Obama on Abortion
August 18, 2008 3 Comments
Asymmetric asks a simple and interesting question about Obama’s dodge on the abortion issue:
When Obama was asked about when life begins, the pro-choice candidate said that decision is “above my pay grade.”
Why is abortion above his pay grade, but not poverty, racism, marriage, military intervention and war and peace in general, AIDS, the environment, or any other moral question that he mentioned at the forum?
Is it because that one is split 50-50 in public polls and the others draw wide approval (People may be for military intervention in some cases or for drilling, but nobody would say that war is good and that trees are bad.)?
No doubt his ambivalence is directly related to public opinion on the topic. It also reveals the shallow depth of his own character and thinking that he was 1) unprepared to handle such a question and 2) a stammering fool when confronted with it. Where were the elegant phrases and soaring rhetoric? This is not the first such moment he has experienced. What is very troubling is not just that Obama is an inexperienced and empty suit, but that the mainstream Media is conspiring to ignore the obvious. Can you imagine TR being speechless about such a basic and thoughtful question?
I think TR would find the vary concept of legalized abortion to be an abomination. I imagine lots of speeches about taking responsibility for one’s actions, etc.
I find it somewhat disingenious to say, “I am personally against abortion, but in terms of policy I recognize that it must be legal.” It’s not about religion. If he has a moral conviction against it, then support legislate that either severely limits it or outlaws it completely. There’s nothing wrong with legislating morality as long as you can frame it in secular laws. He’s a lawyer. It shouldn’t be that hard.
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