The Associated Press has an article by Nedra Pickler entitled “Moderates slated to speak to GOP.” These supposed champions of moderation are Joe Lieberman and Rudy Giuliani.
Reading the article, you find that the sole criterion for being a “moderate” is not opposing laws prohibiting a woman’s ability to have an abortion. To me, that’s a little bit crazy. I respect the fact that abortion can be a life or death decision for some women, but to me, the issue is a bit of a backwater in terms of the effect on my day-to-day life. Not to say it’s unimportant, but being pro-choice doesn’t convert an otherwise right-winger into a “moderate.” If, for example, you were pro-choice, but also anti-labor, pro-war in Iraq, and indifferent to civil liberties; I don’t think you’d properly be located in the “middle” of the spectrum.
A lot of this points to deficiencies in talking about politics in terms of “left” and “right.” But, even with the limitations of that convention, there is a certain amount of laziness reflected in applying the term “moderate” to Rudy Giuliani and Joe Lieberman simply by virtue of their stance on reproductive rights.
McCain probably will be afraid to choose one of the pro-choice candidates for VP. In the long run that will do the Republicans lots of harm nationally.One valid definition of ‘extremism’ is mandating a single issue as a litmus test to even be considered as a candidate.
Abortion maybe is a ‘backwater issue’ in most peoples lives,because since it’s a moral issue it’s a personal decision and everyone would make a decision without checking with a political party platform..
Nedra Pickler sucks. Has for years. Probably always will.
There is no way that just ‘reproductive rights’
will have been granted to women in the Republican platform without a total transformation of all official core Republican positions on social issues. It has to do with that inevitable slippery slope into liberalism.We all know that women are dangerous liberals at heart,and they won’t be satisfied without more than just that.