Abortion

Now that I'm back and have had a chance to catch my breath, let's talk about abortion, shall we? Won't that be fun?

There are a number of un-subtle ads out there on both sides that portray each presidential candidate's position as about the most extreme you can have.

Instead of looking at each candidate's opponent's portrayal, let's look at what the candidates' supporters say about their records.

Senator McCain's record, according to the National Right to Life PAC, includes the following:

John McCain supports overturning Roe v. Wade. He voted against an amendment that read, “It is the sense of the Senate that the decision of the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade was appropriate and secures an important constitutional right; and such decision should not be overturned.”

John McCain voted in favor of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. When the Act was upheld by the Supreme Court on April 18, 2007, Sen. McCain said, “Today’s Supreme Court ruling is a victory for those who cherish the sanctity of life and integrity of the judiciary. The ruling ensures that an unacceptable and unjustifiable practice will not be carried out on our innocent children.”

John McCain voted in favor of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (“Laci and Conner’s Law”). Thebill establishes that when an unborn child is injured or killed during the commission of a violent federal crime, the assailant may be charged with a second offense on behalf of the second victim, the unborn child.

John McCain voted in support of a bill to require an abortionist to notify a parent before performing an abortion on a minor who lives in another state.

John McCain opposes the “Freedom of Choice Act” (FOCA), a bill which would prohibit states from placing limits on abortion, including the types now permitted by the Supreme Court, such as parental involvement laws and waiting periods, and which would make partial-birth abortion legal again.

John McCain voted against an amendment to nullify the “Mexico City Policy.” The Mexico City Policy cut off U.S. “family planning” funds to private organizations that perform or promote abortions overseas.

John McCain voted against repealing the law that prohibits performance of elective abortions in military medical facilities.

At a speech at Wake Forest University, John McCain described the kind of people he would nominate to the Supreme Court. “I have my own standards of judicial ability, experience, philosophy, and temperament. And Chief Justice [John] Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito meet those standards in every respect. They would serve as the model for my own nominees if that responsibility falls to me.”

Senator Obama's record as reported by NARAL Pro-Choice America:

Sen. Barack Obama has served in the U.S. Senate since 2005. During that time, he has cast 13 votes on abortion and other reproductive‐rights issues. All 13 of those votes were pro‐choice. In addition to his pro‐choice record, Sen. Obama has cosponsored legislation that would prevent unintended pregnancy and reduce the need for abortion. A description of Sen. Obama’s key votes, a selection of pro‐choice bills he has authored and cosponsored, and a selection of his public statements on reproductive‐health issues follow.

Preserving Roe v. Wade and a Woman’s Right to Choose
+Voted against a measure to codify a controversial regulation that allows states to make an embryo or fetus – but not a pregnant woman – eligible for health‐care coverage.
Voted against two anti‐choice U.S. Supreme Court nominees:
+Samuel Alito, nominated to be associate justice. After joining the Court, Justice Alito cast the deciding vote upholding the Federal Abortion Ban, a ban that criminalizes some abortion services, with no exception to protect a woman’s health, and carries up to a two‐year prison sentence for doctors.
+John Roberts, nominated to be chief justice. After joining the Court, Chief Justice Roberts voted to uphold the Federal Abortion Ban, a ban that criminalizes some abortion services, with no exception to protect a woman’s health, and carries up to a two‐year prison sentence for doctors.
Voted against three anti‐choice lower federal court judicial nominees:
[William Pryor, Janice Rogers Brown,Priscilla Owen -- details at website]

Ensuring Access to Abortion Services
+Voted against a law that would have jeopardized young women’s health and safety by making it a federal crime for anyone other than a parent – including a grandparent, adult sibling, or religious counselor – to accompany a young woman across state lines for abortion care if the home state parental‐involvement mandate has not been met.
+Voted against a proposal that would have endangered young women’s health and safety by imposing a new, impossibly complex national patchwork of parental‐notification mandates on doctors and young women.

