Republican debate - true colours starting to appear
May 4th, 2007 by ashish
The first true debate among the 10 Republican list of candidates for the 2008 Presidency happened at the Ronald Reagen Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, and positions started becoming clear. Because the Republican Party is the more conservative party, candidates sometimes vie with each other to appear to the more conservative sections of their base, both to help in funding and to get a leg-up in polls. Some of their stands are contrary to common belief and to modern science. Read this review of the debate in CNN.
In a party that draws strength from anti-abortion voters, Giuliani’s nine GOP rivals agreed that it would be a great day if the court overturns the landmark ruling.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney acknowledged he had changed his mind on the subject when he began to delve into the issue of cloning. He said his position had once effectively been “pro-choice.”
They stressed the importance of persisting in Iraq, called for lower taxes and a muscular defense and supported spending restraint.
The field split on another issue, with Brownback, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo raising their hands when moderator Chris Matthews asked who did not believe in evolution.
The issue of abortion looms large in the 2008 presidential campaign in a party where a wide swath of political activists support the overturning of the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.
In a debate that ranged broadly, most of the contenders said they opposed legislation making federal funds available for a wider range of embryonic stem cell research.
McCain was the exception, saying unambiguously he supports expanded federal research into embryonic stem cells.
An interesting debate. The majority of scientific opinion supports evolution, but since god-creation is a benchmark of many of these voters, the learned candidates have opposed evolution.
Similarly, when stem cell research is supported by a majority of the American population, these folks will oppose because a large section of the Republican Party opposes it.
These are candidates who have to struggle with getting the backing of the conservative section of the Republican Party, but at the same time, have to not alienate the moderate section of the population. A tough call !
