Frist Flip Flops on Bush/ Stem Cell Research Funding; Radical Right Flips Out on Frist

The signal couldn't be any clearer. Bill Frist wants to President and will move left, turn on Bush and the Republican base to do it.

Welcome to the 21st century Senator.

Check your fundamentalist support at the door.





Frist backs stem cell research, angers abortion foes
Senate majority leader breaks with Bush on issue

Friday, July 29, 2005; Posted: 7:16 p.m. EDT (23:16 GMT)
CNN.com

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist endorsed government-funded research on human embryonic stem cells Friday, breaking with President Bush and the religious conservatives he's been courting for a 2008 presidential bid. He drew praise from former first lady Nancy Reagan.

"It isn't just a matter of faith, it's a matter of science," Frist, a heart-lung transplant surgeon, said in a Senate speech. "The president's policy should be modified."

Bush remained intent on vetoing the House-passed bill that would loosen his 2001 restrictions on funding of research using stem cells from days-old embryos in a search for cures to spinal cord injuries, Parkinson's and other diseases. Frist, a Tennessee Republican, called Bush around dinnertime Thursday to tell him in advance of his decision.

Bush was said to be understanding; Nancy Reagan full of praise; his core support group and Republican colleagues however...

Key constituency reacts

But anti-abortion religious conservatives, a key constituency for any aspiring Republican presidential nominee, swiftly made their negative reaction clear.

"He cannot be pro-life and pro-embryonic stem cell funding," said Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition. "Nor can he turn around and expect widespread endorsement from the pro-life community if he should decide to run for president."

House conservatives were incensed.

"I think the courageous speech would have been to continue to stand strongly in defense of the sanctity of life," said Georgia Rep. Phil Gingrey, himself a physician. "We will fight him on this to the very end."

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who denounced embryonic stem cell research as "dismemberment of living, distinct human beings" during the House debate in May, called Frist "a good man ... advocating a bad policy."

Because taking embryonic stem cells destroys embryos, Bush and many other conservatives equate the process with abortion and view it as immoral.

Frist's totally unexpected endorsement should render a Bush veto ineffective if a two-thirds majority is won over.

And why shouldn't it be? Two thirds of Americans support funding stem cell research.

Thoughts on Frist's presidential strategy? The future of the Religious Right?

Some interesting signals and developments are certainly happening. Unless you're currently a member of a right wing doomsday cult, then it's the end of the world. Finally.

[edit on 30-7-2005 by RANT]

Rant you have to undestand that is not such a thing as faith and loyalty when it comes to political agendas, all these people are cut by the same material they follow their own god, the one of "power and money"

They all play the same game and they all lean to the highes bidder Frist may have a change of hart but I bet my butt is because some interest group have offer more money than religious right to finance his posible "presidential campaign"





[edit on 30-7-2005 by marg6043]

You know, he'd make a perfect choice for the new front man for the PNAC crowd. I mean, if he would lie about getting AIDS from tears to further his abstinance agenda, he'd lie about anything they wanted him too. Yes, quite a fine specimen as a successor to Bush.

If they want him, I have a feeling he'll be in there whether we want him to be or not.

I'm thinking you're right Marge, he's in this for himself now.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic

If they want him, I have a feeling he'll be in there whether we want him to be or not.

I'm thinking you're right Marge, he's in this for himself now.

And I agree with you, we the people are not the ones that chose our presidents anymore, we have the "interest groups" to do that for us.

I guess the pharmaceutical industry will have much to benefit from the stem cell industry in possible alternatives to treatments if stem cell research is successful.

After all is not about finding cures but finding magic pills and treatments to halt the illnesses.

Plus stem cell research will open another door to other type of business . . . yes is much money to be made and share with the “right choices”

Frist is a FLIP-FLOPPER!

Why should this come as any surprise? The man obviously lusts after the office of the presidency. The joke's gonna be on him, though. He won't be nominated, let alone elected. He doesn't have it. The funny thing, though, just like his fellow Tenneseean Lamar Alexander, he'll be the last one to realize that.

Vote for FLIP-FLOPPIN FRIST! I love sayin that!

I bet Hillary would love for Frist to be the nominee! Even she would probly beat him - and I don't think she's got much of a chance either, unless the powers-that-be (who reside behind the throne's curtain) give her their Die Bold blessing. The scary thing is, that could very well be possible even though she's a Democrat (those things don't matter so much to the unseen powers).

Where are all those NeoCons who tarred and feathered Kerry for being a flip-flopper during the 2004 campaign?

I guess they don't wanna talk about the latest actions of FLIP-FLOPPER FRIST.

FLIP-FLOPPIN FRIST has a nice ring to it...

Originally posted by EastCoastKid
I bet Hillary would love for Frist to be the nominee! Even she would probly beat him - and I don't think she's got much of a chance either

You may not like her, but the numbers game has Hillary clearly beating everyone but John McCain, and he'll be too old by the time 08 rolls around. And nobody really knows how the Religious Right will react, they're already pretty disillusioned by his previous moderate actions.

As it shakes down, it's not that Hillary is making leaps and bounds through the middle, I mean she is, but not enough to clearly kill everyone else. The reason why I'm predicting a Hillary win, is because of the Ross Perot effect currently cursing the GOP.

The GOP is decidedly split.

Anyone in the current administration can't run, because they have 8 years of Bush II's decisions hung around their neck. The Far Right won't accept anyone who doesn't bow to their agenda, which means mainstream Republicans like Pataki and Guliani lose Christian voters. These sme Christian voters won't vote for Hillary, they just simply won't come out and vote at all.

But, guys like Rick Santorum and Bill Frist immediatly lose women voters, age 18-36 voters, and the states Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania (Santorum is trailing by twenty points to the Democratic challenger in his district), and perhaps Florida. If Hillary nominates Bill Richardson as her VP, she picks up Hispanic voters, and the states Arizona and New Mexico.

If Condi or JC Watts runs (Which I highly doubt, because the first has too much baggage, the second doesn't have a high enough profile), then Hillary nominates Barak Obama for VP, and immediatly negates any drain on the African American vote that might follow.

A far right candidate can't get the moderate middle vote.
A moderate middle candidate can't get the far right vote.

As far as I can tell, the only real silver bullet candidate is Colin Powell.

My prediction, it's going to be a horse race between Bill Frist and Rick Santorum, because they appeal to the core GOP voters, and they're the ones who really get out during the primaries.

Originally posted by brimstone735
My prediction, it's going to be a horse race between Bill Frist and Rick Santorum, because they appeal to the core GOP voters, and they're the ones who really get out during the primaries.

That blood bath will be a thing of beauty! I love GOP primaries. They ruin lives!

Republican on Republican crime is a beautiful thing.

Originally posted by RANT
That blood bath will be a thing of beauty! I love GOP primaries. They ruin lives!

Republican on Republican crime is a beautiful thing.

The crips and the bloods, the KKK and the CIA ain't got nuttin' on them boyz!

Frist ain't got IT. And today on ABC's This Week with George Stephonopolous, George cornered Santorum into saying he is NOT running for president in '08. So if something changes between now and then, the Democrat nominee can accuse Santorum of the dreaded flip flop.

Santorum's a bag of gas. He comes across honest and earnest enuff, but when cornered on things he discusses in his new book, he trips up. He can't even elaborate effectively on his points.. it's actually funny to watch the guy squirm. Even John Stewart got to him. Then his voice gets all raised and shrill. At this point, if he did run for pres., they'd eat him alive.

He, he, now that we have Frist realizing that is "not a matter of faith" but "science" I wonder what are his views about evolution.