Protecting Women and Their Doctors
+Voted to amend bankruptcy laws so that perpetrators of violence or harassment at reproductive‐health clinics cannot evade financial responsibility for their illegal activities.

Preventing Unintended Pregnancy
+Voted in favor of funding teen‐pregnancy‐prevention programs and ensuring that “abstinence‐only” programs are medically accurate.
+Voted to repeal the global gag rule, a policy that bans overseas health clinics from receiving U.S. family‐planning aid if they use their own funds to provide legal abortion services, give referrals, or even take a public pro‐choice position.
+Voted for legislation that would have prevented unintended pregnancy by investing in insurance coverage of prescription birth control, promoting family-planning services, implementing teen‐pregnancy‐prevention programs, and developing programs to increase awareness about emergency contraception.

Sponsorship of Selected Pieces of Pro‐Choice Legislation
+Authored legislation to fix the birth‐control pricing crisis facing millions of low‐income women across the country today.
+Original cosponsor of the Prevention First Act, a package of proposals that increases funds for family‐planning services, assures contraceptive equity in health‐insurance plans, ensures young people receive honest, accurate sex education, and improves women’s access to emergency contraception, among other provisions.
+Cosponsor of the Freedom of Choice Act, which would codify the tenets of Roe v. Wade in federal law and protect the right to choose for future generations.

In His Own Words
• Sen. Obama’s presidential campaign website states his position on choice this way: “Barack Obama understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women’s rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as President…. Barack Obama is an original co‐sponsor of legislation to expand access to contraception, health information and preventive services to help reduce unintended pregnancies. Introduced in January 2007, the Prevention First Act will increase funding for family planning and comprehensive sex education that teaches both abstinence and safe sex methods. The Act will also end insurance discrimination against contraception, improve awareness about emergency contraception, and provide compassionate assistance to rape victims.”
• “I told him I understood his position but had to disagree with it. I explained my belief that few women made the decision to terminate a pregnancy casually; that any pregnant woman felt the full force of the moral issues involved and wrestled with her conscience when making that heart‐wrenching decision; that I feared a ban on abortion would force women to seek unsafe abortions, as they had once done in this country. I suggested that perhaps we could agree on ways to reduce the number of women who felt the need to have abortions in the first place.”
• “Now, the ability for a woman to make decisions about how many children to have and when – without interference from the government – is one of the most fundamental freedoms we have. We all know, becoming a parent is one of the most – if not the most – important jobs there is. No one should make that decision for a woman and her family but them. And we must keep defending their right to choose in the years to come. But even as we defend this right, it’s important for us to acknowledge the moral dimension to the choice that’s made.”
• “Obama will oppose arbitrary and harmful restrictions to abortion, advocate for measures requiring health insurance providers to cover contraceptives, and fight to preserve access to RU‐486. Obama will seek to reverse the Global Gag Rule and to increase funding for women’s health programs, both here and abroad.”

The differences really are quite stark: Senator Obama co-sponsored the Freedom of Choice Act and Senator McCain voted against it. The strange thing about these negative ads is that single-issue voters wouldn't need to be convinced of the extremes; the differences on the positions are clear enough as it is.

The $5 million question

I saw it again just now: the commonplace that Senator McCain believes the middle class are those who earn $5 million a year.

This was drawn from the Saddleback Presidential Forum of mid-August. But reading through the transcript, you can see this is taken out of context.

Rick Warren: Ok, on taxes, define “rich.” Everybody talks about taxing the rich, but not the poor, the middle class. At what point - give me a number, give me a specific number - where do you move from middle class to rich?

Is it $100,000, is it $50,000, is it $200,000? How does anybody know if we don’t know what the standards are?

Senator McCain: Some of the richest people I’ve ever known in my life are the most unhappy. I think that rich should be defined by a home, a good job, an education and the ability to hand to our children a more prosperous and safer world than the one that we inherited.

I don’t want to take any money from the rich — I want everybody to get rich.

