A pro-choice running mate for McCain?
posted at 10:40 am on August 14, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
Hopefully, members of Team McCain have rushed to remind John McCain that he needs to energize the Republican base to support him, not to oppose him. In an interview with Stephen Hayes of the Weekly Standard yesterday, John McCain suggested that Republicans might not mind a pro-choice VP, as long as he suppported other portions of the social-conservative agenda. He intended to draw a contrast between Tom Ridge and Michael Bloomberg, but the comment threatens to draw lines within the GOP instead:
John McCain said that he is open to choosing a pro-choice running mate and named former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge as someone who merits serious consideration despite his support for abortion rights. McCain also criticized Barack Obama’s presidential campaign for attempts to “politicize” the debate over Georgia and criticized President Bush for failing to recognize the true nature of Vladimir Putin.
“I think that the pro-life position is one of the important aspects or fundamentals of the Republican Party,” McCain said. “And I also feel that–and I’m not trying to equivocate here–that Americans want us to work together. You know, Tom Ridge is one of the great leaders and he happens to be pro-choice. And I don’t think that that would necessarily rule Tom Ridge out.”
McCain’s comments came in response to a question about comments he made to several reporters during the Republican primary season. During that exchange, McCain was asked whether New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg would make a good running mate. McCain offered strong words of praise for Bloomberg but said that Bloomberg’s position on abortion–he is also pro-choice–would make it difficult to choose him as a vice presidential candidate. …
“I think it’s a fundamental tenet of our party to be pro-life but that does not mean we exclude people from our party that are pro-choice. We just have a–albeit strong–but just it’s a disagreement. And I think Ridge is a great example of that. Far moreso than Bloomberg, because Bloomberg is pro-gay rights, pro, you know, a number of other issues.”
McCain has this exactly backwards. Abortion is the sine qua non of the social conservative agenda, not gay rights, for a simple reason: abortion kills human life. In comparison, gay-rights issues stirs passions, but not the kind of line in the sand abortion represents. Being tough on gays hardly represents a consolation prize to pro-life Republicans, many of whom think the gay issue is already overblown as it is.
Michelle notes the essential problem McCain creates with this odd formula:
Pro-open borders. Pro-global warming hysteria. Might as well go for the trifecta.
Either one believes human life begins at conception or not, and if so, then abortion is an abomination. McCain has a good track record on this issue as it is, so he obviously believes that human life should not get terminated out of inconvenience. Why, then, would he propose asking someone who doesn’t believe that to take a position which could put that person in charge of appointing judges to the bench if something tragic happened to McCain while in office?
It looks like a trial balloon to me, a way to show that McCain can get along with everyone in Washington and work across the aisle. If so, let’s pop that balloon tout suite and quit alienating the base.
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The foxes are guarding the fox house. I don’t think there are any hens left.
The Rogue Tomato on May 17, 2013 at 12:38 PM
When did the IRS hire Jerry Lundergaard from Fargo?
Terp Mole on May 17, 2013 at 12:38 PM
shawked
phatfawzi on May 17, 2013 at 12:38 PM
It explains why the new acting commissioner was coincidentally promoted a few days before: he was their fall guy.
blammm on May 17, 2013 at 12:40 PM
This is NOT a good or decent person.
Jabberwock on May 17, 2013 at 12:41 PM
Is Miller a tax cheat also?
docflash on May 17, 2013 at 12:42 PM
Wait… If they staged it they knew the internal report and decided to damage control it…
That had to come from above and the one person who had the lost at stake said he didn’t know about it because the report wasn’t released yet…
Skywise on May 17, 2013 at 12:43 PM
so if i get this right? the department that makes sure were all honest LIED? OK i get it. Just wanted to make sure.
phatfawzi on May 17, 2013 at 12:43 PM
“Targeting, Congressman Brady, is what right wing whackos like Sarah Palin does, with pictures of targets and all, and we didn’t use any pictures.”
TXUS on May 17, 2013 at 12:45 PM
Great reference. I’ll take it farther: Government has arranged to kidnap its own “wife”- and taxpayers are father-in-law Wade, who’s expected to come up with the ransom money.
