As Rick Snyder’s lead in Michigan’s gubernatorial race grows, and with the election just 40-some days away, his Democratic challenger, Virg Bernero, is beginning to hammer away at the one point where he seems to have an advantage – abortion.
According to the Detroit Free Press, “Bernero narrowly (42%-39%) leads Snyder among voters who support a woman’s right to choose whether to have an abortion.” And, Bernero is doing his best to capitalize on that fact, and widen the gap, with a series of television and radio spots that highlight the contrast between the two on the subject of abortion. Here’s his most recent television ad.
I have no way of knowing for sure, but my guess is that Snyder would not, as the ad suggests, seek a “government ban” on abortions. Furthermore, I don’t think that he’d seek to arrest doctors who perform abortions, as the Bernero campaign says. In fact, my guess is that Snyder only came out with a statement about his “right to life” position late in the primary campaign because his Republican competitors had forced him into a corner, having suggested to the fundamentalists of Michigan that he didn’t share their values. But, Snyder does say the following on his website:
…As a strong pro-life and pro-family candidate for governor, I am strongly committed to the rights of the unborn. I fundamentally disagree with the passage of the recent federal health care reform for many reasons, one of which is that it fails to protect the sanctity of life. Contrary to much of what has been reported about President Obama’s executive order, it does not prohibit tax dollars from subsidizing insurance plans that cover abortions. It is shameful that tax dollars earned by the hardworking residents of Michigan could be used to pay for abortions…
Of course, he also suggests that, if the economy were to turn around under his leadership, the number of the abortions in the state would likely fall. And, I suspect, if he does believe, as he states, in the sanctity of life, he’d rather see it dealt with economically than legislatively. Here, on that subject, is a statement by Snyder:
…What is still missing from today’s discussion is the vital role that the economy plays in strengthening the social fabric of our great state. It is no secret that Michigan’s economy is a shell of its former self. People and businesses are leaving the state in droves. A poor economy leads to increased rates of divorce, high school dropout, and drug abuse. Additionally, studies have illustrated that high levels of poverty and unemployment are directly related to the abortion rate. As a candidate for governor, I believe that the most effective approach to the challenge of protecting life, as well as other key social issues, is to maintain a laser-like focus on the economy…
So, while I can certainly see why some would gravitate toward Bernero on account of Snyder’s “pro life” statements, I feel relatively certain that, should Snyder become governor, he would not seek to change the status quo relative to abortion. And, furthermore, as he has stated publicly that he supports stem cell research, I doubt we’d even hear about the so-called rights of the unborn in that context.
So, would you be willing to vote for Rick Snyder in spite of his comments on a woman’s right to choose? And, if so, why? Is it that you think the economy is more important of an issue at this time, or do you, like me, just attribute his statements to the reality of Michigan politics, which is to say that a Republican cannot win a general election without the support of the fundamentalists on the west side of the state?
[note: Among abortion opponents, according to the Free Press, Snyder leads Bernero, 67% to 14%.]
71 Comments
I never bought Snyder as pro life. It pisses me off when politicians are disingenuous. I understand the realities of electoral politics, but it doesn’t make it any easier. I wish that, for once in my life, I could vote for a candidate that didn’t pander and claim to believe in things that he didn’t really believe.
I’m supporting Virg Bernero. The office of the governor needs someone with political experience and tenacity to break the legislative logjam that is threatening to shut down state government. Virg Bernero is that person — and he supports the social issues that Democrats care about. He is a real Democrat.
Paul Schreiber
734-277-5446
mayor@cityofypsilanti.com
The latest polls show Virg Bernero is beginning to close the gap on Snyder’s lead. Bernero’s up 8 points from his position in the last poll. His favorable rating jumped up 20! The more people learn of each candidate’s positions on issues, the more Bernero is likely to close the gap. You can see why Snyder would rather not debate.
If Bernero’s ads manage to erode even just 5% off Snyders support he will be vaulnerable. Bernero could pull off another big come from behind win like he did in the primary.
I hate politics.
I feel very wary about Snyder, have a worry that he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing, I do! I had a feeling he was trying to outwit Bernero on the debates business by pissing him off and thereby trying to depict Bernero as a hothead. Bernero has heat, has passion, is very bright and committed to Democratic principles and working people and the state’s health and future. Snyder might not be nearly as bad for the state as Engler was, but I worry . . .
