Posted on 06/18/2011 9:52:42 AM PDT by Sonny M
2012 hopeful Mitt Romney is taking heat today after news got out that he refused to sign a prominent pro-life group’s presidential pledge.
Romney, who has come under fire for his stance on abortion before, did not sign the Susan B. Anthony List’s 2012 Pro-life Presidential Leadership Pledge. The pledge, comprised of four statements, promises to appoint only “relevant” pro-life cabinet members as well push to end all taxpayer funded abortions.
“Governor Romney pledged in the last campaign that he would be a pro-life president and of course he pledges it today,” the Romney campaign said in a statement. “However, this well-intentioned effort has some potentially unforeseen consequences and he does not feel he could in good conscience sign it. Gov. Romney has been a strong supporter of the SBA List in the past and he looks forward to continue working with them to promote a culture of life.”
For example, a Romney spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal that signing the pledge could mean promising to “strip taxpayer funding from thousands of health-care facilities, including (Veterans Administration) hospitals around the country.”
Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum did sign the pledge. Herman Cain and Gary Johnson joined Romney in not signing. It’s unclear if Jon Huntsman was asked to sign. Below is a copy of the pledge signed by Bachmann:
Click on the link to see the copy
“We applaud those candidates who did sign the pledge for vowing to support and advance the protection of life at all stages,” Marilyn Musgrave, a former Republican congresswoman from Colorado and the policy director for the SBA List, told the WSJ.
“Mitt Romney will appoint judges who will faithfully interpret the Constitution and not legislate from the bench,” a Romney spokesperson tried to make clear to the WSJ. “The bottom line is that Gov. Romney is firmly pro-life.”
But “firmly pro-life” could be debatable. Weasel Zippers drudged up a video from the former governor’s 2002 gubernatorial campaign that shows him fervently defending a “woman’s right to choose,“ vowing to ”protect” it and even supporting the ability of girls under 18 to get abortions approved by judges:
He seems to have backed off of that strong stance since, but the truth is he has not always been a staunch pro-lifer.
In Mass, he only ran as a republican because he would not have been able to make the move as a democrat, he even stated he wasn't a republican during the Reagan and Bush years, why is he even polling above single digits in these polls ??????????????????????????????????
How the hell can a pro-abortion, anti-family, pro-mandate statist actually poll well over any conservatives in a GOP primary ??????????????????
Corporate Republicans ready to use ans throw away social conservatives once again.
In all seriousness, changing parties would serve Romney well in the long run. His positions are pretty much the same, Clinton will probably die soon, and Obama will be a pariah. It would be an open field for the personality politics that dominate the Democrat party.
it would be nice to be able to actually read the pledge.
He would probably win the primaries....
Good rhetorical.
Here's another one: How could the voters of the United States of America elect to the presidency a Muslim Marxist bent on destroying the fundamentals and traditions of this once-great nation?
Only if we LET them.
Well put.
Click on the link and go directly to the page, it shows the link (as signed by Michelle Bachman).
well if Cain won’t sign it then I need to see the full language of this pledge before I could comment further.
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FYI: I’m getting a >>> file not found 404 <<< prompt/warning at the link provided.
Click on the link to the original article to see it, its the pledge as signed by Bachman.
Good rhetorical.
Here's another one: How could the voters of the United States of America elect to the presidency a Muslim Marxist bent on destroying the fundamentals and traditions of this once-great nation?
“The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” - - - Sir Winston Churchill
FYI: I’m getting a >>> file not found 404 <<< prompt/warning at the link provided.
Cain reason, who knows maybe Romney has his own personal reason for not signing. However, I don’t feel Romney should sign a pledge that forces him shift the balance of power in favor of the presidency either. One king as president is enough.
“I support right-to-life issues unequivocally and I adamantly support the first three aspects of the Susan B. Anthony pledge involving appointing pro-life judges, choosing pro-life cabinet members, and ending taxpayer-funded abortions,” Cain said in a statement. “However, the fourth requirement demands that I ‘advance’ the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. As president, I would sign it, but Congress must advance the legislation.”
“I have been a consistent and unwavering champion of pro life issues,” Cain added. “In no way does this singular instance of clarification denote an abandonment of the pro-life movement, but instead, is a testament to my respect for the balance of power and the role of the presidency.”
I think the resolution is overly broad. Why apply a pro-life litmus test to all cabinet members? Do I care if the secretary of defense is pro-life?
It needs to be reworded to address judges, and just those cabinet members that oversea funds that could be used to pay for an abortion.
But I support the general concept of trying to get these guys to pledge to commit to specific actions that support their claimed positions.
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