional and intensely personal issue. (RELATED EDITORIAL: ABC fails ethics test)

“We have two Catholic candidates, first time, on a stage such as this,” Raddatz said. ”And I would like to ask you both to tell me what role your religion has played in your own personal views on abortion. Please talk about how you came to that decision. Talk about how your religion played a part in that. And, please — this is such an emotional issue for so many people in this country — please talk personally about this, if you could.”

Both Biden and Ryan answered the question, with Biden temporarily discontinuing the erratic gesturing for which he would later be criticized. (RELATED: Krauthammer on Biden’s ‘disrespectful,’ ‘hugely condescending’ demeanor)

Raddatz seemed determined to keep the conversation focused, steering the conversation back to abortion when Ryan raised the issue of Catholics fighting the Obama administration over Obamacare’s contraception mandate.

“I want to go back to the abortion question here,” Raddatz insisted. “If the Romney-Ryan ticket is elected, should those who believe that abortion should remain legal be worried?”

MSNBC reacts

This would be the left-leaning MSNBC’s favorite debate moment. After last week’s first presidential debate that left the pro-Obama cable news channel with little to celebrate, “Hardball” host and MSNBC post-debate panelist Chris Matthews explained why the abortion moment was one of the evening’s highlights. (RELATED VIDEO: Post-debate, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews lapses into panic mode)

“Abortion — I thought that Ryan did a heartfelt thing but what he said was I’m for outlawing abortion in a country of this diversity,” Matthews said. “He said that. A lot of people who are not of the Roman Catholic faith, the conservative Roman Catholic faith, [who] have a particular right-wing view about all kind of social issues, will say, ‘Wait a minute here, are you telling me you’re going to take away my right to make this decision myself? Take it away from my daughter because you have a point of view?’”

“This is America,” Matthews continued. “This isn’t old Spain. You don’t tell people what you can’t do because of your church views. You don’t do that. I thought Joe handled it exactly the way, well, a lot of people would have handled it. I think that’s going to hit home with people tonight, that abortion answer. And I tell you, the big three — taxes, Medicare and abortion — won for Biden tonight. I weight them heavily more than I do Syria and some of these other issues, and Benghazi. I think that’s why he won tonight.”

Matthews and his MSNBC colleagues apparently thought so much of Ryan and Biden’s seven-minute exchange on abortion that they discussed it at least five more times during 90 minutes of coverage wrapping up a 90-minute debate.

Figuring most prominently in that coverage was an interview Lawrence O’Donnell, host of MSNBC’s “The Last Word,” conducted with Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards, who happened to be working  on behalf of the Obama campaign in the post-debate spin room.

The early signs

In a conference call Wednesday morning, Richards and Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter tipped their hand, indicating that abortion would figure prominently in the last four weeks of he election season.

“Romney is trying to hide what he believes, but there is no hiding as president,” Cutter said. “His severely conservative positions that got him through the primaries are still there, and they have been there for six years, and now he is trying to cover them up because he knows they hurt women, seniors, and the middle class — and they hurt his chances for winning the presidency — so even the ‘real Romney’ can’t cover that up.” (RELATED: Obama camp claims Romney hiding true abortion views)

Cutter’s appeared inspired by Romney’s comment during a Des Moines Register editorial board meeting Tuesday that “There’s no legislation with regards to abortion that I’m familiar with that would become part of my agenda.” He added in the same interview, however, that he would use an executive order to reinstate the so-called Mexico City policy,which bans private groups from using federal funds for abortions.  The Obama administration overturned that policy in 2009,

Abortion is one plank of a “war on women” strategy the president’s allies believe might help the Obama-Biden ticket. Last month the pro-abortion NARAL Pro-Choice America rolled out an election strategy to reporters at its Washington, D.C. headquarters, laying out a model designed to help Obama win women’s votes. (RELATED: Pro-choice group unveils detailed plan to sway ‘Obama defectors’ back to Obama)

Reinvigorating that strategy could be important following a presidential debate performance by Romney last week that created a surge big enough to all but erase the president’s double-digit lead among women voters, according to Fox News.