I agree that Snyder would probably not change the status quo on abortions if elected (mostly because there’s not much that a governor can change about that anyway), but do we really want a governor who ‘fundamentally disagrees with’ Obama’s healthcare overhaul? Would a Snyder-run Michigan try and fight the new legislation and drag it through the courts?
Fuck that.
I’d like to mention also that there will be serious consequences for the future of Michigan’s congressional delegation based on who wins the governor’s seat in November. A vote to put the Republican in office today may effectively get us Republican Congressmen for the next decade because of how the redistricting will be done.
Virg likes abortions so much, he’ll give you one himself!
Right to Life Michigan did not endorse Snyder. They chose not to because of his support of stem cell research, and the fact that he felt women who had been raped should be allowed to terminate their pregnancies.
Bernero must be catching up to Rick. He has apparently agreed to debate.
http://www.annarbor.com/news/rick-snyder-virg-bernero-agree-to-debate-on-oct-10/
Speaking of abortion, you have to see this.
http://i.imgur.com/IQf21.jpg
I thought that it was a joke at first.
I long for the day that we stop choosing our elected officials on their positions against abortion, and start choosing them based on how good the abortions are that they perform.
And I will be getting “This Baby Dead” tattooed on my shoulder. Thank you for the link, Ted.
Thanks, applejack, for the really important comment re. redistricting.
I can’t believe that Bernero isn’t gaining more traction based on his effective ads alone. The simple, soundbite facts on Synders record of shipping jobs overseas is very easy to understand. I haven’t heard anyone challenge the figures either.
Finally an election where I feel like either guy could potentially do a good job. I’m not saying they will do good job but they both seem somewhat qualified instead of the usual choices of “Dear GOD NO” and “OMG he will have to do because the other one is worse.”
Sigh. Why all this parsing of Snyder’s words? He says he’s against abortion and I’ll take him at his word. Maybe the fact that you feel pretty squishy about abortion is helping you softpeddle what he’s plainly saying. I would have to say, as the owner of a uterus and the mom of a daughter, what he’s saying does matter to me. While I have some reservations about Virg, I’d like to see what happens with an real Democrat as governor, not a faux Dem like Granholm or Blanchard.
I don’t think anyone was making the case that you shouldn’t take Snyder at his word, Jules, and vote accordingly. Personally, I think he’s lying in order to win. I don’t think he cares one bit about abortion. But he chose to run as a Republican, and it’s part of the package. Still, I don’t like it. I’d much rather vote for someone with the integrity to say what he really believes.
One state should be for abortions.
One state should be for prostitution.
One state should be for gambling.
One state should be for legal drug use.
One state should be for beer.
One state should be for deep friend foods.
Just think of the tourism dollars generated as people jetted around from state to state.
Edward, I was referring to Mark. He’s the one doing the parsing.
Yeah, Kim, instead of just going back and forth between Nevada and Wisconsin.
Personally, I’ll be glad when we stop framing the discussion in terms of pro-life and pro-choice as neither is really accurate. I know it would pain the rabble to put together words with more than one syllable, but I really prefer “against legalized abortion” and “in favor of legalized abortion”. Or, as I say, “those who would force me to give birth” vs. “those who would not force me to give birth” :)
How about calling the two sides – “the one in which men decide what women do with their bodies” and “the one in which women decide what they do with their bodies”?
A new Ann Arbor magazine has an article on Snyder being a RINO:
http://theannweb.com/node/2
Rich Studley!
I have always been someone who voted for the prochoice candidate. I don’t buy that Synder is a “pro-life” as he as making himself out to be either, but is doign what he has to do. So be it. I also think it’s Bernero’s clawing for something, anything, to try and get a leg up. Sorry, this time, it’s not working for me.
The only social issue I give a damn about is seeing this state recover.
Synder is effectively campaigning slightly to the right of Bernero, capturing the majority of voters and ensuring a win. But he’s an unknown quantity when he takes office, thanks to the crossover voters in the primary.
It’s ironic that Bernero has no choice but to run as pro-choice. Too bad for him that the majority of voters are pro-life.
God damn, I’d gladly put ten babies in a blender to get you to shut the fuck up.
