right to life

Matthew Continetti writes that Mitch Daniels's new book, Keeping the Republic, is unfortunately "a campaign book with no candidate."

The most interesting moments during yesterday's presidential forum in South Carolina came when the Republican candidates grappled with a thorny question about the United States constitution and human rights. One of the questioners, Professor Robert George of Princeton, wanted to know whether the candidates would, as president, refuse to abide by the Supreme Court's rulings that have declared a constitutional right to abortion and support federal legislation to protect the right to life of unborn children.

One storyline to emerge from the 2011 budget deal is that social conservatives were really the ones who lost. 

Republican Chris Smith of New Jersey and Democrat Dan Lipinski of Illinois have introduced H.R. 3, the "No Taxpayer Funding of Abortion Act"--a bill to ensure, well, that there is no taxpayer funding of abortion through Obamacare or any other federal program.

In February, Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin wrote a paper for the Heritage Foundation titled "The Cause of Life Can’t be Severed from the Cause of Freedom," and in July, he took issue with Mitch Daniels' call for a "truce" on social issues.

So it's a little surprising to see this criticism of Ryan at Red State:

Ryan T. Anderson writes at the Public Discourse:

Mitch Daniels told THE WEEKLY STANDARD's Andy Ferguson that the next president "would have to call a truce on the so-called social issues. We’re going to just have to agree to get along for a little while,” until economic issues are resolved.

From Americans United for Life:

Kagan has contributed financially to the National Partnership for Women and Families (NPWF), an organization whose goal, in its own words, is “to increase women’s access to…reproductive health services and block attempts to limit reproductive rights…and to give every woman access to…abortion services….” Kagan “listed membership in” NPWF in a questionnaire she submitted in connection with her judicial nomination in 1999.

Politico has reported on Kagan's donations to Democratic candidates:

Via Jennifer Rubin and Allahpundit, the AP reports that in 1997, Elena Kagan, then a presidential adviser, encouraged President Clinton to support Tom Daschle's bill "that would have banned all abortions of viable fetuses except when the physical health of the mother was at risk."

From the American Principles Project:

When Bart Stupak announced his support for the Senate Health Care Reform Bill, one reporter asked him if the deal between Barack Obama and the pro-life Democrats was made face-to-face with the President himself. Mr. Stupak said that he had made the deal working with White House Counsel Robert Bauer.

Who is this Robert Bauer - the man capable of selling Bart Stupak a bill of goods on the Executive Order?

Prior to his involvement with Mr. Obama, from 2005-2007 Mr. Bauer was a registered lobbyist for America Votes.  In this capacity, he sought to enact laws that would help the fund-raising prospects of left-leaning 527s.  After he finished the campaign of Mr. Obama, he served as the Counsel for the pro-choice election powerhouse EMILY's List.

America Votes (AV) is a coalition of liberal groups that has, according to their website "more than 20,000,000 Americans in every state in the country." AV is controlled by an Executive Board that consists of 9 members: 5 unions (AFL-CIO, AFSCME, NEA, SEIU, and UFCW), 2 global warming advocacy groups (The Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters), 1 general liberal advocacy network (Progressive Future), and, most importantly, the most influential pro-choice lobby - The Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

Of course, this doesn't prove that Stupak's deal is meaningless--we have to rely on logic and the law to prove that. But it is fitting that Stupak sold out for a deal with a lawyer who has worked for the abortion lobby. As Planned Parenthood's president said, the executive order is nothing more than a "symbolic gesture."

John Boccieri becomes the fourth Democrat who voted against the health care bill in November to flip his vote to "yes". He joins Betsy Markey, Bart Gordon, and Dennis Kucinich. I expect Scott Murphy of New York to become the fifth soon. Other potential flippers from "no" to "yes" include Suzanne Kosmas (Fla.), Brian Baird (Wash.), Jim Matheson (Utah), and Jason Altmire (Pa.).