The Anti-Sam Brownback Blog

Another day, another fiery denouncement of Roe v. Wade from Senator Sam Brownback:

Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback and California Rep. Duncan Hunter (news, bio, voting record) addressed the annual March for Life marking the anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.

“We recognize a tragedy of life in Roe v. Wade, but that tragedy will not always stand,” Brownback told thousands of cheering abortion foes at an afternoon rally.

Two things. First, the more Senator Sam Brownback gets grouped with Duncan Hunter, the worse for his chances in the GOP presidential primary. Hunter is rapidly vying with Tancredo for the honor of being the GOP’s Dennis Kucinich.

Second. Broken freakin’ record. We get it. Sam Brownback doesn’t like abortion. He also doesn’t like contraception, and employs the talents of an adviser who openly advocates for the banning of all forms of contraception. I’ll let you draw conclusions about the type of America Brownback would like to live in. Think Margaret Atwood.

Perhaps someone should ask him if he agrees with his adviser, Tom Monaghan, who advocates for a total ban on birth control…

Please Join Pro-life Champion

United States Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS)

As he salutes those marching for life and all those who work to protect the unborn child. In addition, Senator Brownback will be meeting with participants from the March for Life to discuss his possible bid for the White House in 2008.

When:
Monday, January 22, 2007
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Refreshments will be served
Informal attire for Marchers is appropriate

Where:
The Capitol Hill Club
300 First Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003
(Two blocks from the end of the March for Life route and directly across the street from the Capitol South Metro stop)

RSVP is required:
Martin Gillespie (mgillespie@brownback.com)

Thanks to the person who dropped this in my email. Feel free to keep the tips coming!

During a speech to a conservative Christian radio group, Brownback told them:

“We win when we engage,” he told more than 800 people attending the Bott Radio Network’s annual Christmas party. “We lose when we sit back.”

The Bott network offers Christian programming on 39 radio station across the United States, including the Kansas City area.

Brownback, a Republican considering a run for the presidency in 2008, called abortion and gay marriage key issues that the nation needs to debate.

“We are winning this fight on life,” he said, referring to the abortion debate.

Yeah, the American people sure agree with you Sam. Except of course for those liberal pinko commie bastards in South Dakota. They must have been smoking pot in their VW’s while sipping a latte - just before voting in November to strike down the abortion ban that the Republican State House tried to force on them. Yeah, South Dakota. Real liberals.

Keep dreaming Senator.

Senator Sam Brownback will be the featured speaker tomorrow night at the Arizona Right to Life annual benefit gala and silent auction.

This continues his strategy of recruitment and fundraising around the country focused on the anti-abortion movement.  His task at these events is not to convince those in attendance of his anti-abortion bonafides, those are already secured.  Rather, he needs to convince them that he is a viable candidate nationally.

This question of viability is crucial to opening checkbooks beyond the farthest religious fringe of the right.  These people already love him, they now require convincing that he will not be the Dennis Kucinich of the right.

Senator Sam Brownback’s NPR appearance is now available online.  Click on the “Listen” button located near the top of the story page.

Nothing too spectacular in there.  Brownback compared abortion to slavery and denied being interested in a Christian Theocracy in the United States.  He predicted when Roe v. Wade is overturned (he sounded pretty confident) abortion will become a state issue and will be outlawed in many places.

There was no questioning of his stance on Stem Cells and no mention of the theocracy minded group that he is a part of (The Fellowship).

In all, much more sympathetic than the Rolling Stone article.  For many people this was probably their introduction to Sam Brownback the presidential candidate.

As I have previously mentioned, Senator Sam Brownback appears to believe a hardline approach to the Iranian government will benefit him in 2008.  In his speech after the President’s State of the Union address he commented on the current situation:

“I appreciate his strong response to the dictatorial regime in Iran, which must stop its dangerous moves toward nuclear weapons.  I fully agree with our need to continue to take the fight to the terrorists.  We must win this fight.  The President has shown the resolve to do just that.”

As of right now, the Iranians are giving Brownback plenty of rhetorical ammunition to to use.  If they continue to act erratically radical, this issue may turn out to be a winner for Brownback.

I don’t have an opinion on what this means for Senator Sam Brownback’s presidential strategy, but I found it interesting.

Senator Brownback is normally a huge presence at the March for Life rally in Washington DC. Those are his most fervent supporters, his base. This year, however, he chose to be in Kansas with President Bush instead of attending the rally:

Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback and Rep. Jim Ryun, R-Topeka, also usually speak at the rally, but both were in Manhattan on Monday for the president’s appearance there.

It is easy to say of course he would miss the rally, the President is a “real big deal”. However, Todd Tihart missed the President’s address in order to be present at the march. Is he more tied to the movement than Brownback? Additionally, Brownback does not need to shore up his support in Kansas by appearing with the President. He won’t be running again for Senate as per his many public declarations in 1996.

Does this mean Senator Brownback believes he has the anti-choice vote locked up? Maybe. However, I think it is a simple matter of being introduced by the president on national television. Five seconds of national TV is vital time for his name recognition. Plus, we all know he doesn’t need to worry too much about the anti-choice lobby. They love him anyway.

In a major campaign appearance, Senator Sam Brownback will receive the 2006 Pro-Life Leadership award from the National Pro-Life Action Center. The award will be presented at an event called “The National Memorial for the Unborn” and is related to the March for Life. My favorite part of the announcement?

WHAT: Prayer service to end abortion and award presented to Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KN)

Yes, Republican from the state of “KN”. I’m not sure where that is…

In any case, this is another targeted appearance for his presidential campaign. These marchers will be his most fervent volunteers and donors in the run up to the Iowa Caucuses and the South Carolina primary. This is a bread and butter appearance to be sure. Events like these will help cement him as the Christian Conservative candidate in 2008. Which is exactly where he wants to be.

Light posting today, but I wanted to throw in this quote from the Concord Moniter regarding Senator Sam Brownback’s comments about fetuses with Down’s Syndrome:

Hassan commented also on the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. She pointed specifically to a comment from Kansas Republican Sen. Sam Brownback, who opposes abortion, saying 80 to 90 percent of fetuses found to have Down syndrome would be aborted this year.

“It is not Roe vs. Wade that is creating that problem,” Hassan said. “It is a world, instead, that does not support people with disabilities.

Hassan said she has a child with severe disabilities and can relate to concerns over whether a child would have the health coverage, educational support, homecare and social services necessary for someone with Down syndrome. To those legislators who cut those programs and also vote against abortion, Hassan said, “show me that you support a culture of life.”

For me, that is the crux of the problem.  All too often, republicans care about what happens before birth much more than what happens after birth.  Personally, I don’t like the idea of abortion. I don’t think anyone does. We should do all we can to prevent a woman from ever having to be in the position to consider having an abortion.

Birth control should be free and availble to kids along with comprehensive sex education at a young age. The more unwanted pregnancies we prevent the less abortions will occur.

Pre-natal care should be free as well as comprehensive health coverage for the mother and the child after birth. No one should have to wonder whether they can afford to have a baby. For that matter, no one should have to wonder whether they can afford any sort of medical coverage, but that is another debate entirely.

Vote against Pre and post natal care, vote against education, vote against birth control and sex education? Don’t give me crap about a culture of life.