The back page of this week's Time magazine is an essay by editor-at-large Nancy Gibbs on the new Gallup abortion poll. Gibbs reasonably wonders about why a majority of Americans now say they're pro-life. She even bows to the notion that the GOP's "message on abortion is closer to the mainstream than Democrats care to acknowledge."
It only verges on syrupy at the end, when Gibbs claims Obama -- on the cusp of nominating a leftist to the Supreme Court who thinks Latinas are wiser than white men -- is wishy-washy on the social issues:
You can tell Obama isn't interested in a culture war. He has left gay marriage to the states, dropped family-planning money from the stimulus bill, refused to fund needle-exchange programs and said he wants to "tamp down some of the anger" surrounding the abortion debate. He is inviting all sides to the White House to discuss ways to reduce the number of abortions by reducing unintended pregnancies.
My theory? People always apply the brakes to whichever side has the momentum. The stakes are too high, the pain too private, whatever decision a woman makes, to see the issue treated as an ideological toy or fundraising tool.
Obama got in trouble in his talk last August with Rick Warren for saying that the question of when life begins was "above my pay grade." But just because he was glib doesn't mean he was wrong.
Only a liberal, Obama-favoring journalist would try to turn an obvious rhetorical pratfall like "above my pay grade" and try to make it look sensible. It certainly was an attempt to use glibness to outmaneuver Warren's friendly but firm attempt to focus on where he really stands on abortion. It also illustrated how incredibly lazy and supportive most of Obama's interviewers were during the campaign.
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.
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Culture War Goes Underground
May 27, 2009 - 07:57 ET by MAS1916Obama is very adept at fighting the Culture War.
By his nomination of Sonya Sotomayor, he has veiled an activist judge with a colorful and compelling personal story designed to deflect attention from her fairly radical views. When this Justice is placed on the Supreme Court, another piece to winning the Culture War will be in place - an activist Jurist who is fully willing to overlook legislative intent when necessary to right the wrongs of America's past.
The media as well as the entire Washington crowd has issued some very strange and indeed silly statements about Sotomayor's nomination. (for a top ten list of these strange statements, you can hit:
http://firstconservative.com/blog/political-humor/political-humor-the-sotomayor-season-of-silly-statements )
Obama is counting on the media to overlook the Culture War until He gets his warriors in place.
I agree
May 27, 2009 - 10:36 ET by danebramageThings like these appointments are Obama's way of fighting the culture war for the Left without having to get his own hands dirty. Now, I actually believe he's sincere when he says he wants to tamp down some of the emotion surrounding the abortion issue. I think he sincerely believes he's being a peacemaker. But at the same time, there's no question where his own opinion is on the matter, and he will therefore appoint someone to do his will whenever he can.
Who does Gibbs think she is fooling?
May 27, 2009 - 08:07 ET by R D HelmObama is Culture Warrior # 1.
What does she think a community agitator, oops, I mean organizer actually is?
-Dave
Right, Obama has no desire
May 27, 2009 - 08:55 ET by motherbeltRight, Obama has no desire to run the auto companies, even as he takes steps to do just that; he has no plans to take over banks, even as he takes steps to do that....
Like the rest of her ilk, she continues to say that Obama isn't this, and doesn't want to do that, while at the same time, he does exactly the opposite.
They hope that people are just listening and not watching.
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
If You Can't Rewite the Constitution...
May 27, 2009 - 08:24 ET by rightwingidiotIf you can't rewrite the Constitution, which Obeyme desires to do, you simply appoint judges that ignore the Constitution.
This is another step in his "reparations" agenda. The evil white people must pay for past crimes against minorities. His nominee is "empathetic" towards the suppressed and downtrodden, as long as they are in the minority. Don't matter that there are a whole slew of poor white folks that could use a little empathy, being empathetic to minorities trumps that. Gotta keep 'em minorities votin' the right way. Gotta get that wealth redistributed.
Open the borders. Let 'em in. Give them a check. Get their vote. A nice, tidy, reelecton plan for Obeyme's second term.
Obama isn't interested in a culture war...
May 27, 2009 - 08:35 ET by c5thenHe's interested in a culture coup. This is what he is trying to achieve by pre-empting any and all opposition as racist. He picked a Supreme Court nominee based on race and will call anyone who disagrees with his decision a racist. Not him specifically, but his minions.
As we've now seen with the large issues that he is attempting to deal with, it's not just the question of when he thinks life begins that is above his pay grade. It's apparently all the hard decisions that have to be made outside of the political world. The ones that require a belief system that is bigger and more fundamental than politics.
Should government selectively reward economic mistakes and failure?
Should government pre-emptively protect it's citizens?
Should enemy combatants breaking the Geneva conventions be treated better than the conventions allow?
Should a Supreme Court justice adhere to what the Constitution says or can they use their "empathy" to decide issues?
Hey, I got the wrong "CHANGE"!
www.loyaltoliberty.com
Glib AND Wrong
May 27, 2009 - 08:36 ET by needle“But just because he was glib doesn't mean he was wrong.”
In the first place it was wrong for Obama to be glib in this situation.
Impunitas semper ad deteriora invitat.
I agree; it was not the
May 27, 2009 - 09:00 ET by motherbeltI agree; it was not the time to be glib.
And apparently, he doesn't believe life begins when the baby is outside its mother either, if the woman doesn't want it.
Her Speakerness said it all for all the abortion uber alles proponents when she said that it [when life begins] should not have an impact on a woman's right to choose.
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
Consensus
May 27, 2009 - 08:50 ET by slickwillie2001Now that there is a consensus on the pro-life philosophy and the debate is therefore over, conservatives need to move forward with a plan. First on the list should federal laws to block the Obama Bill as implemented in Illinois, and ensure that at the federal level, babies born through botched abortions are guaranteed life support. Second, make illegal any partial-birth abortion procedures.