Media have leveraged “war on women” issues before

Thursday’s debate did not mark this year’s only high-stakes political debate appearance of a contentious social issue impacting women. As the moderator of a January 2012 Republican primary debate, Raddatz’s ABC colleague George Stephanopoulos took aim at then-Republican nominee hopeful Mitt Romney on restricting women’s access to contraception (RELATED: Stephanopoulos struggles with fairness during NH debate):

STEPHANOPOULOS: Governor Romney, do you believe that states have the right to ban contraception? Or is that trumped by a constitutional right to privacy?

ROMNEY: George, this is an unusual topic that you’re raising. States have a right to ban contraception? I can’t imagine a state banning contraception. I can’t imagine the circumstances where a state would want to do so, and if I were a governor of a state or…

STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, the Supreme Court has ruled –

ROMNEY: … or a — or a legislature of a state — I would totally and completely oppose any effort to ban contraception. So you’re asking — given the fact that there’s no state that wants to do so, and I don’t know of any candidate that wants to do so, you’re asking could it constitutionally be done?

That out-of-the-blue line of questioning was met with boos by the audience of GOP partisans. But Stephanopoulos, a former Clinton White House Senior Advisor, had set the stage for what conservative talker Rush Limbaugh and former Clinton adviser and Fox News political analyst Dick Morris later said was intentionally set in motion to make so-called “war on women” issues an unavoidable part of this year’s presidential contest.

The election is now just 25 days away. The Obama administration is absorbing criticism for potentially misreporting jobs data and mishandling a terrorist raid that killed America’s ambassador to Libya. And Obama is facing an opponent in Romney with momentum in his corner. Raddatz’s decision to call attention to abortion may have been just what the doctor ordered for the president’s campaign.

[Josephat]

I was raised Catholic when nuns were real and have recently done some research on Mormons. I was surprised to learn that their core beliefs are very similar. The main difference seems to be that Mormans believe in the pre-existance of the soul and Catholics do not. Both believe that we are children of a loving God Who so loved us that He sent His only Son to save us from our inability to live perfect lives. That is the crux of the issue. If you hold that belief it is hard to believe that God would discriminate on the basis of what we call ourselves. Mormans are most definately Christians and my observations tell me that they are much better at walking the walk than some Christians who call themselves by other names. Religions all claim to understand the workings and desires of God. I think all of them have some parts right, but I don’t think it is possible for humans to understand God and that is why God only requires faith. If we acknowledge His awesomeness we will understand that we CANNOT understand Him, only trust His love and onipotence and when we do those things good things happen in our lives AND we are guaranteed eternal life.

[Bigg Red]

It may just be that the big takeaway on this debate will be a shift to R and R by some of these women that are so enamored with Obama.

&&&
I am a woman, and that just makes no sense to me.

Any woman who was ever smitten with Obama, let alone now, is just too clueless to live unsupervised for the greater part of any given day.

[Lexinom]

indicating that abortion would figure prominently in the last four weeks of he election season.

I don't understand why they persist in the belief that this is somehow a winning issue for them. It isn't 1992 anymore.

[Theodore R.]

They won’t excommunicate because it might cost them donations; not that many many aborttion advocates are likely big givers anyway.

[ridesthemiles]

I support outlawing the TAXPAYERS having to pay for abortions.

IF you think you need one, go get it yourself. I should not have to pay one single penny for such.

[muawiyah]

The Catholic church lost it's power to direct events several centuries ago ~ however that church and others can certainly influence hearts and minds. Today's Democrat is essentially a damned soul who cannot be influenced by appeals to all that's right and holy.

Best the Catholic church and others just give up on them ~ Satan will know his own ~ and when it comes to Democrats he definitely has a tight familiarity already.

[Diamond]

I was surprised to learn that their core beliefs are very similar.

No they are not, and I'm not even a Roman Catholic.

The main difference seems to be that Mormans believe in the pre-existance of the soul and Catholics do not. Both believe that we are children of a loving God Who so loved us that He sent His only Son to save us from our inability to live perfect lives. That is the crux of the issue.

