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  <updated>2008-08-07T15:58:30-05:00</updated>
  <entry>
    <title>The Fracturing Right</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/fracturing-right" />
    <id>http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/fracturing-right</id>
    <published>2007-04-24T15:27:59-05:00</published>
    <updated>2008-08-07T15:58:30-05:00</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Kyle</name>
    </author>
    <category term="American Center for Law and Justice" />
    <category term="Bill Donohue" />
    <category term="Catholic League" />
    <category term="Concerned Women for America" />
    <category term="Jay Sekulow" />
    <category term="John McCain" />
    <category term="Mitt Romney" />
    <category term="Politics" />
    <category term="Religious Right" />
    <category term="Rudy Giuliani" />
    <summary type="html"><![CDATA[<p>If one was looking for an example of   just how fractured and confused those on the Right are as they attempt to decide   which Republican presidential candidate to support, one wouldn&rsquo;t find a better   example than <A title="http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200704/POL20070424b.html" href="http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200704/POL20070424b.html">this   article</a> from CNS News.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>As it stands now, the Right is so   desperately lost that the Catholic League&rsquo;s <A title="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/2006/10/most_15yearold.html" href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/2006/10/most_15yearold.html">Bill   Donohue</a>, of all people, is   touting Rudy Giuliani and pushing anti-abortion voters not to be ideological   purists: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>But it is   Giuliani's commitment to appoint "strict constructionists" to the U.S. Supreme   Court that should matter most to Christian activists, Donohue   said.</p>
<p>"Social   conservatives are going into this campaign with some degree of reservation, if   not trepidation," he acknowledged. "But when push comes to shove, there is a day   and night difference" between the three leading GOP contenders and their   Democratic counterparts, he added.</p>
<p>"The problem   with the pro-life movement is that some people are purist, and as far as I'm   concerned, they're detrimental to the cause," Donohue said. "It's important to   be principled, but it's also important to be   prudential."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>While Donohue singles out Giuliani&rsquo;s   pledge to appoint "strict constructionists" to the Supreme Court as the   candidate&rsquo;s top credential, other candidates -- <A title="http://www.redstate.com/stories/featured_stories/romney_on_judges_follow_bushs_lead" href="http://www.redstate.com/stories/featured_stories/romney_on_judges_follow_bushs_lead">Mitt   Romney</a>, <A title="http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2007/02/thune_endorses_mccain.html" href="http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2007/02/thune_endorses_mccain.html">John   McCain</a>, and <A title="http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1607158,00.html" href="http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1607158,00.html">Mike   Huckabee</a> &ndash; have all   stated that, if elected, they would nominate judges like Roberts,   Alito, and Scalia. </p>
<p>It is somewhat surprising that   Donohue hangs so much on this Giuliani claim, considering that his judicial   appointment history has not been <A title="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-judicial12mar12,1,6655089.story?coll=la-headlines-nation" href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-judicial12mar12,1,6655089.story?coll=la-headlines-nation">particularly   reassuring</a> to the Right.</p>
<p>But at least Giuliani has someone   out there championing his campaign &ndash; the best John McCain could get in the   article was a quote from Janice Crouse of Concerned Woman for America   saying he&rsquo;s &ldquo;never been popular with any branch of conservatism&rdquo; and that it   &ldquo;may be too late for him to prove himself.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>
<p>As for Romney: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Jordan   Sekulow, a law student who works as a consultant on Romney's campaign, said   prospective voters should look at his record as governor of Massachusetts, where he   closed a $3 billion budget gap during his first year in office by eliminating   waste and streamlining government.</p>
<p>Romney was   willing to confront the judicial activism of the Massachusetts Supreme Court,   which ruled in favor of same-sex "marriage," Sekulow   added.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><img alt="Sekulow.jpg" src="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/Sekulow.jpg" width="190" height="170" align="right" />If the name &ldquo;Jordan Sekulow&rdquo; seems   familiar, that is probably because he is not just some ordinary &ldquo;law student&rdquo; &ndash;   he was the <A title="http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2004/03/08/48687" href="http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2004/03/08/48687">national chairman</a> of   &ldquo;Students for Bush&rdquo; in 2004 and is the <A title="http://www.aclj.org/OnTheTv/Archive.aspx" href="http://www.aclj.org/OnTheTv/Archive.aspx">Deputy Director of Government   Affairs</a> at the American Center for Law and Justice, which just so happens to   be the organization headed by his father, <A title="http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1130499506270" href="http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1130499506270">Jay Sekulow</a>, who   is himself an <A title="http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2006/12/romney_takes_tw.html" href="http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2006/12/romney_takes_tw.html">advisor</a> to the Romney campaign. </p>
<p>But while Romney may have the   support of the Sekulow family sown up, he&rsquo;s going to have a hard time winning   over Donohue: </p>
