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Thursday, June 14, 2007

Fred Thompson And Abortion

Hot Air has the text of a questionnaire Fred Thompson filled out on abortion back in the 1990’s.  In it, Thompson is pretty clearly pro-choice saying he doesn’t believe the government should be meddling in a private affair such as that.  Which raises some pretty serious doubts about Thompson’s pro-life stance now.

So how should a pro-life voter such as myself feel about this?  Personally, I’m not all that worried for a couple of reasons.

First, Thompson is a staunch federalist.  He believes in state and local control over the majority of political issues, including sticky social issues like abortion and gay marriage.  So, essentially, he feels that the states should be allowed to determine the abortion situation for themselves.  Which means that he’d support overturning Roe vs. Wade.  So even if Thompson feels abortion should be legal personally, what more can a pro-life person ask for in a politician than someone who is willing to let the voters of each state decide that issue?

Now I feel that abortion is unconstitutional, as the 5th amendment requires due process of law before anyone’s life is ended, but Thompson’s federalism is a step in the right direction.

Second, consider the practical powers Thompson as President would actually have over abortion.  He would not be a legislator.  He couldn’t introduce new anti-abortion laws.  His most important contribution to the abortion debate would be to appoint judges to the federal bench who share his philosophy on federalism.  And if those judges share his philosophy on federalism it would lead that they also feel that Roe vs. Wade was a bad decision and would seek to return abortion to state control.

With the next President likely to get an opportunity to make several appointments to the federal bench (and probably at least a couple to the Supreme Court) where the abortion is likely to be settled (if it ever can be settled), Thompson’s judicial philosophy is important.  And federalism is exactly what we need at this point.

So yeah, Thompson may or may not be pro-choice.  But he is a staunch federalist, and that’s what we need in the White House.

Comments

Avatar for Jim Robinson

Fred refuses to officially announce so he doesn’t have to debate his opponents or participate in the process he is quick to criticize.

Fred refuses to field questions from reporters or even his own supporters.

Karl Rove, who is the mastermind behind the amnesty bill, is the one pulling strings and stiff arming people into showing support for Fred.

Matlin/Carville is sending Thompson to Israel and London this month to pad his resume and make it appear Fred has foreign affairs experience, when in reality, he doesn’t.

Fred was for abortion before he was against it depending on who is standing in front of him at the time.

Fred was for McCain/Feingold before he was against it.

Fred, after working hand in hand lobbying with Harold Fickes, a Bill Clinton insider, Fred voted NO to impeach Clinton.

Fred is a globalist.

Fred is a lobbyist.

Fred has never held a leadership role.

Fred is a dirty ol man with a fetish for young girls.

Fred has cancer, is in remission, and could die before the end of one term.

This is just the beginning and this is all we really know about the guy. I predict that more we know about Fred, the less people will support him. It is however, interesting to see So Cons twist themselves into a pretzel trying to sell this guy as the Soon candidate (read: savior) when he is anything but that.

Jim Robinson on June 14, 2007 at 11:00 am

Fred refuses to officially announce so he doesn’t have to debate his opponents or participate in the process he is quick to criticize.

JR (May I call you Junior?): Hate to let a few things like facts get in the way of your lovely diatribe, but Mr. Thompson doesn’t shy away from debating his opponents. He took on that tub of lard Michael Moore and reduced him to a quivering grease spot. (Didn’t need Chris “Noballs” Matthews to do that!)

He is aware, even if you are not, that the de facto Fairness Doctrine in place in this country requires broadcast outlets to provide “equal time” to candidates or risk lawsuits or being charged with making “campaign contributions” by airing opinion pieces or even old movies that the prospective candidates were in.
Why would anyone in their right mind give up a forum to disseminate ideas while getting paid for them, in exchange for mounting the debate dais with a dozen wannabees, most of whom will be irrelevant long before the election?

Harold Fickes

No such person. Harold Ickes (A name you F’ed up--I’m noticing a pattern here!) was a top Democratic operative and top aide to former Pres. Bill Clinton.


Those who think the party or the country, will be “taught a lesson” by handing the levers of power over to the liberals will learn a lesson, but it will be at the expense of our country and her liberties. And there are no guarantees that the party or the country will come out stronger, more conservative or better positioned to win elections against the incumbent liberals.

Proof on June 14, 2007 at 11:27 am

The Hoover Institution has posted a 15 minute video of Fred Thompson being interviewed by HI Fellow, Peter Robinson, the man who wrote the “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” speech for Ronald Reagan.

The interview covers an array of key national issues, including Thompson’s statement that Roe v. Wade is the worst SCOTUS decision in his lifetime, and I would suggest that there are far, far more of us who would be satisfied with the question of abortion being returned to the political arena in the individual states, where it belongs, than there are those who want to see the issue federalized… in either direction.