Bat Chain Puller on May 17, 2013 at 12:45 PM
Horrible Customer Service
Bwahahahahahahaha
TAKE’n from a man’s labor … no different from slavery..
tooo bad them slave owners n da south didn’t practice “good customer service”
roflmmfao
donabernathy on May 17, 2013 at 12:45 PM
These people (liberals in charge) have no conscience. They believe government is the answer, and therefore only have to answer to themselves. It’s all a big party, complete with hats and hooters.
kirkill on May 17, 2013 at 12:46 PM
Man it is hard to not go on a profanity laced rant in these comments.
CycloneCDB on May 17, 2013 at 12:47 PM
Every American citizen should watch this hearing to see who will be in charge of their most personal medical information…!!!!!!!!!!!!
d1carter on May 17, 2013 at 12:47 PM
It’s a pipe dream, but Congress should reciprocate the contempt the IRS commissioner showed Congress today and completely defund the entire IRS organization! That would hopefully get their attention…
geojed on May 17, 2013 at 12:47 PM
Is the government throttling our comments here at HA…? Slow down…!
d1carter on May 17, 2013 at 12:47 PM
Taxpayers aren’t the ‘customers’ of the IRS. They are the EMPLOYERS of the IRS.
Resist We Much on May 17, 2013 at 12:48 PM
This guy is really restoring my faith in big government!
/sarc
I can’t wait to find out what “bad customer service” looks like under ObamaCare.
gwelf on May 17, 2013 at 12:49 PM
So your faking this from top to bottom, and we’re supposed to trust you to be completely honest and forthright from now on?
On a sidenote, except for a few brief appearances by libfree to yap about a black church being burned down in 1802, this week has been low-troll. Curious.
Bishop on May 17, 2013 at 12:49 PM
Can’t wait.
Who’s The Racist? The Most Racist Countries In The World And The Answers Will Surprise Only The Race-Mongers
Resist We Much on May 17, 2013 at 12:49 PM
Is everyone testifying about the IRS being put under oath?
slickwillie2001 on May 17, 2013 at 12:49 PM
WHAT ‘HONESTY’ AND ‘CREDIBILITY’?
GarandFan on May 17, 2013 at 12:50 PM
Rep Mike Kelly just finished up…..the gallery erupted in applause.
CoffeeLover on May 17, 2013 at 12:50 PM
No retirement – jail. No pension, no healthcare plan, just fines and imprisonment. For a *shitload* of IRS people, damnit.
Midas on May 17, 2013 at 12:53 PM
Democrats’ solution: We should outsource this to phone operators in Mexico. And any phone operator and every remote family member can have U.S. citizenship.
BuckeyeSam on May 17, 2013 at 12:53 PM
In a just world this guy would be led from the hearing in handcuffs…
d1carter on May 17, 2013 at 12:53 PM
The House GOP, if they had any balls at all (yeah, I know) need to do a few things immediately.
Voting to repeal ObamaCare is fun and all, but we know it goes nowhere in the Senate (at least for now).
DEFUND it. Starve the beast.
And we’d better start having some serious discussions about a total revamping of the tax code- eliminate the income tax, and start de-funding the IRS while you’re at it.
Enough already.
ICanSeeNovFromMyHouse on May 17, 2013 at 12:55 PM
This.
Let’s see how many of them howl and scream their way to the top of the problem when faced with real punishment.
VibrioCocci on May 17, 2013 at 12:56 PM
The Conservative customer is always WRONG …
- IRS motto
ShainS on May 17, 2013 at 12:56 PM
The Tea Party weren’t “Targeted”.
They were just zeroed in on for IRS harassment.
portlandon on May 17, 2013 at 12:58 PM
I don’t know if it’s the fact that I grew up hearing stories from my grandparents about the communist Russia that they escaped as German Russians, but today’s hearings brought tears to my eyes. I can’t believe this is my country and the country my grandparents were so proud to become citizens of and my father fought for in WWII. Please, someone tell me we can be saved.
lea on May 17, 2013 at 12:58 PM
Even though it’s risible in the context, I’d give the IRS Commish a break on “horrible customer service.” Given the nature of all large organizations — with their mission statements and accompanying objectives to service “customers” and other stakeholders — that’s much how IRS leadership undoubtedly sees it.