I don’t believe in class warfare or re-distribution of the wealth. But I can tell you, for example, there are small businessmen and women who are working 16 hours a day, seven days a week that some people would classify as - quote - “rich,” my friends, and want to raise their taxes and want to raise their payroll taxes.

Let’s have - keep taxes low. Let’s give every family in America a $7,000 tax credit for every child they have. Let’s give them a $5,000 refundable tax credit to go out and get the health insurance of their choice. Let’s not have the government take over the health care system in America.

So, I think if you are just talking about income, how about $5 million?

(LAUGHTER)

But seriously, I don’t think you can - I don’t think seriously that - the point is that I’m trying to make here, seriously — and I’m sure that comment will be distorted — but the point is that we want to keep people’s taxes low and increase revenues.

Future Combat Systems

Those busy folks at FactCheck.org have another article to which I refer you, this one addressing an allegation made by John McCain that Obama favors "slowing our development of future combat systems." Evidently, what Obama is referring to is a program called Future Combat Systems.

In an e-mail sent to reporters, the Obama campaign says that Sen. Obama was referring to Future Combat Systems (or FCS). FCS is an ambitious new, integrated computer and weapons system which would require an estimated 63.8 million lines of computer code, the complete replacement of the Army’s inventory of heavy tanks, light armor, and armored personnel carriers along with the development of entirely new unmanned drones. Army officials told The Washington Post last year that the $200 billion price tag makes the FCS “the most expensive Army weapons program ever.”

FactCheck goes on to report that McCain, too, is reported as saying, "There are lots of procurements — airborne laser, Globemaster, Future Combat System — that should be ended."

"Pesky Proper Nouns" is the title of the FactCheck article. They are pesky, aren't they?

Comparing tax plans

OK, here's something I know absolutely nothing about and wouldn't begin to know how to analyze. I do know that both Obama and McCain have said, "My plan is better than the other guy's."

Here's what they say.

from Obama's acceptance speech:

Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it. You know, unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America. I'll eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow. I will cut taxes -- for 95 percent of all working families, because, in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle class.

From McCain's acceptance speech:

"We believe -- we believe in low taxes, spending discipline, and open markets. We believe in rewarding hard work and risk-takers and letting people keep the fruits of their labor...I will keep taxes low and cut them where I can. My opponent will raise them. I will open new markets to our goods and services. My opponent will close them. I will cut government spending. He will increase it. My tax cuts will create jobs; his tax increases will eliminate them."

Now, as I said, I don't know how to analyze this, so what you think of this may depend on what you think of Business Week that has this article comparing the two plans. Here's what they say:

So where does the reality lie? According to a new analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, a joint venture between the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution, two Washington think tanks, this round goes to Obama. The TPC took a look at the various tax proposals put forth by the two candidates and estimated that Obama's plan would lead to a boost in aftertax income for all but the highest earners, while taking a smaller bite out of government tax revenues than would McCain's plans.

I encourage you to read the entire article. And I'll keep an eye out for more details.

"John McCain voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time."

I have heard this claim repeated many times by the Obama campaign. Is it true? According to FactCheck.org,

The claim is true. According to Congressional Quarterly's Voting Studies, in 2007 McCain voted in line with the president's position 95 percent of the time – the highest percentage rate for McCain since Bush took office – and voted in line with his party 90 percent of the time. However, McCain's support of President Bush's position has been as low as 77 percent (in 2005), and his support for his party's position has been as low as 67 percent (2001).

Please note that it is true for 2007. Still, even at its lowest ebb, Senator McCain voted in line with President Bush's position 77 percent of the time.

Additionally, also according to FactCheck, "By comparison, Obama's own record of supporting Bush policies has averaged slightly under 41 percent since the senator took office. However, Obama's voting record is no less partisan than McCain's. He has voted in line with his party an average of nearly 97 percent of the time. The truth is that neither candidate can claim a strong record of 'breaking with his party' if Senate votes are the measure."