When all the dust settles; it’s still a woman’s choice!!
Why is it a woman’s choice to kill another human? Why is it a choice the day before the baby passes through the birth canal and a crime the day after?
Religion=Politics
Is there anyway a doctor could perform a retroactive abortion?
EOS, why is it murder when I shoot a bullet through someone’s body, but not when I run up and press a bullet against their skin with my hand?
“Why is it a choice the day before the baby passes through the birth canal and a crime the day after?”
cuz ye olde “birth canal” is part of someone’s body, which doesn’t belong to the state just cuz you get knocked up. anyway, think about it: an unwanted child will probably end up poor and want you to pay for him/her to take the bus. it’ll just be another stupid human encroaching on your rights. look at the bright side for god’s sake! if a kid’s not born, it can’t grow up and want to have an abortion.
That’s right, KJC. ABORTIONS STOP ABORTIONS! I’m going to have a bumper sticker made.
So the baby belongs to the state after it passes through the birth canal and that’s why murder is illegal? Just asking.
i think you can answer that one yourself EOS. it doesn’t logically follow from what I said. Otherwise keep gnashing your teeth that you can’t control women’s birth canals.
Send me one of the bumper stickers, Ted.
Oh, EOS, stop feigning being shocked and appalled and get back to your desk job.
What impulse would compel someone to frame this complex, personal issue in these bogus and brutish terms? Just feeling mean?
Mean? No. It’s feeling compassion for the defenseless. Abortion stops the beating heart of another individual. That’s mean.
Yes, EOS, because the birth canal doesn’t belong to the state it logically follows that everything else does.
i’m telling you, EOS, that kid’s gonna grow up to take the #5 down Packard, probably even support a transportation millage—stick his or her hand right in your pocket. You won’t have much compassion then. Stop sweating it.
EOS, your compassion is like a finely tuned laser. You could do eye surgery with that thing.
Did you know that its a federal crime to destroy an egg of a bald eagle? Did you know that current federal laws require anesthesia to be administered to laboratory animals before any pain is inflicted in a laboratory procedure but humans can be dismembered in the womb without the benefit of any anesthesia?
You all tell me. What is the logical reason that allows the state to pass a law prohibiting a woman from killing a 6 month old infant but not to pass any law prohibiting the intentional killing of an infant as it is being born?
Because one is a parasite inside her body, that could not live on its own, and the other is a baby.
Tell me, why is it that I’m allowed to take a sandwich from my own kitchen, but, if I take a sandwich from Subway, it’s stealing? I don’t get it.
The 6 month old baby cannot live on its own either.
By your reasoning then, we should then kill all invalids.
We should just expand the Ypsi public transportation system and add a few police officers. EOS would have a heart attack and go away.
No Elf,
By my reasoning, we should stop killing human beings at all stages of life, regardless of location.
I heard that Ypsilanti was going to annex the township and slap you with a 95% millage.
No EOS, actually you wouldn’t. You would just make it illegal. You would not be stopping anything. And then your lazy ass could kid itself that you made the world a better place, when you hadn’t. I don’t believe you really give a shit about any of this stuff. I think you just tow the line and like the sense that it gives you that you aren’t just some selfish lowlife.
For the record, I completely agree with you on all but one detail. I don’t believe you can legislate abortion away. In fact, I know you can’t. We all know you can’t…except you apparently. I think it’s an idiotic idea to think that you could. It also happens to be a violation of an individuals rights as to what goes on within the confines of their own body. If someone were to attempt to pass laws on what YOU could do within the confines of your body, I am certain you would oppose it, saying you had the right to make your own choice freely, and not have government make it for you. But since you are just another stupid guy who can’t think outside his own experience, under these circumstances we get the “pro-life” version of you.
EOS is a woman. With a uterus.
Peter, EOS is Stan Eldridge from the township. An ex Ypsi Cop who hates the city of Ypsilanti because he got fired and who is now a township trustee. He does not have uterus but he is an ass hole.
I just have to comment that the State Representatives are a Republican Majority, and many of them are far far Right idiots. So I say to Socorro and any other Democrats that are going for Snyder, you are making a big mistake. We need a Democratic Governor to have a balance, look at an electoral map, most of Michigan is full of red-neck counties. Bernero has been a supporter of Michigan Planned Parenthood his entire career. He is not “suddenly jumping on the Pro-choice bandwagon”. And Socorro, to give up your pro choice vote is to give in to the religious right.