But sadly, it just shows how out of touch managers in large organizations can be.
bobs1196 on May 17, 2013 at 12:58 PM
yeah, but what a fire it was!
I think sesquapredictable mentioned something about being out of pickled baby’s feet.
kirkill on May 17, 2013 at 1:00 PM
These poor IRS people are just doing the jobs that “normal” Americans won’t do.
kirkill on May 17, 2013 at 1:00 PM
Not mentioned here is this is the fellow Hillary brought in to arrange for the IRS audits of the Clinton women and enemies. Remember? And here he was, back at the IRS and that did not raise suspicion?
pat on May 17, 2013 at 1:05 PM
This charlatan was promised his great pension, and all the bennies, in exchange for all the lies.
How does any sane person believe a single word from these thugs?
Schadenfreude on May 17, 2013 at 1:06 PM
I missed that one. I remember something about shrubbery and reading up on Korean pickled cabbages, though.
rogerb on May 17, 2013 at 1:07 PM
>>Customer service
Please don’t
tazeaudit me brobbordwell on May 17, 2013 at 1:07 PM
“I want to give unelected bureaucrats like Steve Miller more power and more authority over my life, and especially my children’s lives! Big Government FTW!” -Average Dem voter
visions on May 17, 2013 at 1:07 PM
I’d have to check my notes – Miller
You have notes on that?
Ummm…No – Miller
You just said you have notes on that meeting…Now you’re saying you don’t have notes?
workingclass artist on May 17, 2013 at 1:08 PM
1. In re-ed
2. Intoxicated from all the crap
3. Working harder…’cause sugah daddy’s in trouble
Schadenfreude on May 17, 2013 at 1:09 PM
Please detail the contents of your prayers – IRS
workingclass artist on May 17, 2013 at 1:10 PM
Carnac the magnificent holds the envelope to his head.
“How did the man working on his rain gutter fall down?”
The Rogue Tomato on May 17, 2013 at 1:11 PM
It’s Rush Limbaugh’s Fault
Democratic Caucus & Il Duce’s motto
workingclass artist on May 17, 2013 at 1:12 PM
It’s mealy-mouthed bureaucrats like this that make me wish I was serving on this committee. It would give me perverse pleasure to reduce this guy to tears with the worst dressing-down he’s ever gotten.
CurtZHP on May 17, 2013 at 1:12 PM
IRS…Your Shadow Government at Work
workingclass artist on May 17, 2013 at 1:13 PM
Carnac the Magnificent holds the envelope to his head.
“When should Obama resign?”
The Rogue Tomato on May 17, 2013 at 1:14 PM
PLEASE make Kelly’s statements and applause available, HA !
Didn’t record it, and hubby needs to see/hear it !!!
pambi on May 17, 2013 at 1:14 PM
Having dealt with the IRS about back taxes, I can affirm that it does indeed have horrible customer services. You will never get the same answer from different phone reps about the same question. You often get contradictory answers, in fact. But each time they’ll insist the current answer is Gospel truth.
I remember I had a payment agreement setup that I was running late on. “Submit payment by X date or the agreement will be canceled,” they said. Now, it costs over $100 to set one of those things up (don’t ask me why) so I really didn’t want to have to do it again. So I went online and submitted my payment before X date. However, it didn’t post to their system until after X date. They said the agreement was canceled.
“No,” I said, “As you can see I submitted the payment on time. There shouldn’t be a new agreement.”
“The system canceled your agreement, so you need a new one,” they replied.
“But I paid on time. I paid before the deadline. I shouldn’t have to do this.”
And on and on it went for weeks. Finally, they re-instituted the original agreement. But, my God… I almost feel bad for the people working there. It’s like critical thought has been beaten out of them. That or the IRS simply hires people who don’t think.
