Sunday, September 07, 2008 |
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"Slow Joe" Pulls a "Pelosi" on Abortion |
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Posted by:
Carol Platt Liebau at
7:36 PM |
This morning, among other topics, "Slow Joe" Biden talked abortion on "Meet the Press" (transcript here). Here is part of the exchange:
SEN BIDEN: I voted against telling everyone else in the country that they have to accept my religiously based view that [life begins at] a moment of conception. There is a debate in our church, as Cardinal Egan would acknowledge, that's existed. Back in "Summa Theologia," when Thomas Aquinas wrote "Summa Theologia," he said there was no--it didn't occur until quickening, 40 days after conception. (emphasis added).
It's enough that Biden confessed in the same interview that he still wasn't up to speed with Governor Palin's views, a full 9 days after she was named to the ticket. But, like Nancy Pelosi, it's apparent that Biden also is misrepresenting the existence and nature of any supposed "debate" in the Church over abortion. Although some may have questioned when, precisely, life begins, that inquiry was never part of any larger "debate" over the morality of abortion itself.
For one thing, an Aquinas expert consulted in the wake of the Pelosi gaffe said that although Aquinas speculated about when life begins, "no way in life would Aquinas have accepted abortion." And the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has spelled it out in recent days: "[M]istaken biological theories never changed the Church’s common conviction that abortion is gravely wrong at every stage. "
Second, wasn't Biden even listening to the statement of Cardinal Egan that Brokaw read in one of the questions to him? Maybe this will clear it up for him:
We are blessed in the 21st century with crystal-clear photographs and action films of the living realities within their pregnant mothers. No one with the slightest measure of integrity or honor could fail to know what these marvelous beings manifestly, clearly, and obviously are, as they smile and wave into the world outside the womb. . . . They are not parts of their mothers, and what they are depends not at all upon the opinions of theologians of any faith. Anyone who dares to defend that they may be legitimately killed because another human being “chooses” to do so or for any other equally ridiculous reason should not be providing leadership in a civilized democracy worthy of the name.
Now, what "debate" are you talking about, Senator Biden?
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Friday, September 05, 2008 |
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Conservatives Show More Kids--and a Brighter Future |
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Posted by:
Michael Medved at
10:22 PM |
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When the McCain and Palin families assembled together on stage at the conclusion of the Republican Convention in Minnesota, I felt profoundly encouraged about the future. There are seven McCain children, and five Palins—for a total of twelve offspring for the ticket. Among the Democrats, Senator Obama has two children, and Senator Biden has three – for a total of five. Meanwhile, in an interview scheduled for broadcast this Monday, Michelle Obama told TV host Ellen DeGeneres “I’m done” when asked if she wanted another child. “This campaign is that child,” she said.
Of course, it’s possible that some of the McCain and Palin kids will find themselves influenced by friends or professors and abandon the conservative outlook of their parents – just as some of the Obama and Biden kids could shock their mothers and fathers with their own right turns. But studies show that the overwhelming majority of Americans (over 80%) replicate the political affiliation of the previous generation. This means that the population of conservatives (with their larger families) should grow more rapidly that the numbers of liberals (with their enthusiasm for Planned Parenthood and their substitution of campaigns for kids). Demographer Philip Longman has written about this phenomenon in Foreign Affairs and other publications. In other words, a more welcoming and protective attitude toward children and human life not only benefits conservatives with more fulfilling lives (as I fervently believes) but helps to secure a brighter political future. The crowded stage in St. Paul, compared to the less numerous Democratic display in Denver, may well provide a vision of things to come.
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Thursday, September 04, 2008 |
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McCain! |
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Posted by:
Amanda Carpenter at
10:04 PM |
Liveblogging it, lemme know what you think for my video wrap-up later tonight!
VIDEO SEGMENT
10:04: "John McCain is a momma's boy." That gets a lot of laughs. Dear God, I didn't know McCain's father ordered Vietnam to be carpet-bombed while his son where there in captivity. Feels like I'm always learning new stories about McCain's military bio.
10:07: "In prison I fell in love with my country," fellow POW Orson Swindle reads from one of McCain's book "Faith of my Fathers."
10:08: Video reminds us McCain worked to normalize relations with Vietnam. Narrator says he did is because "it was healing for America."
10:09: Now we're onto policy. Narrator says McCain would "do almost anything to keep taxes low."
10:10: Narrator reminds us McCain called for more troops to go to Iraq.
10:11: Narrator gets a little creepy mystical, Obama-like, "The stars are aligned. Change will come, that change must be safety, prosperity, optimism and peace."
McCain takes the stage
Nice, loooong standing ovation for him. Palin didn't overshadow him there. People are chanting "USA!USA!USA!"