All they all care about is beating Obama in 2012, and if Michigan goes Republican it will be a big mistake and a huge win for the Republicans. It was the auto companies and Engler that screwed Michigan, Granholm had to a huge mess to deal with. Don’t believe the hype that Snyder will work miracles. Republicans don’t care about the middle class.
Is that right, Sylvia? How’d you figure that out? I’m not doubting you. If I can confirm that, I think I might start posting under the screen name “EOS=Stan Eldridge”
I’m looking forward to watching the debate. And to a complete surprise to pollsters come election day. Don’t despair–vote! (Help embolden some of the more timid Dems so they will enact the changes we want and need. Stand up to bigotry and greed and maddening obstructionism. There is no way that stupidos outweigh decent people in this state and country, despite how it seems and has seemed.)
Ah, now I remember. Stan Eldridge was the guy fired from the Ypsi PD for being “too Christ-like.”
I was just guessing, actually.
It was obvious he is an asshole, though.
Stan is the guy who is trying to merge policing between the city and township to keep the jobs of his friends on the City force. Sounds just like me!
If abortion were illegal, there would be fewer abortions, but I agree that they wouldn’t be entirely eliminated. But illegal abortions would not be affirmed by society and our culture would have more respect for life in general and we would all benefit in numerous ways.
That’s not to say there wouldn’t be any negative effects. If abortion hadn’t been legalized, Democrats would have a lock on every elected office. About half of those aborted since Roe v. Wade would have been of voting age today. What outcome do you think would happen if there were another 20 million more Democratic votes in each national election?
@Robert. Nailed it.
I am not sure Stan had any friends on the YPD, right Stan?
How do you know it is him, Sylvia? EOS is claiming he and Stan don’t share positions on consolidation. Is what he says true about Stan’s position?
“That’s not to say there wouldn’t be any negative effects. If abortion hadn’t been legalized, Democrats would have a lock on every elected office. About half of those aborted since Roe v. Wade would have been of voting age today. What outcome do you think would happen if there were another 20 million more Democratic votes in each national election?”
You are a total fucking asshole. Yes, there would be negative effects, many besides some stupid political nonsense.
That’s really all you care about isn’t it?
I don’t know Stan and I certainly don’t know his motives. I was wrong when I speculated on his motives for combining police forces. All I really know is that he is on the committee for the township that is looking into the possibility.
While driving to Chicago many years ago, I could only get one radio station for a bit and heard a little Dr. Laura. Big mistake. What a thoroughly evil-hearted person. But her over-the-top, self-righteous, wicked condemnation of women who had had abortions made me think surely this woman is doing some sorry kind of atoning for her own past actions. I would put money on the fact that she has had an abortion–and she’s no Dem. Of course this could be wrong, but I doubt it, and I think there are plenty of others like her. I just don’t think you can get so nasty about others if you’re not actually thinking about some tortured part of yourself.
It you hate her now, you should check out her nude photos. They’re floating around online, and easy enough to find. She’d taken them for an old lover, who, by the way, was married at the time. She is evil. But she’s a good business woman. She found a niche, like Glenn Beck, and worked it for all that it was worth.
http://mivote.org/
Here’s a link to the only debate Rick Snyder would agree to between himself and Virg Bernero. I think both men come off as reasonable individuals who have the best interest of Michigan at heart. Virg came out swinging and I think he landed quite a few hits, while Snyder reminded me most of Mr. Rogers, a lovable nice-guy but not necessarily someone I’d want to run the state.
If you didn’t catch if live last night hopefully you’ll all check it out before election day.
Please start a thread on the debate.
cant wait until the elections
i feel that abortion should not be allowed for the fact that its a costly procedure for something that could of been avoided
Who gives a shit! Virg is a life long loser politician in this for his own pocket book and pension. Same as the mayor of ypsi…all you r the same. Btw, WTF does abortions have to do with state government? NOTHING! Give us police, fire, library access to the internet and stay the he’ll out of my personal life and my pocketbook. Same goes for teachers… They are in that job for themselves.. Not the kids… Dispicable.