Christian Science Monitor Claims Abortion Issue Hurting John McCain’s Bid

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Jul 28, 2008   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Christian Science Monitor Claims Abortion Issue Hurting John McCain’s Bid

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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 28
, 2008

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — What’s the best way to suppress the turnout of pro-life voters on Election Day in a contest that features a strong contrast on abortion issues? Play down abortion as an issue that helps the pro-life candidate and urge him to not mention it when talking with Americans on the campaign trail.

That’s just what the Christian Science Monitor did in a Monday news article.

Written by Dante Chinni, the article claims "the issue may have lost some of its power for the Republicans" and the headline screams that "Obama may have an edge."

If so, that would be a sharp departure from every presidential election in recent decades.

In 2004, a post-election poll conducted by the Wirthlin Worldwide polling firm showed the abortion issue gave President Bush a 12 percentage point advantage and put him over the top against pro-abortion stalwart John Kerry.

Some 42 percent of voters said that the issue of abortion affected the way they voted.

Those voters favored pro-life candidates by nearly a two-one margin with 25 percent of all voters saying they voted for pro-life candidates who oppose abortion and only 13 percent of all voters saying they backed candidates that favor abortion.

With Obama supporting unlimited abortions at taxpayer expense, past polling data makes it appear McCain’s best hope for picking up more votes and a strong turnout is to emphasize his pro-life views.

Meanwhile, in the exit polls taken by a consortium of media outlets following the 2004 election, 22% of voters cited moral values, such as abortion, as the most important issue on which they based their vote.

Despite the focus on the economy, terrorism and war in Iraq, moral issues were cited by more Americans as their top priority.

Of those voters, Bush received the support of 80 percent while Kerry received the backing of only 18 percent.

Kerry did so poorly, in part because of his pro-abortion stance, that former Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco said her party needs to moderate its pro-abortion views to appeal to Southern, Midwestern and rural voters.

"John Kerry being a Catholic, he should have easily carried Louisiana. His positions were too far on the left, particularly on abortion," Blanco told the Associated Press just three days after the election. "It made it difficult for me to bring him into the places that would have otherwise been a natural constituency."

Even Steve Morgan, of Wales, a British political consultant who served as the international media advisor for failed presidential candidate John Kerry told the British media that moral issues such as abortion and stem cell research contributed to President Bush’s victory.

Meanwhile, a leading women’s group that works to elect pro-life candidates to office outperformed its top pro-abortion rival on election day.

Some eighty percent of the candidates the Susan B. Anthony List endorsed in the 2004 election cycle won.

"Despite the unprecedented millions spent by pro-abortion groups this election cycle to try and take back the Senate and President Bush, they lost over and over again," SBA told LifeNews.com at the time.

SBA List’s top rival, Emily’s List, managed to elect only 39% of the candidates it supported, despite outspending the pro-life organization by an 8.5 to 1 margin.

Emily’s List raised over $45 million, the largest total ever for the pro-abortion political group.

 

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