You haven't done enough of your homework yet. Mormonism's pre-existence of the soul is but one of a multitude of essential differences between the two. Mormonism applies completely different meaning to the words, "God Who so loved us that He sent His only Son to save us from our inability to live perfect lives" than ANY form of traditional Christianity. You would do well to research the MORMON DEFINITIONS of those Christian-sounding words Mormons use.

Mormans are most definately Christians and my observations tell me that they are much better at walking the walk than some Christians who call themselves by other names.

Mormonism preaches a different 'gospel'. It is not any form of the Christian Gospel.

Mormans are most definately Christians and my observations tell me that they are much better at walking the walk than some Christians who call themselves by other names. Religions all claim to understand the workings and desires of God. I think all of them have some parts right, but I don’t think it is possible for humans to understand God and that is why God only requires faith. If we acknowledge His awesomeness we will understand that we CANNOT understand Him, only trust His love and onipotence and when we do those things good things happen in our lives AND we are guaranteed eternal life.

Our lack of exhaustive knowledge and human limitations is no excuse to ignore that which has already been revealed in God's Word. Just because we do not know everything does not mean that cannot know truly. We are not entitled to disobey God's eternal Word and make up our own version of the Gospel as did that evil, blasphemous, adulterous con-man Joseph Smith.

It is not just faith that bestows eternal life with God. Everyone has faith in something. The questions is, though, in what?, or more properly, in Whom? The Apostle Paul apparently believed we can know enough to be able to distinguish between the real and the counterfeit because he wrote the following:

Galations 1:

⁶ I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— ⁷ which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! ⁹ As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

Mormonism is a different Gospel.

Cordially,

[Venturer]

One Word-————Money.

[Josephat]

The Mormons believe in God and His Son, Jesus. They believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. That is the CORE belief of all Christian religions, and, I believe, the one that will bring us eternal life.

[Diamond]

As I stated, look at the Mormon DEFINITIONS of the proper nouns you just used. They are not the same as found in any kind of Christian orthodoxy.

Cordially,

[Josephat]

I don’t know what you mean by Mormon DEFINITIONS. I did find this; Brigham Young preached,

We have a Father; He is in heaven; ...He says that we are His children. ... we actually believe that God the Father is our heavenly Father, that we are His children; and we believe that Jesus Christ is our elder brother—that he is actually the Son of our Father and that he is the Savior of the world, and was appointed to this before the foundations of this earth were laid. (Journal of Discourses, vol. 13, pp. 235-256, February 20, 1870)

What part of this do you disagree with?

[Diamond]

What part of this do you disagree with?

Uh, that God the Father is a resurrected, "exalted" human being named Elohim who was at one time not God, but a mortal man on another planet who, through obedience to the precepts of HIS God, eventually attained exaltation, or godhood, himself through "eternal progression"; that there are other Gods who became Gods in part through celestial marriage; That there is a MRS. God, or even plural MRS's God. That Lucifer is our elder brother. That God the Father had sex with the virgin Mary to produce Jesus, to name just a few.

Do you want me to keep going?

Cordially,

[Elsie]

Liberalism is the political expression of the religion of Humanism (which began with the lie “you will be as gods”). This is what Joe’s religion is.

Sigh...

So is Mitt's...

---

The Doctrine and Covenants

 

Section 132

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Nauvoo, Illinois, recorded 12 July 1843, relating to the new and everlasting covenant, including the eternity of the marriage covenant, and also the plurality of wives (see History of the Church, 5:501–7). Although the revelation was recorded in 1843, it is evident from the historical records that the doctrines and principles involved in this revelation had been known by the Prophet since 1831.

1–6, Exaltation is gained through the new and everlasting covenant; 7–14, The terms and conditions of that covenant are set forth; 15–20, Celestial marriage and a continuation of the family unit enable men to become gods; 21–25, The strait and narrow way leads to eternal lives; 26–27, The law is given relative to blasphemy against the Holy Ghost; 28–39, Promises of eternal increase and exaltation are made to prophets and Saints in all ages; 40–47, Joseph Smith is given the power to bind and seal on earth and in heaven; 48–50, The Lord seals upon him his exaltation; 51–57, Emma Smith is counseled to be faithful and true; 58–66, Laws governing the plurality of wives are set forth.

