A pro-choice veep would sink McCain

There have been rumors floating around that Sen. John McCain is flirting with the idea of a pro-choice vice president such as Sen. Joe Lieberman, Tom Ridge, or perhaps even Rudy Giuliani.  As Michigan GOP Senatorial candidate Jack Hoogendyk points out, this would be a disaster:

While the War in Iraq and the economy are at the forefront, Senator John McCain’s announcement that he would consider a pro-choice running mate is making noise in local political circles. Kalamazoo Representative Jack Hoogendyk says there is a small pocket of voters who, regardless of the economy, will put social issues like abortion at the top of their list when choosing a presidential candidate. Hoogendyk believes a pro-life VP could move McCain past Barack Obama in November.

Exactly.  The GOP base is already wary of a John McCain presidency, and this would only compound their fears.  Picking a pro-choice running mate may bring in the independents, but it would cause the base (who are far more willing to donate and volunteer) to sit this one out, and wait for a new Reagan to run against a very Jimmy Carter-like Barack Obama in 2012.

Jack Hoogendyk knows this, and hopefully McCain does, too.

You can donate to Jack Hoogendyk’s campaign here.

Alaska Right to Life endorses Parnell

Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, who is challenging Rep. Don Young in Alaska’s August 26th House primary, picked up a major endorsement yesterday:

Republican congressional candidate Sean Parnell picked up the endorsement of the Alaska Right to Life Group Wednesday.

The group says Parnell has been a champion for issues of life, from conception to natural death.

Congressman Don Young’s campaign says Young remains a right to life supporter and says the endorsement of Parnell likely reflects Young’s vote in support of federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.

This endorsement speaks to Sean Parnell’s dedication to respecting innocent human life where Rep. Don Young won’t.  It also highlights Sean Parnell’s fiscal conservatism, as embryonic stem-cell research is already privately funded.

You can donate to Sean Parnell’s campaign here.

Hackett calls out Rep. Carney’s on pro-abortion votes

It’s a funny thing how Congressmen will say one thing in front of their constituents, but vote a different way on the House floor.  Chris Hackett isn’t letting Rep. Carney get away with it:

Responding to a question from a retired woman during a town-hall meeting in Williamsport on Tuesday, Carney said “no” he didn’t support taxpayer-funded abortions.

That’s not the case, Hackett spokesman Mark Harris said, based on the Democratic incumbent’s votes in Washington on key issues anti-abortion groups follow.

“Chris Carney has tried to have it both ways and tried to mislead voters on where he stands on abortion,” Harris said.

The two votes Hackett’s staff cited in a news release did not explicitly provide funding for abortions either domestically or internationally. In one vote, Carney joined the majority of his fellow Democrats in June 2007 to vote against extending the “Mexico City policy.”

That policy, which was first started by Republican President Ronald Reagan, refuses any funding to international organizations that provide abortions. Foreign medical clinics, for example, that also provide vaccinations, would be refused funding if abortions were also performed.

In the other vote, taken in July 2007, Carney voted against a proposal that would refuse any federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which provides pregnancy planning for young women, but also provides abortions.

As evidenced by the election of Sen. Bob Casey in 2006, even many Pennsylvania Democrats are pro-life.  However, it is rare that a Democrat is likely to stand up to Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi to protect their constituents’ deeply help beliefs on any issue, let alone one so important to the national Democratic Party.

John Gard gets a some pro-life star power

One of the stars of last year’s film Bella, which has a strong pro-life message, has endorsed John Gard, who is seeking to represent Wisconsin’s 8th District:

Republican John Gard is getting a little help for his congressional campaign from an unlikely source: a Mexican movie star. Eduardo Verastegui, who plays a professional soccer player in the movie Bella, plans to visit Gard in De Pere, Wis., today for a free screening of the film.

Verastegui, a devout Catholic who six years ago pledged to only make films that honor God, will address the audience after the movie, which is about a woman struggling with an unexpected pregnancy.

“Eduardo is a rare example of a celebrity using their talents to serve a higher purpose,” Gard, who opposes abortions, said in a statement. “I am proud to host this pro-life leader in our community.”

If only actors who can vote in U.S. elections shared Verastegui’s good sense.

You can donate to John Gard’s campaign here.