10:15 Return of the green screen. The background is really green grass set against a marble-ish, Washington-like building. I don't *think* it's the White House, but it has that look.
10:16: Expressed gratitude to President Bush for leading our country through its "dark days." Praises other Bush family, his wife, says she will make a "great First Lady."
10:20: The screen just became a much more pleasing shade of green. McCain promises "I won't let you down."
10:21:Tells Obama "we'll go at it over the next few months...but you have my respect for admiration" and "we are both Americans and that's an association that means more to me than any other."
10:22: "Let there be no doubt, my friends, we're going to win this election. And after we've won, we're going to reach out our hand to any willing patriot, make this government start working for you again, and get this country back on the road to prosperity and peace."
Protesters getting dragged out. Crowd shouts "USA!USA!USA!"
"Please, please my friends, my dear friends, please don't be diverted by the ground noise and the static. I'm going to talk about it some more, but Americans want us to stop yelling at each other, okay?"
10:25: Thanks audience for giving Palin such a warm reception last night. She stands up for what's right, and she doesn't let anyone tell her to sit down"
10:28: Nice line: " I'm very proud to have introduced our next Vice President to the country. But I can't wait until I introduce her to Washington. And let me offer an advance warning to the old, big spending, do nothing, me first, country second Washington crowd: change is coming."
10:30: Promises to expose earmarxists. "I will make them famous and you will know their names! You will know their names!"
For those of you watching at home, the screen isn't all blue here in St. Paul, it's a sky with an American flag waving off where you can't see.
10:32: Praises General David Petraeus and our military. "that strategy succeeded and rescued us from a defeat that would have demoralized our military, risked a wider war and threatened the security of all Americans."
10:35 Says government lost our "trust" when we "valued power over principles and we are going to change that."
Gotta start working on my video wrap up now. This is a much more sober speech than last night for sure.
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Thursday, September 04, 2008 |
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RNC Thursday Schedule: Redskins Hall of Fame Coach Enlisted to Keep DC Republicans Focused On John McCain Instead Of Season Opener |
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Posted by:
Jonathan Garthwaite at
6:33 PM |
SAINT PAUL, Minn. - The 2008 Republican National Convention today announced the full program of events for Thursday, Sept. 4. The evening’s program will feature John McCain’s speech accepting the Republican Party’s nomination for the presidency. Among the other speakers participating in this evening’s program are Gov. Tim Pawlenty (Minn.), former Gov. Tom Ridge (Penn.), U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Mrs. Cindy McCain. The speakers’ remarks will reflect the convention’s overall theme, "Country First," and the theme for Thursday’s events, which is "peace."
Participants are listed below and organized by hour of participation:
6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Entertainment, Call to Order, Presentation of Colors: Fort Snelling Joint Services Color Guards, Pledge of Allegiance, National Anthem: Trace Adkins, Invocation
7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Speakers: U.S. Rep. Tom Cole (Okla.), Erik Paulsen, Jay Love, Charlie Summers, Aaron Schock, David Cappiello, U.S. Sen. John Ensign (Nev.)
- Video: "Country First: Peace," with narration by Robert Duvall
- Speakers: Gov. Jon Huntsman (Utah), Speaker: Maria Cino, President and CEO of the 2008 Republican National Convention, U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), The Honorable Rosario Marin
8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Speaker: Joe Watkins, U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez (Fla.), Gov. Tim Pawlenty (Minn.), Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (Tenn.), Lt. Gen. Carol Mutter, USMC (Ret.), Speaker: U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback (Kan.), U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin (Okla.), Video: "World Stood Still"
- Speaker: Joe Gibbs
- Speaker: Brian Clay
9 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- Speaker: U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.)
- Video: "Vice Presidential Nominee Governor Sarah Palin"
- Speaker: Former Gov. Tom Ridge (Penn.)
- Video: "America’s Place in the World"
- Speaker: Mrs. Cindy McCain
10 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Video: "Senator John McCain"
- Speaker: Presidential Nominee John McCain
- Floor Demonstration, Balloon Drop, McCain and Palin Families on Stage
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Tuesday, September 02, 2008 |
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Memo of Dems about Palin's Daughter: Bring it on |
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Posted by:
Mike Gallagher at
6:46 AM |
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Everyone likes to talk about "the latest buzz" at an event like this week's GOP Convention here in St. Paul. Obviously, the buzz has been over the revelation that Sarah Palin's 17 year old daughter is pregnant.
I can't wait to sit back and see precisely how liberal Democrats plan to respond.
