Question is: would an anti-war dem consider supporting an anti-war Republican who is very pro-life?

No, because he's both Republican and pro-life.

And, in the great sphere of things, being anti-war is less important than being pro-abortion (or pro-choice, whatever the euphamism happens to be today).
Amy P. | Homepage | 09.28.07 - 1:33 pm | #

It's the duty of troops to do as their told unless it is clearly wrong. It is the duty of the civilian citizen to question the government unless it is clearly in the right, and to push harder if the questions are poorly answered.
Anonymous | 09.28.07 - 4:21 pm | #

I’m going to have to disagree with Amy. The average Democrat in the voting booth (as distinguished from the Democratic leadership or the progressivist manufacturers of culture) isn’t necessarily pro-abortion-choice. There are plenty of working class and ethnic groups that have historically tended to support the Democrats, because of the Democrat’s [undeserved] image of being “for the people”, but are these voters progressivists or populists? I think that this is in part what Mark alludes to when he says, “the party leadership in both parties is so weirdly disaligned with their base.”

I think that the progressivists in both parties are likely to buy into that particular version of anthropology that requires abortion, as well as a whole menu of disordered anthropological interpretations and social prescriptions, whereas, the populists in both parties tend not to. This is why I think that if American politics have to be binary, then they should split along progressivist-populist fault lines rather than the tired conservative-liberal fault lines that have lost their meaning.

But don’t think that politics (or thought) should be binary. Anyway, I’ve seen a bit of support around here for Ron Paul from some rather un-Democrats and very un-Republicans.
mcmlxix | Homepage | 09.28.07 - 7:33 pm | #

This is the same Ron Paul who wants to end the war on drugs.

Check out inforwars.com. These are the people backing Ron Paul.
Catholic39 | 09.30.07 - 6:20 am | #

These are the people backing Ron Paul.

These are some...SOME...of the people backing Ron Paul. Please don't resort to ad hominem attacks.

The thought that occurred to me in response to Mark's post is that if Democrats do actually find common cause with the anti-war Republican candidate, will that realization bring them to reconsider their embrace of abortion rights? Ron Paul's campaign may present an opportunity to reach Democrats with the pro-life message like we have never had before.
Michael | 09.30.07 - 9:27 am | #

"will that realization bring them to reconsider their embrace of abortion rights? "

Short answer: no.

"These are some...SOME...of the people backing Ron Paul."

But a pretty significant "some".
Anonymous | 09.30.07 - 5:33 pm | #

Ron Paul believes the authority to regulate drugs should be held by the states, not by the federal government. So if California wants to legalize medical marijuana they can without having DEA troops arresting cancer patients as has happened in the past. But if say.. I don't know, South Dakota does not, they can pass laws to that effect. Same goes for things like industrial hemp (an excellent food source, fuel source, and fabric source that cannot be grown in the US due to the war on drugs).

Not to mention the "War on Drugs" is completely mismanaged and has hundreds of thousands of non-violent people in jail wasting tax payer dollars with absolutely no reduction in actual drug use or trafficking. A much better job could be done at a local level.
maiki | 10.01.07 - 2:44 pm | #

Exactly, being against the War on Drugs is not remotely the same thing as being for drugs. The WoD is a federal boondoggle and a net failure…sound like any other wars you know? Our culture of a War on This and a Czar for That is tired and absurd, and sounds more progressivist than conservative.

Many of Paul’s positions seems based on subsidiarity…geez, how Constitutional…how Catholic!
mcmlxix | Homepage | 10.01.07 - 3:14 pm | #

For Ron Paul supporters out there who need to jump party, make sure you change party affiliation early to be able to vote in the primary. In Maryland the dead line is Nov 19.

His strategy is working to the extent that he's gotten republican candidates to talk about the constitution.

He also give eloquent defense of life even to some of his more ecclectic supporters. Some of them are weird but then so are some republicans and democrats.
Faustina | 11.03.07 - 4:15 pm | #