Kerry OK to appoint anti-abortion judges???

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrat John Kerry said Wednesday he's open to nominating anti-abortion judges as long as that doesn't lead to the Supreme Court overturning the landmark 1973 ruling that made abortion legal.
(snip)

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http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040519/D82LTSIG0.html

There are a few more interesting quotes in the cited article as well...

WTF?

...what else is he supposed to say?

This is the marketing strategy for the Kerry campaign - take away the incendiary Republican talking points - like God, guns and gays.

I highly doubt he'll appoint anti-abortion judges to SCOTUS - but it sure as hell helps in the South.

he wasn't talking about the Supreme Court. He made that clear

he says he would not.

That is his words.

Do they not mean a thing? Is that not what Bush did, and is that not what people voted upon--lies?

your doubts are based upon nothing but wishful thinking and projection..

I would prefer to think Kerry is telling the truth. And if this is the truth, I cannot really say I think it is great thinking, but more of the Washington beltway type, good old boys type thinking and campaigning.

as long as they don't shoot anybody.

No he wouldn't and he would say he was either. WTF does Kerry think he is gaining with this?

"Do they have to agree with me on everything? No," Kerry said. Asked if they must agree with his abortion-rights views, he quickly added, "I will not appoint somebody with a 5-4 Court who's about to undo Roe v. Wade. I've said that before."

Pro-life judges should not be nominated for any court. Not by Kerry.

why I'm voting against Bush even if it means holding my nose and voting for Kerry.

I'm sure getting sick of insider politics and lying politicians. I think I'll build a floating island in the middle of the South Pacific and start my own country. Let me see, about 100 million recycled milk cartons and a few hundred tons of dirt out to do the job...

Stay the course!

...it would be nice if he would stay on message...somebody else that was on a similar message might have won if we'd have read what we read today!

he actually bragged about voting for Scalia.

?

...personally i would never urge someone to have an abortion unless it was in the case of rape, incest or where the mothers health was threatened. That said I think the option should be available to woman within the first trimester to have an abortion if they so wish, much as i would disagree with it where it based on issues of convenience. So as long as the Justices where good upstanding men or women and where committed to upholding Roe v Wade then I don't think there should be any problem with them being appointed remember there are a number of Democratic Senators who are pro-life, yet committed to Roe v Wade and the nominees would need to pass through the senate. I see no problem with pro-life justices being appointed so long as they are committed to upholding Roe v Wade.

self determination.

Thanks so much for saying I can have an abortion as long as it isn't a "matter of convenience"...massa, you're too kind!

How many actual microseconds he would spend on considering them, I don't know.

I know some DUers appear to be pro-choice extremists, denigrating anyone to their right on the abortion issue. But before you piss yourselves over this piece of news, consider this:

Look closely at what Kerry's doing: he wouldn't mind appointing pro-life liberal judges, and those who would uphold restrictions on abortion, such as informed consent (would you like your doctor to lie to you about the risks of surgery?), among other restrictions. He doesn't want to see Roe overturned (if it is overturned, abortion laws will be made by the states--it won't be outlawed nationwide, contrary to propaganda). Notice he said he would consider pro-life judges, but not down-the-line conservatives.

Kerry's moderating his pro-choice views may be a smart decision to bring pro-life Democrats, especially the so-called "Casey Democrats", the Dems liberal on economic issues, but solidly anti-abortion (anti-abortion and pro-life are different to me), to the polls rather than on the sidelines.

...this is appearing to be DANGEROUSLY close to another flip-flop. For the war, against the war, now: "If elected, Kerry promised that virtually all U.S. combat troops will be out of Iraq - away from "the death zone" - by the end of his first term." 100% pro-choice, but he wouldn't object to appointing "some judges" that are pro-life (for now he says but not to SCOTUS)...he is giving "some credit" to the shrub and his lapdogs in Congress for creating 900k jobs this year...the point I'm getting at is that this is starting to look like some kind of a pattern.

Would he have been "presumtively" nominated through the primary process had he voiced these views then??? I wonder...

and would only appoint judges who would follow the PRESENT law of the land.

But it sure seems as if there is a vocal, active minority here on DU who desperately WANT to make it look like Kerry has embraced the notion of appointing Pro-Life Judges who will actively subvert Roe v Wade.

the primaries...that's all. Period. Did he make a statement like that during the primaries? No. Did he make a statement like "virtually all American troops would be out of Iraq by the end of his first term" during the primaries? No. My point, again, is that had he made those statements when members of the party had a choice of whether or not to vote for him as the nominee, would he now be the presumtive nominee? I wonder...

get a grip, he's not George Bush. I expect him to stop making those kind of mealy mouthed placate the rightwing statements. There is a lot more at stake here then Roe V Wade.

In my opinion, this was the only issue where I could (past tense) see any significant difference between Bush and Kerry. Now, I cannot. I have completely, and utterly, given up on John Kerry. It is a sad day when people are forced to choose between the two candidates we're faced with.

I find it really difficult to believe anybody could see no significant difference. It is a sad day when the candidate being slammed as an extreme Massachussetts Liberal, with one of the most liberal voting records in the Senate, is seen by thinking Democrats as even remotely similar to the most extreme rightwing fascist president in history. There has never been this wide a difference between two candidates in my lifetime, at least.

Pretty soon he'll be trying on cowboy boots, fine tuning his Texas accent, and sounding out Cheney for VP.

but when you see that he will uphold Roe v. Wade, then I understand his position. He is trying to say that the Dems are a big tent with no litmus test issues. On the Supreme Court, then uphold Roe v. Wade. For other court appointments, it shouldn't be a litmus test. I'm OK with that position because I despise what the right has done with litmus tests for judges. I would rather good, thinking judges because they decide so many important issues. As long as Roe v. Wade is upheld on the Supreme Court.

Judges should be consistent with their method of interpreting law. They should be strict constructionists in one case than "activist judges" in others.

I think you'll find few anti-abortion judges who are consistent about how they interpret law. The conservative appointements have always been ideologues. They make their rulings on what they THINK should happen, than they contort a legal opinion into their conclusions.

Careful inspection of their rulings should reveal a judge motivated primarily by bias instead by a consistent, systematic method of interpreting the law.

issue.

I honestly don't know what the man stands for and I HATE THAT.

He seems to care more about what Republicans think than what Democrats think...He wants Repub votes, but he expects and feels entitled to mine and that makes me very very unhappy indeed.

Can I be more demoralized about Kerry than I am now? Just when I think it isn't possible, he'll whack me over the head with another ridiculous position that runs counter to what I stand for.

He's lucky Bush is such a screw up. It is the only way such a wishy washy person could win.