 

---

 

 16Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in ^amarriage; but are appointed angels in ^bheaven, which angels are ministering ^cservants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory.

 17For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are ^aangels of God forever and ever.

 18And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife, and make a covenant with her for time and for all eternity, if that ^acovenant is not by me or by my word, which is my law, and is not sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, through him whom I have anointed and appointed unto this power, then it is not valid neither of force when they are out of the world, because they are not joined by me, saith the Lord, neither by my word; when they are out of the world it cannot be received there, because the angels and the gods are appointed there, by whom they cannot pass; they cannot, therefore, inherit my glory; for my house is a house of order, saith the Lord God.

 19And again, verily I say unto you, if a man ^amarry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and ^beverlasting covenant, and it is ^csealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of ^dpromise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the ^ekeys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them—Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit ^fthrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then shall it be written in the Lamb’s ^gBook of Life, that he shall commit no ^hmurder whereby to shed innocent ⁱblood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their ^jexaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the ^kseeds forever and ever.

 20 Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from ^aeverlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be ^bgods, because they have ^call power, and the angels are subject unto them.

 21Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye abide my ^alaw ye cannot attain to this glory.

 22For ^astrait is the gate, and narrow the ^bway that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the ^clives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me.

 23But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall receive your exaltation; that ^awhere I am ye shall be also.

 24This is ^aeternal lives—to ^bknow the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath ^csent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my law.

 25^aBroad is the gate, and wide the way that leadeth to the ^bdeaths; and many there are that go in thereat, because they ^creceive me not, neither do they abide in my law.

[Elsie]

The legality is simply society's statement that "abortion is OK, and you need not feel guilt for having an abortion".

Are you still killing your unborn?

-- GOD

 

[Elsie]

There isn’t. the power to influence events is long gone

They could at least TRY!

[Elsie]

I was raised Catholic when nuns were real and have recently done some research on Mormons.

From the rest of your statement; you need to do some more.

[Elsie]

They believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins.

For MOST of them, anyway.

---

That is the CORE belief of all Christian religions, and, I believe, the one that will bring us eternal life.

You are free to believe that; since authentic Scripture backs it up:

 

John 6:28-29

Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

---

1 John 3:21-24

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

But...

Be aware that the 'jesus' that MORMONs put THEIR trust in; is NOT the One the bible so CLEARLY describes.

Somewhere in the Book; there is a WARNING to avoid FALSE christs and FALSE teachings.

MORMONism fits perfectly.

[Elsie]

I don’t know what you mean by Mormon DEFINITIONS. I did find this; Brigham Young preached,

 

"Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives, and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned;

and I will go still further and say, take this revelation, or any other revelation that the Lord has given,

and deny it in your feelings, and I promise that you will be damned.

Brigham Young - JoD 3:266 (July 14, 1855)

What part of this do you disagree with?

I don’t know what you mean by Mormon DEFINITIONS. I did find this; Brigham Young preached,

 

"Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives, and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned;

and I will go still further and say, take this revelation, or any other revelation that the Lord has given,

and deny it in your feelings, and I promise that you will be damned.

Brigham Young - JoD 3:266 (July 14, 1855)

What part of this do you disagree with?

[Elsie]

What part of this do you disagree with?

Here is MORMONism's own creed:

---

 

 

Articles of Faith

The Articles of Faith outline 13 basic points of belief of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Prophet Joseph Smith first wrote them in a letter to John Wentworth, a newspaper editor,
in response to Mr. Wentworth's request to know what members of the Church believed.
They were subsequently published in Church periodicals.
They are now regarded as scripture and included in the Pearl of Great Price.

 

THE ARTICLES OF FAITH
OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
History of the Church, Vol. 4, pp. 535—541

 

 

1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
   
2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.
   
3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
   
4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
   
5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
   
6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
   
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
   
8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
   
9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
   
10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
    
11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
    
12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
    
13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

Joseph Smith

 

[Elsie]

One Word-————Money.