Yesterday, we talked about the far right religious radicals who don't have the courage of their convictions -- instead of pushing to get their religious beliefs taught in school, they lie and dissemble and pretend that "intelligent design" is a science and that Bible study is just a non-partisan look at the Bible as a work of literature. In short, they lie.
Today, we see the same thing in two prominent politicians who don't deserve the support of either party.
First, Republican New York Gov. George Pataki backtracked on a long record of supporting reproductive rights to veto the availability of a morning-after pill without a prescription. Both sides are attacking him and no one believes Pataki's claim he just wants to protect the kids. It's clearly a cynical ploy to try and boost his standing among the arch conservatives who dominate the primaries.
Second, Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney -- who somehow conned that bluest of states into thinking he was a moderate -- went even more extreme. Romney labeled the morning after pill an "abortion pill" and said abortion shouldn't be legal. However, to get elected in the first place, Romney pretended he believed abortion should be safe and legal and that he supported the "substance" of Roe v. Wade. The 58 year old governor wants us to believe his position on abortion has "evolved and deepened." Romney has also attacked equal rights for gays, turned his back on a gay relative and made political hay out of the fact that a relative died long ago from a botched abortion when they were illegal. Other things Romney once said:
In another 2002 survey, from the National Abortion Rights Action League Pro-Choice Massachusetts, Mr. Romney wrote: "I respect and will protect a woman's right to choose. This choice is a deeply personal one. Women should be free to choose based on their own beliefs, not mine and not the government's."I've been wondering how this guy was elected the governor of Massachusetts. Well, it's simple. He lied.
In the past, Mr. Romney has also voiced support for emergency contraception, telling The Boston Herald in 1994, "I think it would be a positive thing to have women have the choice of taking the morning-after pill."
Don't these people have the courage of their convictions? No, they're liars. And think about what Romney and Pataki are trying to do to appeal to the far right. They're not just opposing abortion, they're opposing CONTRACEPTION. That's how radical the far right truly is.
Yes, people can change, but craven politicians who lie to get into office or lie to curry favor are pathetically obvious.