As for Thompson not having formally declared his candidacy, only a leftwing partisan hack fearful of the coming Thompson candidacy, or a complete moron would try hold that fact against him, since every other candidate, on both sides of the aisle, took a considerable period of time between “exploring the options” and their respective formal announcements.

The Hoover/Robinson video can be viewed here.


“Poverty of goods is easily cured; poverty of the mind is irreparable.”

Bat One on June 14, 2007 at 11:43 am
Avatar for Winghunter

only a leftwing partisan hack fearful of the coming Thompson candidacy, or a complete moron

Hey! That resembles Junior!...whaddya’ know.

Winghunter on June 14, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Avatar for Eno

I really don’t care if a candidate has a change of heart on an issue over a 13 year period. Thompson thought abortion should be legal back then, and now he isn’t in favor for whatever reason. This isn’t Hillary voting for the war and calling for the end of Saddam then four years later voting to defund active troops that she put into the field. This isn’t John Kerry voting for the war then telling a left leaning audience that he is actually agianst it a few weekslater.
This is somebody who changed his position over a decade of time. So what?
What kills the Dems is that most conservatives don’t care what his position was years ago, so all those “Will Conservatives Really Support Thompson(or Romney)?” stories the MSM pushes are really a bunch of crap. Sorry Junior.

Eno on June 14, 2007 at 01:31 pm
Avatar for Mike

For more information on Fred Thompson please visit Fred Thompson’s Project Vote Smart Page or call our hotline at 1-888-VOTE-SMART.

Mike on June 14, 2007 at 03:05 pm

His most important contribution to the abortion debate would be to appoint judges to the federal bench who share his philosophy on federalism.

And one of the MOST important contributions anyone in this country can do in my opinion. I hate to sound like a radicalist to the detriment of my cause, but we’re not talking about a sperm bag here. These are unborn children. You guys need to check out these cool videos of children in the first trimester, with the new 3D 4D technology. These are real people here, and it’s still legal to kill them.

And I have serious doubts Thompson will have the care to put in a pro-life judge. Listen to Romney, the guy speaks from his heart as a pro life advocate.  Listen to Fred, he’s not talking about the tragedy of loosing human life, he’s talking about federalist judges.

You might say they are both pandering, and that may be true. But Thompson is from a red state already, and is going after the republican nomination. If his best pander is saying he’ll elect a federalist minded judge, do you really think he cares about being pro-life?

In it, Thompson is pretty clearly pro-choice saying he doesn’t believe the government should be meddling in a private affair such as that.  Which raises some pretty serious doubts about Thompson’s pro-life stance now.

I also think his response was weak regarding this questionnaire. He told Hannity something about maybe one of his staff filled in the questionaire. C’mon, even if that were true, does your staff know that little of you??? Again, he’s from a red state. How does he even get close to answering that question like that?


10-12-07
NARAL’s (abortion) political director Elizabeth Shipp acknowledged it “would help” the pro-choice movement if a Republican proved it was possible to win the presidency while still supporting abortion rights (ie… Rudy Giuliani) .

george on June 14, 2007 at 03:18 pm
Rob
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And I have serious doubts Thompson will have the care to put in a pro-life judge.

The best conservatives can hope for is a federalist judge.  Roe vs. Wade is the big obstacle in front of the abortion issue being put back in the hands of the various state legislatures.  Once that ruling is overturned, and any true federalist would overturn it, then the stance on abortion for judges is moot as the issue is then back to the legislators once again.

This is the best practical thing we can hope for, and Thompson will do it for us.  Romney might too, but then with Romney we get all his health care nonsense along for the ride.  Thompson doesn’t have that baggage, and is the better overall conservative.


The war against illegal plunder has been fought since the beginning of the world. But how is… legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime. Then abolish this law without delay … If such a law is not abolished immediately it will spread, multiply and develop into a system.

Frédéric Bastiat, The Law

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Rob on June 14, 2007 at 03:40 pm

This is the best practical thing we can hope for, and Thompson will do it for us.

I respect your opinion Rob, and I can see your scenario play out, but I’m not convinced of the end result. I want to hear Fred publically embrace the value of all human life before I can take him seriously on this issue. I think doing that will tell a lot about his character for me in other issues as well.


10-12-07
NARAL’s (abortion) political director Elizabeth Shipp acknowledged it “would help” the pro-choice movement if a Republican proved it was possible to win the presidency while still supporting abortion rights (ie… Rudy Giuliani) .

george on June 14, 2007 at 10:41 pm
Rob
Rob
17185 comments
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Well then, will, I’ll have a post up tomorrow you’ll probably be interested in.


The war against illegal plunder has been fought since the beginning of the world. But how is… legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime. Then abolish this law without delay … If such a law is not abolished immediately it will spread, multiply and develop into a system.

Frédéric Bastiat, The Law

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

robport.gif border=0

Rob on June 14, 2007 at 10:45 pm
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