McCain Expected To Name Running Mate Friday; Poll Shows Choice Of Abortion-Rights Supporter Would Be Risky

Main Category: Abortion
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 29 Aug 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) has chosen his vice presidential pick and is expected to announce his choice on Friday, the Washington Post reports. McCain, who opposes abortion rights, in an interview in The Weekly Standard earlier this month said he would not rule out choosing an abortion-rights supporter as his running mate. However, a new Post-ABC News poll found that selecting such a candidate for the vice presidency would be risky for McCain, who has worked hard to gain the support of conservatives.

According to the poll of 1,108 registered voters, 20% of McCain's supporters would be less likely to vote for him if he picked an abortion-rights supporter as his running mate, such as Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) or former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge (R). The poll also found that nearly six in 10 of McCain's supporters said abortion should be illegal in most cases (Barnes et al., Washington Post, 8/28).

The New York Times reports that it is unclear how seriously McCain has considered Lieberman, whose selection could set off a "revolt" among delegates at the Republican National Convention next week in Minneapolis, as well as a "furious backlash" among Christian conservatives. The Times reports that as of Tuesday, McCain still was considering Lieberman. According to the Times, McCain's choice of Lieberman could help him appeal to women, independents and conservative Democrats in a "tough year" for Republican candidates. However, other Republicans said they suspected that regardless of McCain's personal views, his aides "could be pushing" Lieberman with the media "as part of a disinformation campaign to stir interest in the selection and to make it appear" as though McCain is "open to all possibilities and therefore more of an independent candidate" (Bumiller/Cooper, New York Times, 8/28).

Sen. Brownback To Discuss Abortion During Convention Speech

In related news, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) has announced that he will promote his "whole life" philosophy, which links his antiabortion position with a call to value life "at every stage," during his speech at the Republican convention next week, the AP/Denver Rocky Mountain News reports.

According to the AP/Rocky Mountain News, Brownback says that Republicans who accept the "whole life" ethic have more of a claim to compassion and social justice than Democrats. "It's a philosophical position for the party that we're fighting to get the party to embrace," Brownback said. Brownback added that Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) and his running mate Sen. Joseph Biden (Del.) want voters to ignore the Democratic Party's position on abortion rights yet still claim the higher ground on broader social justice issues. "What I'm saying is: Look at where the Republican Party is on whole life," Brownback said, adding, "That message competes directly with what I believe Obama and Biden will try to pitch. The Republican Party can be one of compassion, and there's a philosophical consistency for us that doesn't exist in their position" (Hananel, AP/Denver Rocky Mountain News, 8/27).

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