Free Press –
Election Results
Dear Friends,
The day after the election, I heard Dr. Arthur Caplan give a radio interview on the Michael Smerconish morning show. Caplan presides over the bioethics department at the University of Pennsylvania and often talks about the ethics of embryonic stem cell research. I believe that this is one of the issues, which influenced the eighth Congressional District’s outcome.
Like President Bush and Senator Rick Santorum, incumbent Congressman Michael Fitzpatrick opposed federal funds for embryonic stem cell research. He also is against abortion. Fitzpatrick’s constituents disagree with him as the vote demonstrated.
Caplan argues that more than 400,000 unused embryonic stem cells lie fallow in fertility clinics. They’ll be destroyed unless scientists are able to use them first, he says. Caplan does not believe that an embryonic stem cell sitting in a petri dish is a human being. The religious right disagrees.
Smerconish asked Caplan whether the embryonic stem cell issue swung the U.S. Senate from Republican to Democrat?
“Yes,” Caplan answered.
Caplan gave two illustrations to prove his point. The first was a referendum, which appeared on the Missouri ballot. Voters were asked to approve taxes for embryonic stem cell research…they did. This helped challenger Claire McCaskill (D) beat incumbent U.S. Senator Jim Talent (R) and put the Democrats in control of the U.S. Senate, Caplan stated.
The second Caplan example involved conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh. Caplan said that a few weeks ago, Limbaugh “dusted off” Michael J. Fox, a celebrity, who has Parkinson’s disease. Fox is a proponent of embryonic stem cell research. Caplan believes that insulting Fox backfired. In the voters’ minds, it reinforced the need for government funding of embryonic stem cell research.
If Caplan is correct, Limbaugh may have played into the hands of the Democratic Party. And that would be deliciously ironic because Limbaugh opposes liberals and especially Democratic liberals.
Senator Arlen Specter is a proponent of embryonic stem cell research. His read on the GOP defeat was interesting. “The stem cell issue is crucial,” Specter began. “We’ll [Republicans] be in a deep freeze if we continue to oppose embryonic stem cell research.”
My late father would be delighted with the election’s outcome. The President is Republican and the Congress is Democratic…a stalemate. He would say that gridlock is better than the government meddling with the economy.
By the way, Michael Smerconsish wrote an interesting piece in the Philadelphia Daily News (Nov. 9). A registered Republican, Smerconish identified 15 issues that he urges the GOP to endorse. They are: 1. Focus upon the hunt for and the killing of Osama Bin Laden and Al-Zawahiri. 2. Look for terrorists who look like terrorists. In virtually every instance, they have race, gender, ethnicity, religion and appearance in common. 3. Torture. Use any means necessary to extract information from terrorists.
4. To prevent terror, we need to implement all the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. 5. Iraq. We need an end game. It’s time to let the Iraqis know they need to stand on their own two feet sooner rather than later. 6. Immigration. Our borders are porous. Only when they’re closed should we decide what to do with the millions already here illegally. 7. Gays. Homosexuals don’t threaten marriage. 8. Abortion. I want a party with room for pro-life and pro-choice views. Plan B should be sold over the counter if you’re 18. And I don’t want politicians determining my end-of life plan. 9.Embryoinic stem-cell research. That which exists in a petri dish is undeserving of the full rights that are afforded a viable fetus. 10. Term limits. Two Senate terms and six in the House will ensure we get grounded folks who are capable of earning a living when not serving us.
11. Campaign finance. Let anyone spend whatever they are willing, as long as there is full and immediate disclosure. 12. Entitlements. We can’t afford the status quo. The retirement age has to be raised to 70. Balanced budgets shouldn’t be a dirty word. 13. Death taxes. The estate tax must go. 14. Global warming. Err on the side of caution. 15. Guns. Single parent households pose more of a threat to safety than firearms.
Personally, I think Smerconish has it right. By the way, I sent him my column about term limits.
But I stray. Let’s return to the election.
I read
Unfortunately for him, his views of abortion and embryonic stem cells didn’t square well with his Bucks, Montgomery, and Philadelphia constituents. Nor did it help him overcome the dissatisfaction, which voters had with President Bush and Senator Santorum…or their fondness for Governor Ed Rendell.
But it was mainly the President who set the stage for the Republican defeat.
I thought of the errors and the arrogance, which he demonstrated over the last few years. He squandered the advantage of a Republican congress, alienated the free world, and angered the American people. Some would call it arrogance, others call it stupidity.
The President’s strategy for building the peace in Iraq is unforgivable. Believing in Donald Rumsfeld’s concept of conducting war on the cheap, the President committed 140,000 troops to keep the peace…not the 500,000 soldiers that the military advised.
Scandals in the ranks of the GOP were the second reason that voters gave for their unhappiness in exit poll interviews. This is not news to you.
I’ll close this column with two quotes from father and son Bush which came back to haunt each of them. The first George Bush uttered this famous quip: “Read my lips…no new taxes!” He proceeded to raise taxes, of course.
The second George Bush used this catch phrase to tell the world that the war in Iraq was a wonderful success. “Mission Accomplished,” read the huge banner on the aircraft carrier when George W. landed his plane.
It was arrogant…and very wrong…deadly wrong.
However, the GOP shouldn’t become despondent. It took the Republican congress 12 years to become arrogant, greedy, scandalous…and defeated. Here’s my prediction. In 2018, the GOP will sweep the Democrats out of their majority status. After all, power corrupts…and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Sincerely,
Charles Meredith