Hail Mary

nobody@vox.com(Artzy Carmen) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:18:36 -0700

Early speculation has centered on Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for McCain’s Veep pick. And I’m surprised, to say the least. I’m surprised that a woman may be getting the nod in the Republican party, I never thought I’d see that day. But Obama is making history, I guess the Republicans were hoping for a “first” of their own. But why does it seem like a “hail Mary?”

Governor Palin is someone none of us have heard of, a woman younger than Obama. Now are they still going to go after Obama saying that he’s too young and inexperienced and lacking in foriegn policy experience? Which is it? Either he is – and she shouldn’t be on the ticket… or he isn’t and she should be. Which is it?! I hope the Republicans figure it out. The country will be glad to help, I'm sure.

He’s picking a beauty queen to attract the crowd that would have voted for Hillary? First of all, the beauty queen demographic is different than the women in the Democratic party, and Democratic women are smart enough to know the difference! Certainly they will not be fooled. Hillary made the following point at the convention: Were the voters in this for her or for the population that needs change, and needs it desperately? It was a moment in the convention that was riveting. I don’t think disenfranchised Hillary supporters will *ever* be fooled by this kind of move.

McCain has long been the maverick, in the old days much more so than presently. His policies and thoughts have significantly changed since even 2000. And commentators are already making the point that this is an unusual side of McCain. He is known as a thoughtful man who thinks things through on his own and makes a decision whether it is popular or not. (Remember Campaign Finance Reform?) But this choice is clearly motivated by this specific moment in history, a decision based in a solid focus on his opponent. And if his focus is his opponent, then that’s not the old Maverick at his best. (Sounds more like Karl Rove to me.)

It is widely believed that this election is Obama’s to loose. And this choice in Governor Pulin just looks like a “hail Mary.” But I don’t think anyone will be fooled. Is this beauty queen mother of five turned Governor ready to become an overnight President? Welcome to the world stage Governor Palin, I hope you are ready for this wild wild ride!

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Womb Politics

nobody@vox.com(Artzy Carmen) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:10:08 -0800

I am not one of those people who vote on one issue alone, but this afternoon I gave some thought and research to the subject of abortion. If I were to vote according to this one issue, where would my vote go? Where do the candidates stand on the issues when it comes to the issue of protecting the life of the unborn?

Predictably, Republicans McCain, Romney and Huckabee believe that Roe V Wade should be overturned. Obama clearly states that the government should not make abortion choices for women; the mother and her community are best suited to make those difficult decisions. And Clinton supports making abortion safe, legal and rare.

These are complex issues. I agree with Obama that the government should not be in the business of telling birth families what choice is right for them since the government can not foretell the situation a woman finds herself in. I agree with McCain that the government should not be providing funding for abortion services. I agree with Huckabee that parents should be notified when an underage girl chooses to abort her baby. And finally, I agree with McCain, Romney and Huckabee that the Partial Birth Abortion Ban should be supported. And I'm impressed by Clinton's long record of successful proactive work to reduce and prevent unwanted pregnancies through education.

I would like to see more women chose adoption over abortion and I believe that adoption should be part of the abortion debate. It's not just a question of whether or not to have an abortion - it's a question of what is best for the child. I think the government should support both the birth parents and the adoptive family in the choice to adopt. Given the rates of infertility in this country, having a proactive approach to adoption is simply good politics and very much an addition to the “right to life” debate.

I am glad that Clinton has supported making the adoption credit increase permanent and has also worked to increase adoptions from foster care. McCain, who has an adopted daughter, has also voted to make the adoption credit increase permanent. Romney is in favor of making the adoption credit increase permanent, and is working to raise awareness about embryonic adoption, or snowflake babies. In a world where every little bit counts, these are fantastic!

I think Clinton has taken the edge off of her full tilt pro-abortion stance through her record on proactive measures to reduce the number of babies potentially aborted through education as well as her record on increasing adoption from foster care. Her actions and her words agree, she wants abortion "safe, legal and rare."

Huckabee is the candidate of the religious right, and is “actively and aggressively pro-life” but a full tilt anti-abortion stance is incomplete without proactive measures to reduce unwanted pregnancies in the first place. Saying “don’t have sex” just doesn’t work. What is missing in his campaign material is his full support for the adoption option so a child can find his or her forever family. It is not enough to tell a country that there will be no more abortions and then do nothing about the alternatives to abortion.

Various candidates make a number of mistakes in my opinion. I understand Obama’s nuanced views on abortion but I believe his mistake is the omission of adoption from his plan. And Clinton and Huckabee overshoot the issue with Clinton’s plan to make Roe V Wade into federal law and Huckabee’s plan for a right to life amendment to the constitution.

After weighing the pros and cons of abortion politics in the current race - I think McCain or Romney have the most moderate and well reasoned stance on this issue. And if I were to vote on this issue alone, either of these men would have my vote. Which is interesting because that is not what I would have said before I did the research.

Have you done your research?

I started here:

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.abortion.html

And also visited:

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=4891

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/family/

http://obama.senate.gov/issues/

http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/95b18512-d5b6-456e-90a2-12028d71df58.htm

http://www.mittromney.com/News/Press-Releases/Romney_Agenda_10.26.07

http://www.mikehuckabee.com/?FuseAction=Issues.View&Issue_id=11

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