With less than two weeks before the November election, it appears as though the media have found their newest manufactured controversy to smear Mitt Romney and other Republicans running for elected office.
Following comments made by Richard Mourdock, Republican candidate for Senate in Indiana, NBC News’ Luke Russert disgustingly tried to twist Mourdock’s comments and tie them to the Romney campaign. [See video below break. MP3 audio here.]
Speaking to Romney advisor Bay Buchanan on MSNBC’s The Daily Rundown Wednesday morning, Russert had the audacity to ask Ms. Buchanan whether or not the Romney campaign believed that God intended rape. Buchanan shot down the insulting question by Russert and explained the Romney campaign position on abortion.
During a debate with his Democratic opponent Joe Donnelly, speaking on the question of abortion, Mourdock commented that:
I believe that life begins at conception. The only exception I have for -- to have an abortion is in that case of the life of the mother. I just -- I struggled with it myself for a long time but I came to realize life is that gift from God. And I think even with -- when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is -- something that God intended to happen.
Russert’s deliberate distortion of Mourdock’s comments, which simply reassured his pro-life positions, show the crass and malicious attempt to smear and slander pro-life candidates and to create a supposed controversy where none exists.
See relevant transcript below.
MSNBC
The Daily Rundown
October 24, 2012
9:22 a.m. EDT
LUKE RUSSERT: Bay Buchanan, is a former U.S. Treasurer and a senior adviser to the Romney campaign and she joins me now. Before we get to the dynamics of the race, I want to get your –to comment here on the Senate candidate, Republican from Indiana, Richard Mourdock, who said this last night at a debate.
RICHARD MOURDOCK: I believe that life begins at conception. The only exception I have for -- to have an abortion is in that case of the life of the mother. I just -- I struggled with it myself for a long time but I came to realize life is a gift from God. And I think even with -- when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is -- something that god intended to happen.
RUSSERT: Ms. Buchanan, does the Romney campaign believe that God intends rape?
BAY BUCHANAN: Absolutely not. And -- I believe our campaign has already put out a clear statement. The governor has a position on this -- long standing, he believes that – he’s against abortion except in cases of rape and incest and of course life of the mother. And that's been his position for a long time now and he's been very consistent about that. And he disagrees entirely with what the senate candidate is saying.
RUSSERT: Would a Romney administration make any case to take away the current contraceptive rights in this country?
BUCHANAN: No and he’s made that very clear. That's never even been an issue in any campaign I have been, to be quite honest, in the some 30, 40 years I have been involved in republican, conservative politics. But clearly there is no effort whatsoever with – would a President Romney want to interfere with women's access to contraception.
RUSSERT: Does this hurt though this comment?
BUCHANAN: Does this hurt? Certainly not in our campaign. That’s where we’re focused, is on the Romney campaign and we have enormous momentum out there. We’re very, very excited about where we are thirteen days out.