We're already hearing murmurings from the left that include accusations of hypocrisy on the part of a family-values-savvy political family; professed "concern" about a young woman who is a "victim" of abstinence-based education; and overall, a general feeling of delight on the part of Democrats who are undoubtedly disappointed that Gustav wasn't the Armaggedon they had hoped for.
To those Democrats, I say: bring it on. I hope we can hear how they would prefer that a young girl should be rushing off to the abortion clinic. I want to hear them suggest that marriage should never be an option for a young person.
Most of all, I want to listen to them pretend that a young girl getting pregnant isn't something that liberal Democrats ever experience.
Sarah Palin continues to be a great American story. She is a tough, compelling, amazing story. And what she is experiencing with her daughter is something plenty of American families have experienced and can relate to.
You want a Republican scandal? Finding out that Sarah Palin orchestrated an abortion for her daughter. That would be a scandal.
But no such controversy exists. A young girl gets pregnant, and makes good decisions. Having a baby is most definitely a "family value." Getting married is the ultimate "family value."
And every aspect of this story reminds Americans of Barack Obama and Joe Biden's pro-abortion stance, even when it comes to late term abortions.
So Democrats, have at it. Make hay out of this story. Bring it on.
You'll be helping the McCain/Palin ticket more than you can ever realize.
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Monday, September 01, 2008 |
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Thinking About The McCain State Of The Union |
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Posted by:
Hugh Hewitt at
8:59 PM |
with Sarah Palin sitting next to Nancy Pelosi. Heh. Thanks to caller Edith for reminding us of this future picture.
The show and e-mails today confirmed that the response to the Palin family news today has been overwhelmingly positive among the base of the GOP and, I suspect, all sorts of Americans of all political stripes who understand and applaud a family's decision to draw close and support with unconditional love for all concerned.
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Monday, September 01, 2008 |
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FRC Statement |
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Posted by:
Amanda Carpenter at
2:29 PM |
FRC President Tony Perkins released the following statement regarding the reports of Gov. Palin's daughter, Bristol being pregnant.
"Unfortunately, teenage pregnancy has become all too common in today's society regardless of a family's economic or social status. It is problem that we remain committed to reducing through encouraging young people to practice abstinence," Perkins said.
"Fortunately, Bristol is following her mother and father's example of choosing life in the midst of a difficult situation. We are committed to praying for Bristol and her husband to be and the entire Palin family as they walk through a very private matter in the eyes of the public," Perkins added.
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Monday, September 01, 2008 |
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Re: Bristol's Baby |
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Posted by:
Carol Platt Liebau at
1:47 PM |
Amanda: My guess is that anyone who is a parent will think twice about attacking Bristol Palin, or using her to suggest that Governor and Mr. Palin have somehow not parented properly.
Anyone who has a child realizes first and foremost that each of them is a unique individual, who can be guided and advised, but who ultimately makes his or her own decisions -- sometimes good ones, sometimes not. Ultimately, all a parent can do is pray.
Aldous Huxley wrote that "Experience is not what happens to a man, it is what a man does with what happens to him." The Palins have confronted a situation that many American families face, and they have handled it graciously and gracefully in accordance with their convictions. For that, they deserve our respect; their daughter Bristol and their son-in-law-to-be deserve their privacy.
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Monday, September 01, 2008 |
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The Descent of the Left and the MSM |
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Posted by:
Hugh Hewitt at
12:27 PM |
This Reuters story caps off 72 hours of shame for the leftosphere and their pals in the MSM who trafficked in wretched rumor about Sarah Palin and her family. This led to the breach in the family's private life, and to an extent that should appal everyone. The children of candidates and officials should be off limits, even if the nutters declare they are not. I even understood the MSM's reluctance to pursue the Edwards story because of the impact on Edwards' family.
I applaud the Palin for their candor and their decision to be compleletly transparent with the public, and expect the vast majority of decent Americans of all political stripes will respect their wish to keep the young couple out of the news. This is hardly a rare story, though it is always a difficult one for families to work through. In the end it just means that Sarah Palin will not only be the first woman and mother to be vice president, but also the fist grandmother to hold the office as well. Here is the statement of Sarah and Todd Palin:
"We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us. Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. We're proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support.
"Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media to respect our daughter and Levi's privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates."
UPDATE: This e-mail is very representative of what I expect the reaction to this announcement will be from all decent people of good will:
Hugh –
There couldn’t be a clearer difference between conservatives and liberals than this one…
Obama…
“If my daughter makes a mistake, I don’t want her punished with a baby”
Palin…
“As [our daughter] faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support.”
(also… "Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family.”)