Could be the latter…
selderane on May 17, 2013 at 1:15 PM
This is much worse than Watergate as potentially millions of voters were denied by the IRS the truth about this administration.
bucknut on May 17, 2013 at 1:16 PM
pat
at 1:05
Do you have where you got the info that Miller did a audits of Clinton women for Hillbeast.
If so there is a possible this is the Clintons depth charge they let go on Obama, after they figured Obama was going to blame her for Benzazie…..
APACHEWHOKNOWS on May 17, 2013 at 1:17 PM
So…ummm…
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/report-irs-deliberately-chose-not-fess-scandal-election_724711.html
I’m going to say it again. Shut. It. Down.
NOW.
Chris of Rights on May 17, 2013 at 1:17 PM
When Obama prances around the country shouting to businesses…You didn’t build that…
It’s not so strange.
Miller and likely most of the IRS crew are leftists.
The Dept. of Treasury has their own Union…and they contribute mostly to the DNC and democrats…
In 2012 Union membership gave $1,000 to republicans and over $100,000 to democrats.
workingclass artist on May 17, 2013 at 1:18 PM
“Fundamentally change America”…we’re going to have to take apart this government one Fascist/Socialist/Commie at at time.
It will take years to overcome the effect Dear Leader has had on our country and its media.
d1carter on May 17, 2013 at 1:18 PM
Yes, but it requires speaking out when you least want to and be willing to endure the consequences of speaking out.
darwin on May 17, 2013 at 1:18 PM
I sense Jarrett’s fingerprints in this mess. Lerner has to go, and Sarch Hall Ingram needs to be re-assigned or fired. Will not stand letting her oversee the Obamacare agenda. Cannot be trusted.
Amazingoly on May 17, 2013 at 1:19 PM
Well the IRS just ought to update their phone system to do the following:
If you are a member of a conservative group, Press 1.
If you are a associated with a Jewish group, Press 2.
If you plan to protest Planned Parenthood, Press 3.
If you plan to oppose Green Energy, Press 4.
If you plan to protest Obamacare, Press 5.
And the recording upon pressing those options simply ought to state, you are now being transferred to Homeland Security. I mean the IRS leaders talk about poor customer service and the reason they targeted conservative groups was to be more efficient. I mean, lets provide some solutions here and cut out the middle man. /
rsherwd65 on May 17, 2013 at 1:19 PM
The concept that citizens are the “customers” of the IRS is strange. The IRS is not a business with customers.
Is there any business in the private sector that could jail you and seize your private property for not using their services and giving them money?
visions on May 17, 2013 at 1:19 PM
Is Congress permitted to Waterboard witnesses to get a truthful answer to the question asked?
meci on May 17, 2013 at 1:20 PM
A customer is someone who voluntarily comes to you for a mutual exchange of good or valuable consideration. The IRS seizes property at the point of a gun. I’m not your damn customer, pal, and I want you to be a federal prisoner.
RadClown on May 17, 2013 at 1:24 PM
Really, the “customer service” term says all you need to know.
We really and truly have lost the concept of government of and by the people. I totally agree with shutting it down. This is insane.
ORconservative on May 17, 2013 at 1:26 PM
Time for decimination of the IRS (yes, in the military sense)
One out of ten employees from the division are fired at random. Only those that come clean will be spared.
blammm on May 17, 2013 at 1:28 PM
You want to know how deeply the IRS lies? They send people to prison who figure out that filing tax returns are completely voluntary according to Treasury Department regulations and the IRS Manual. In fact, the IRS does more than lie. They ruin honest peoples’ lives. THAT’s what they do. The good news: if you know how to fight ‘em, they back off. Trust me.
HiJack on May 17, 2013 at 1:30 PM
Like when Sarah Palin talked about some House Democrats “targeted” for defeat.
But unlike Sarah Palin, whose political opinions are well-known, the IRS is supposed to be a politically neutral agency which collects taxes according to the laws voted by Congress.
Since the Tea Party, Patriot, and other conservative groups supported Republicans over Democrats, weren’t they “targeted” in the Sarah Palin sense?
