Not bad.

He doesn't seem crazy enough for Palin to endorse. Too bad he didn't say, "No, thanks, Sraha, I got this."

The main strikes against him:

1) "God

with you on the bible thumping, Buddha, but I detest the very idea of abortion(save for the most dire of circumstances,..ie rape). and late term abortion--that is a whole new level of fucking evil.

but yeah, with you on the bible thumping. I am a "searching theist" though I grew up Pentacostal Holiness/Southern Baptist

He's an impressive guy, but it looks like he has, at best, a slim chance in his District. Ron Klein, the Democrat incumbent beat him handily in 2008 and even without Obama coat-tails the district is considered safe Democrat for 2010. Maybe someone from Florida can offer some reason why West has a better chance than it would appear. I can see Klein being in trouble in a district where lots of people have lost jobs, but this is Palm Beach.

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Drop the thumping and the abortion stuff and he seems otherwise viable.

Speaking of viable... The pro-abortionists (inc. the abortion moderates who don't "really like the whole idea of it," seem to me, IMO, too ready to associate all anti-abortionists with the religious right "pro lifers." (not that you did so, Buddha) This invalidates anti-abortion beliefs by depicting them in the exclusive realm of clinic burners and doctor killers.

I think it's okay to tell a woman that you object to the idea that they hold exclusive rights over the termination of a pregnancy. I think the way we treat the helpless, whether they are too young or too old for our convenience, defines us as a society.

I would never challenge the medical necessity of an abortion. I've never been in the position where I felt it was "my business" to say anything about another person's abortion.

I believe abortions outside of medical necessity are wrong and I think convenience abortions are at least as criminal an act as some other violations of law. I mean no malice to those who believe otherwise.

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Drop the thumping and the abortion stuff and he seems otherwise viable.

Speaking of viable... The pro-abortionists (inc. the abortion moderates who don't "really like the whole idea of it," seem to me, IMO, too ready to associate all anti-abortionists with the religious right "pro lifers." (not that you did so, Buddha) This invalidates anti-abortion beliefs by depicting them in the exclusive realm of clinic burners and doctor killers.

I think it's okay to tell a woman that you object to the idea that they hold exclusive rights over the termination of a pregnancy. I think the way we treat the helpless, whether they are too young or too old for our convenience, defines us as a society.

I would never challenge the medical necessity of an abortion. I've never been in the position where I felt it was "my business" to say anything about another person's abortion.

I believe abortions outside of medical necessity are wrong and I think convenience abortions are at least as criminal an act as some other violations of law. I mean no malice to those who believe otherwise.

On a personal level, we are likely very close. I would never be a party to one at any point of gestation (other than use of birth control pills, IUD, sponge, condom, or whatever...) but I would also not insinuate myself into another person's situation.

So, I end up pro-choice.

I do believe in limits, though.

If a woman at 8.99 months comes in having contractions...no abortion.

At some moment, all of us become pro-life, as well.

I'd try to implement limits when the fetus/baby becomes viable....so paint me as a "20 weeker."

I'd also allow government funding. If a person can't get it together to pay for an abortion then it's not likely they will find their shit in the next few months to be able to afford cildbirth or raising a child.

Unfortunately, this isssue has become a litmus test for either party.

Hopefully, no future Republican Supreme Court nominees are reading this - we all know none of them has ever considered this issue until after being asked about it during their confirmation hearings. That POS answer alone should be enough to knock them out - lying like that. If someone had never pondered the issue going through law school of thinking about politics in general, you know that person to be a liar.

I find it amazing coming from Europe that the US elects its leaders based on position on abortion.

Nobody really seems to care about things like education, unemployment, the economy because they are not sexy enough to create the emotional hate/love that abortion creates.

It really is a political non issue in most countries. In the UK it never seems to get discussed, i have no idea of what the policies in the UK are, it just seems to go along without political agenda.

Before anyone attacks me, i have no position on the subject. I just find it amazing that so many people particularly men do have such inflamed opinions.

<Quote> "On a personal level, we are likely very close. I would never be a party to one at any point of gestation (other than use of birth control pills, IUD, sponge, condom, or whatever...) but I would also not insinuate myself into another person's situation.

So, I end up pro-choice.

I do believe in limits, though.

If a woman at 8.99 months comes in having contractions...no abortion.

At some moment, all of us become pro-life, as well.

I'd try to implement limits when the fetus/baby becomes viable....so paint me as a "20 weeker."

I'd also allow government funding. If a person can't get it together to pay for an abortion then it's not likely they will find their shit in the next few months to be able to afford cildbirth or raising a child.

Unfortunately, this isssue has become a litmus test for either party."

Taken as a whole, Buddha, your comments above make a pretty good rationale for the Federal Government staying the hell out of the abortion issue. Then in the middle, you advocate government funding. How does that work? You have your cake and eat it too?

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Taken as a whole, Buddha, your comments above make a pretty good rationale for the Federal Government staying the hell out of the abortion issue. Then in the middle, you advocate government funding. How does that work? You have your cake and eat it too?

We have so many things like Medicaid, Aid For Families With Dependent Children, Medi-Cal here in California...there is longstanding infrastructure for care for people who have no means. If abortion funding is part of that, I don't mind.

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I'd try to implement limits when the fetus/baby becomes viable....so paint me as a "20 weeker."

An appealing position and one the Supremes partially relied upon in 1973's Roe v. Wade.

The difficulty is that viability changes with technology and is idiosyncratic.

Thus, if we are to establish a bright line rule I suggest sufficient brain wave activity, the cessation of which we use as a test for death.