When I, myself, became pregnant in college, my soon-to-be mother in law (a hard-core liberal Democrat who had openly encouraged me to have un-married sex with her son) expressed her “disappointment” in both of us – and immediately pushed for an abortion. My own mother (a sex-before-marriage-is-sin Catholic) immediately comforted me, affirmed her love for me and said, “There’s always room in our family for another baby.” My husband and I have been JOYFULLY married 21 years and have 4 amazing kids…. What an beautiful gift of love my mother gave me that day!
Babies...Punishment vs. Love. I think I’ll take love.
Warm Regards,
______
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Monday, September 01, 2008 |
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Bristol Palin is Pregnant |
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Posted by:
Carol Platt Liebau at
12:19 PM |
Todd and Sarah Palin have revealed that their 17 year old daughter, Bristol, is five months pregnant.
The statement, (text here) reported that Bristol intends to keep the baby and marry the baby's father. In full, it reads as follows:
“We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us. Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. We’re proud of Bristol’s decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support.
“Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media to respect our daughter and Levi’s privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates.”
I admire all the Palins' willingness to be forthright about the pregnancy, their championing of pro-life convictions even when they entail personal cost or embarrassment, and their understanding that babies need and deserve to have a father and a mother who are committed to each other in marriage.
Although, for obvious reasons, this is news that no parents welcome from a 17 year old, it is reassuring to know that, unlike another candidate on the national ticket, Governor and Mr. Palin obviously don't feel that their daughter is being "punished with a baby."
What's truly disgusting is that this news had to made public at this time and in this way because of disgraceful, crazy rumor-mongering on the part of some lefties. After this, I trust we'll hear nothing more about the "Republican attack machine." Can anyone even imagine the outcry had Chelsea Clinton been treated this way?
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Sunday, August 31, 2008 |
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The Jindal Briefing |
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Posted by:
Hugh Hewitt at
7:21 PM |
The evacuation and preparation efforts in Louisiana are impressive, and the briefing by Governor Jindal that concluded a half hour ago should be required viewing by every public official who foresees ever having to conduct such a briefing. Lots and lots of information, delivered quickly so as to retain the attention of the audience, and concluded with a stern warning to get out combined with an offer to help the procastinators.
What was very useful was the governor's specificity as to the threat and the worst case scenario. If you want to communicate peril, it is the details that matter. Nearly 2 million people have moved out. If the storm proves to be less destructive than feared, nothing but time and money have been lost. Hats off to everyone the governor thanked, and prayers for the safety of the public servants who are keeping watch on the emptied cities and towns.
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Saturday, August 30, 2008 |
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It's "Governor Palin" to You, Senator Obama |
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Posted by:
Carol Platt Liebau at
7:46 PM |
Amanda, to answer your question: No doubt Barack should be referring to and/or addressing Governor Palin as "Governor Palin." That's her title, and any other approach would be a slight.
It will be interesting to see if he tries "Mrs. Palin" or even "Sarah" (I'm not opposed to first names in appropriate circumstances, but hey, he hasn't even met her!).
If he calls her "sweetie" (as he's wont to do, and as has happened to me several times in my career), I recommend she respond by simply referring to him as "stud muffin." That usually takes care of that.
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Saturday, August 30, 2008 |
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Wheels Up! Headed to St. Paul |
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Posted by:
Jonathan Garthwaite at
7:24 PM |
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It’s time to head to Minneapolis/St. Paul for Townhall.com’s coverage of the Republican National Convention. Townhall.com will be on the floor, in the nosebleed seats, on radio row, out with the protestors, and behind the scenes to bring you the latest news, video, commentary, video and interviews as Republicans gather to nominate Senator McCain and Governor Palin.
Speaking of Governor Palin, one area where she’ll make an immediate impact is at this convention. Almost every activist, media commentator I’ve talked to -- even the football moms at today’s early youth football games -- is significantly more excited about being a delegate, reporting of the convention, or watching it from home than they were two weeks ago.
For darn near 18 months, conservatives have been lamenting the shape the Republican Party was in. “The Republican brand is damaged” has been the phrase of choice lately but that glosses over the real problem. Republicans haven’t been acting like Republicans lately and the grassroots felt betrayed by a Congress that couldn’t stop spending, expanded entitlements, and almost granted amnesty to 12 million illegal aliens. In the Presidential Conservatives never found the modern-day Reagan they were looking for and McCain grabbed the nomination.
The “enthusiasm gap” was starting to look bigger that the Grand Canyon in John McCain home-state.
With a single decision, Senator McCain may have changed everything. Selecting a pro-life, pork-busting, gun-loving, down-to-earth, camera-friendly Governor to be his right-hand has changed the mood completely.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the captain has closed the outside door. Please turn off all electronic devices.
Stay tuned to Townhall.com…
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