Customer service? A customer is a person who buys something of value from a seller. What has the IRS ever sold to us for our taxes? If the IRS wasn’t a government agency with the power to collect taxes, no one would buy anything from the IRS!!!
This is not “horrible customer service”. This is coercive use of government power for political purposes.
Exit question for Steven Miller: Who told you and the IRS to do this?
Steve Z on May 17, 2013 at 1:32 PM
OK,
So, this Miller was the goong the Clintons sent to audit Judical Watch back in the 1980′s.
So, I smell revenge on Obama on this by the Clintons.
If true, this would be huge imnsho.
APACHEWHOKNOWS on May 17, 2013 at 1:32 PM
Gotta wonder: was Jim Crow just a matter of horrible customer service?
matt curtis on May 17, 2013 at 1:33 PM
dictatorship
secret police
state controlled media
and more
who the hell will stand up for The United States?
losarkos on May 17, 2013 at 1:34 PM
What a day for HA to be broken…
d1carter on May 17, 2013 at 1:34 PM
Is it still America?
Schadenfreude on May 17, 2013 at 1:36 PM
Washington Examiner May 14, 2013 by Paul Bedard
Deja vu: IRS boss of Tea Party probes targeted anti-Clinton groups in 1990′s..
connections
APACHEWHOKNOWS on May 17, 2013 at 1:38 PM
This is the Orwellian Newspeak of the Obama Administration. Like taxpayer subsidies to the Solyndras and Fisker Karmas of the world are “investments” in clean, green energy. With a rate of return of negative 100%.
If we the “customers” of the IRS are the coerced “investors” in Solyndra et al. and Obama’s wonderful windmills and choo-choo trains, WE DEMAND OUR DIVIDENDS!!! NOW!!!
Steve Z on May 17, 2013 at 1:43 PM
I guess it depends on our definition of “America”, but as far as I’m concerned it hasn’t been America for a long…long…time.
HiJack on May 17, 2013 at 1:43 PM
So who was the plant at the ABA conference, that asked Lerner about targeting certain groups?
Was this a member of the media – willing to play along? Or some political hack, that just slipped in to ask the question?
Hill60 on May 17, 2013 at 1:50 PM
This – make it go around, a million times over.
Schadenfreude on May 17, 2013 at 1:51 PM
This might sound familiar to you: Back in the USSR
What we have now discovered about Barack Obama and Eric Holder’s America, if we didn’t already know it, is that any belief in a benign and decent government in this country is absolute horseshit. Liberalism has been revealed as a fascist joke.
slickwillie2001 on May 17, 2013 at 2:19 PM
APACHEWHOKNOWS on May 17, 2013 at 1:17 PM
http://washingtonexaminer.com/irs-boss-of-tea-party-probes-targeted-anti-clinton-group-in-1990s/article/2529533
I asked FNC to check it out since the hearning didn’t address it.
amr on May 17, 2013 at 2:24 PM
Lighter moment???!!! Yous gotta be kidding me. False analogy.
CUSTOMERS, in this case, do not have a choice of not patronizing their provided service.
Sir Napsalot on May 17, 2013 at 2:25 PM
I’ve been a government employee before. This is a failure of management. Rank-and-file IRS agents know exactly what they’re supposed to do and not supposed to do. They would not have done this without directives, I don’t care what the numbers say about party affiliation. This rot goes deep.
alwaysfiredup on May 17, 2013 at 2:51 PM
NYT: Official Says Treasury Dept. Knew of I.R.S. Inquiry in 2012
Resist We Much on May 17, 2013 at 3:19 PM
Every time I see a photo of Steve Miller I always think about this episode form the Three Stooges (hint: tarantula)
OxyCon on May 17, 2013 at 3:39 PM
You know who else had bad customer service?
Kermit Gosnell.
myiq2xu on May 17, 2013 at 4:41 PM
Tea Party
Just thought I would use fowl words on the internet….
APACHEWHOKNOWS on May 17, 2013 at 5:26 PM
More “horrible customer service” from Democrats.
Random Numbers (Brian Epps) on May 18, 2013 at 1:10 AM