Is not so good ...
Evangelical Christian leader James Dobson withdrew his support of Kentucky Senate candidate Trey Grayson (the Republican Establishment favorite) today, throwing his support behind Rand Paul instead.
Why? "Senior members of the GOP" lied.
Dobson: GOP misled me on Paul
Christian conservative leader James Dobson withdrew his endorsement of Kentucky Senate candidate Trey Grayson Monday, switching his support to Rand Paul’s campaign and accusing “senior members of the GOP” of misleading him about Paul’s record on abortion.
“I was given misleading information about the candidacy of Dr. Rand Paul, who is running in the Republican Primary for the U.S. Senate. Senior members of the GOP told me Dr. Paul is pro-choice and that he opposes many conservative perspectives, so I endorsed his opponent,” Dobson explained. “But now I've received further information from OB/GYNs in Kentucky whom I trust, and from interviewing the candidate himself.”
Dobson’s reversal is an embarrassment for Grayson’s campaign, which touted the religious leader’s support last week ... Grayson, who serves as Kentucky’s secretary of state, has struggled in the polls against Paul, an ophthalmologist, with the primary just weeks away.
Now, Paul's campaign is featuring Dobson's support in a wave of radio ads across the state, on news and Christian radio stations.
We could just brush this lie about Rand Paul's record on abortion off, noting the Establishment's despair over their power slipping away. Not that that's a legitimate excuse, mind you, just a reason.
The problem is that they haven't a pro-life leg to stand on.
Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood, one of the world's biggest abortion providers, received government grants and contracts of $350 million for fiscal year 2007-2008 and $337 million for fiscal year 2006-2007. According to their website, Planned Parenthood's fiscal year ends on June 30. In other words, Planned Parenthood received $687 million during the last 2 years of George W. Bush's presidency alone.
Well, you say ... It's Congress who holds the purse strings, and those Democrats were in control!
Okay, let's go back another year. During fiscal year 2005-2006, Planned Parenthood received government grants and contracts of $305 million - with a Republican-controlled Congress to boot!
By the way, abortion clinics affiliated with Planned Parenthood performed 264,943 abortions in 2005.
Here Comes the Judge
Republican President Richard Nixon appointed Harry Blackmun to the Supreme Court in 1970. Then, in 1973, Blackmun wrote the infamous Roe v. Wade decision, nullifying all state abortion laws and clearing a path for the unfettered slaughter of tens of millions of babies.
Republican President Gerald Ford appointed Justice John Paul Stevens in 1975. Finally retiring from the bench after 35 years, Stevens will go down in history as one of the most left-wing justices to ever sit on the Supreme Court.
Republican President Ronald Reagan appointed Sandra Day O'Connor in 1981, and then Anthony Kennedy in 1988. Both of whom voted to strike down state restrictions on abortion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992). Both also upheld the McCain-Feingold Campaign Reform Act restricting free speech, and have gone on record favoring international law to interpret our Constitution.
Then there's Kennedy v. Louisiana (2008), an appeal by Patrick Kennedy who was convicted and sentenced to death for raping his 8-year-old stepdaughter, causing severe injuries that required emergency surgery. Justice Kennedy wrote the opinion that overturned his death penalty, citing "the evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society."
Republican President George H.W. Bush appointed David Souter in 1990, who went on to vote against abortion restrictions, against private property, and in favor of gun regulation. By the time he retired, "Justice Souter was lauded by the left."
Republican President George W. Bush appointed Samuel Alito in 2005, who said he would approach abortion with an "an open mind." Justice John Roberts, appointed by Bush in 2006, said during his confirmation hearings that Roe v. Wade was "settled as a precedent of the court, entitled to respect under principles of stare decisis [Latin for 'stand by a decision']."
Not to mention they both voted against the right of habeas corpus in Boumediene v. Bush (2008).
Poor Republican Record on Abortion
Even the last Republican presidential candidate, John McCain, said that “certainly in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe vs. Wade." I don't know ... but it's starting to look more like it's the Republican Party Establishment, who thinks that Christian conservatives are "largely poor, uneducated, and easy to command."
UPDATE:
Well done CL. Sadly, there is a great deal of house cleaning that needs done to get the GOP into proper shape, in as much as this is possible.