Which McCain is the real one on abortion rights?

February 19, 2007

John McCain raised a few eyebrows over the weekend when he told a large South Carolina audience, “I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned.”

Now, as Carpetbagger regulars know, McCain has been all over the map on this one. During his first presidential campaign, in 2000, McCain told reporters that “in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade.” By the time he started running for the 2008 nomination, he’d reversed course and said the exact opposite.

Shameless flip-flopping notwithstanding, it’s only natural to wonder which McCain is the real McCain. One of the two contradictory positions is/was obviously a lie, but which one?

I think Scott Lemieux gets it right today when he argues the new McCain is stating the senator’s actual beliefs.

Given the unpopularity of his position, though, when it comes to forced pregnancy it should be pointed out that his record is in fact fundamentally consistent: he’s for it. He has a 0% NARAL rating. He’s never met a federal abortion regulation he doesn’t like. He voted for Robert Bork, which would have meant Roe being overturned 15 years ago. He favors a constitutional amendment banning abortion. It’s true that he has said that he wouldn’t want his daughter forced by the state to carry a pregnancy to term, but basically all American social conservatism comes with an implicit self-exemption for rich white people, and John McCain’s daughter won’t have a problem obtaining a safe abortion if Roe is overturned.

So while McCain made some egregious panders about abortion when running in a primary in which his major opponent already had the social conservative vote locked up, McCain is in fact a consistent supporter of criminalized abortion.

Agreed. The 2000 McCain thought the politically expedient thing to do would be to run as a moderate and support Roe, so he did. But given what we know of McCain’s record, it was a cynical sham intended to fool voters. The new far-right McCain seems to be a reflection of what he really wants to do as president.

Though, given McCain’s tendencies, it’s safe to assume that he’d gladly take the opposite position, if he thought it’d help him win.

McCain seems to believe what got Bush elected in 2000 will get him elected in 2008….after GWB’s 8 year tenure nothing could be further from the truth….

  • With any luck he’ll die in the next 12 months. How a man who shot himself down in Vietnam is better than a man who failed at everything he ever tried is beyond me.

  • First I’d like to thank Obama, Edwards, Vilsak and Hillary for being pro-Choice.

    I suspect McCain will have to move toward the center if he’s the Rep candidate, but who can count on that. It’s hard to imagine that we will actually have either McCain, Giuliani or Romney as presidential candidates.

  • “… consistent supporter of criminalized abortion….”

    God, how I wish the MSM would begin using the adjectives “ciminalized” or “recriminalized” versus “non-criminalized” or “decriminalized” to the describe one’s position with regard to abortion. Right-to-lifers (what a crock) simply are those who want it recriminalized. The sensible 7% want it to remain decriminalized. That really is the only choice: open, clean and rare or back to the back alley.

  • Is there anyone who seriously thinks that once we get going with debates and ads that John McCain isn’t going to get ripped to shreds on his ever-shifting positions? Wll there be anyone who can say they know what McCain believes?

    Forget about the Dems having to savage himt – his GOP opponents are going to do it first, and probably do it better.

  • Hopefully he will be ripped to shreds as Anne #5 says… But to go back to the abortion debate….why aren’t we pushing contraceptives , safe sex and every baby wanted? Those are the important issues. I would hope every mother in this country would be for those things. Although one issue that is never mentioned by anyone is that the population explosion or growth is ,along with water, the MAJOR issue facing this planet….and no one dares mention it. If we manage to raise the number of people and at the same pollute our water sources…who cares if we don’t have any oil….we won’t be alive!

  • who’s going to “rip McCain to shreds” for his ever-shifting positions? Guliani? Romney? they’re gonna have to stop shifting to get a decent shot off.
    btw, McCain’s been doing so much sucking up to the right wing, i wonder if his lips are getting chapped.

  • How McCain decides his stance on the issues: When asked, he pulls a quarter out of his pocket and flips it. Heads; the answer is the opposite of whatever he said before. Tails; the opposite of whatever he said before that.

    These Repubs are the biggest argument for abortion I can think of. Wish their mothers had had one.

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