<blockquote><p>Donohue also   said there is good cause "not to trust" Romney, since he "made it clear to   everyone in Massachusetts" during earlier campaigns that   he was an abortion-rights supporter.</p></blockquote>
<p>Apparently Donohue doesn&rsquo;t think   Giuliani has <A title="http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-04-05-giuliani-sc_N.htm" href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-04-05-giuliani-sc_N.htm">that   sort of problem at all</a>. </p>
    ]]></summary>
    <content type="html"><![CDATA[<p>If one was looking for an example of   just how fractured and confused those on the Right are as they attempt to decide   which Republican presidential candidate to support, one wouldn&rsquo;t find a better   example than <A title="http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200704/POL20070424b.html" href="http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200704/POL20070424b.html">this   article</a> from CNS News.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>As it stands now, the Right is so   desperately lost that the Catholic League&rsquo;s <A title="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/2006/10/most_15yearold.html" href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/2006/10/most_15yearold.html">Bill   Donohue</a>, of all people, is   touting Rudy Giuliani and pushing anti-abortion voters not to be ideological   purists: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>But it is   Giuliani's commitment to appoint "strict constructionists" to the U.S. Supreme   Court that should matter most to Christian activists, Donohue   said.</p>
<p>"Social   conservatives are going into this campaign with some degree of reservation, if   not trepidation," he acknowledged. "But when push comes to shove, there is a day   and night difference" between the three leading GOP contenders and their   Democratic counterparts, he added.</p>
<p>"The problem   with the pro-life movement is that some people are purist, and as far as I'm   concerned, they're detrimental to the cause," Donohue said. "It's important to   be principled, but it's also important to be   prudential."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>While Donohue singles out Giuliani&rsquo;s   pledge to appoint "strict constructionists" to the Supreme Court as the   candidate&rsquo;s top credential, other candidates -- <A title="http://www.redstate.com/stories/featured_stories/romney_on_judges_follow_bushs_lead" href="http://www.redstate.com/stories/featured_stories/romney_on_judges_follow_bushs_lead">Mitt   Romney</a>, <A title="http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2007/02/thune_endorses_mccain.html" href="http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2007/02/thune_endorses_mccain.html">John   McCain</a>, and <A title="http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1607158,00.html" href="http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1607158,00.html">Mike   Huckabee</a> &ndash; have all   stated that, if elected, they would nominate judges like Roberts,   Alito, and Scalia. </p>
<p>It is somewhat surprising that   Donohue hangs so much on this Giuliani claim, considering that his judicial   appointment history has not been <A title="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-judicial12mar12,1,6655089.story?coll=la-headlines-nation" href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-judicial12mar12,1,6655089.story?coll=la-headlines-nation">particularly   reassuring</a> to the Right.</p>
<p>But at least Giuliani has someone   out there championing his campaign &ndash; the best John McCain could get in the   article was a quote from Janice Crouse of Concerned Woman for America   saying he&rsquo;s &ldquo;never been popular with any branch of conservatism&rdquo; and that it   &ldquo;may be too late for him to prove himself.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>
<p>As for Romney: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Jordan   Sekulow, a law student who works as a consultant on Romney's campaign, said   prospective voters should look at his record as governor of Massachusetts, where he   closed a $3 billion budget gap during his first year in office by eliminating   waste and streamlining government.</p>
<p>Romney was   willing to confront the judicial activism of the Massachusetts Supreme Court,   which ruled in favor of same-sex "marriage," Sekulow   added.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><img alt="Sekulow.jpg" src="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/Sekulow.jpg" width="190" height="170" align="right" />If the name &ldquo;Jordan Sekulow&rdquo; seems   familiar, that is probably because he is not just some ordinary &ldquo;law student&rdquo; &ndash;   he was the <A title="http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2004/03/08/48687" href="http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2004/03/08/48687">national chairman</a> of   &ldquo;Students for Bush&rdquo; in 2004 and is the <A title="http://www.aclj.org/OnTheTv/Archive.aspx" href="http://www.aclj.org/OnTheTv/Archive.aspx">Deputy Director of Government   Affairs</a> at the American Center for Law and Justice, which just so happens to   be the organization headed by his father, <A title="http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1130499506270" href="http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1130499506270">Jay Sekulow</a>, who   is himself an <A title="http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2006/12/romney_takes_tw.html" href="http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2006/12/romney_takes_tw.html">advisor</a> to the Romney campaign. </p>
<p>But while Romney may have the   support of the Sekulow family sown up, he&rsquo;s going to have a hard time winning   over Donohue: </p>
<blockquote><p>Donohue also   said there is good cause "not to trust" Romney, since he "made it clear to   everyone in Massachusetts" during earlier campaigns that   he was an abortion-rights supporter.</p></blockquote>
<p>Apparently Donohue doesn&rsquo;t think   Giuliani has <A title="http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-04-05-giuliani-sc_N.htm" href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-04-05-giuliani-sc_N.htm">that   sort of problem at all</a>. </p>
    ]]></content>
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