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January 4, 2008
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Values Voters Win Big in Iowa
Washington is reeling from last night's Iowa caucuses. A loud and
clear message was delivered, but whether it will be heard is yet to be
seen. On the Republican side, Mike Huckabee's huge victory can be
attributed to two primary reasons. First, he is real and his style
reflects it. He is engaging and he talks with people, not at them. He is
a great campaigner; he is the communicator in this presidential election
cycle. Second, evangelicals, dispirited by Republican indifference if
not outright hostility to their concerns, cast their ballots for
candidates who line up with them on their top priority issues (for
example, all of the top five finishers contend that Roe v. Wade
was wrongly decided and should be corrected). Significantly, the top two
finishers on the Republican side, Huckabee and Romney, were also the top
two finishers in the Values Voter Straw Poll at FRC Action's Washington
Briefing in October. Four months ago the talk was that Rudy Giuliani was
going to be the GOP standard bearer. The party establishment's push for
Giuliani is an outright message to values voters that their issues will
not only take a backseat, as they have in so many Republican
administrations, but they will be thrown off the bus entirely. Iowa
evangelicals' voting pattern says, "If that is the way we are
viewed by the other members of the conservative coalition, we are going
with one of our own whom we can trust on our issues." The road
ahead will be filled with challenges, but one thing is clear: the values
voter turnout has reshaped this presidential campaign in a very good
way. On the Democratic side Barack Obama's victory last night sent a
very similar message to a party that has grown accustomed to humoring
its base. The message is: "Move over, we are taking the
wheel." Like Huckabee, Obama comes across as real and he connects
with his party's grassroots. On both sides, the next few months are
going to be a contest between the party establishments and their
respective bases. The presidential election will not be taking place in
a vacuum; what happens here on Capitol Hill and in the White House is
going to continue to influence this election. If each party continues to
ignore the concerns of its core constituency, it will only fan the
flames of change. More than any other election in recent time, this
election has the potential to change the political landscape in America.
One final note: there is less division on some issues in the land than
our polarizing media often suggest. A Gallup survey that was released
the day after Christmas and received little coverage reported that three
in four Americans say that "family values" will play a role in
determining their choice for president - for one in three Americans,
"family values" are extremely important. Candidates who deny
this fundamental "longing to belong" are the ones who are
dividers, not uniters.
iPS Success: Hardly Skin Deep
From the looks of it, 2008 is shaping up to be the year of the stem
cell. The news that researchers had developed embryonic-type stem cells
from ordinary skin cells is still sending tremors through the scientific
and political communities. In the brief two months since the
announcement, the success with induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells has
been replicated by three research teams. One such group, comprised of
scientists from Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Boston,
managed to extract skin cells from a volunteer rather than relying on
commercial laboratories to grow the cells. Elsewhere, a new technology
developed by Columbia's Osiris Therapeutics is putting the finishing
touches on Prochymal, a drug created from adult stem cells that may soon
treat everything from gastrointestinal disorders to heart attacks. Yet
despite this surge of principled progress, some embryonic stem cell
(ESC) supporters are still clinging to a method that may soon be
obsolete. California's Institute of Regenerative Medicine easily houses
the greatest number of these scientific holdouts, including President
Richard Murphy. Although many of his colleagues are abandoning the ESC
approach in favor of iPS, Murphy says, "We still think human
embryonic stem cells are the gold standard." Before making such
statements, perhaps Dr. Murphy should have read a copy of FRC's new
Insight paper, "Adult Stem Cell Success Stories--2007."
Authored by our own Dr. David Prentice, Bill Saunders, and Michael
Fragoso, "Success Stories" catalogues the medical treatments
using ethical alternatives that appeared in scientific literature
throughout 2007. The scoreboard count of such successes is now 73, while
successful embryonic stem cell treatments continue to hold steady
at--zero.
Additional Resources
Adult
Stem Cell Success Stories-2007 Update
Start the New Year Off Right--Tune into Washington
Watch Weekly!
Don't miss our first guests of 2008! Terry Jeffrey, editor-in-chief
for CNSNews.com, will join us to discuss what Congress is planning upon
their January 15 return, as well as what we can expect from the field of
presidential hopefuls as primary season kicks off. I'll also talk with
Ron Prentice, chief executive officer for the California Family Council,
about a new state law that would allow students to choose their gender,
even when it's contrary to their biological sex.
Additional Resources
FRC
Radio
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| Other Noteworthy News |
Wed 12/12/07
The Grinches of Congress
Last night, the House of Representatives voted on a benign resolution, H.R.
847, "recognizing the importance of Christmas and the Christian
faith." Not surprisingly, the initiative, sponsored by Rep. Steve King
(R-Iowa), passed overwhelmingly--despite nine Democrats who voted against it
and ten members (nine Democrats and one Republican) who voted
"present." Interestingly, the 17 Democrats who voted either
"nay" or "present" weren't motivated by the so-called
"separation of church and state," since they were seen formally
recognizing Islam back in October. H.R. 635, sponsored by Rep. Eddie Bernice
Johnson (D-Tex.), recognized the "commencement of Ramadan, the Islamic
holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal, and commended Muslims in the
United States and throughout the world for their faith." Perhaps these
congressional scrooges took issue with the wording of the Christmas
resolution. Or did they have a bigger problem rejecting "bigotry and
persecution directed against Christians, both in the United States and
worldwide"? Maybe they disagreed with the expression of their
"deepest respect to American Christians and Christians throughout the
world." Whatever their reasoning, these 17 Democrats have some explaining
to do. How can they possibly promote Islam in the same breath that they attack
Christianity, the very faith that buoyed our nation at its founding? The
following voted "no" on H.R. 847 and "yes" on H.R. 635:
Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.), Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), Diana DeGette (D-Co.),
Alcee Hastings (D-Fl.), Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Fortney
Stark (D-Calif.) and Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.). Those who voted
"present" on H.R. 847 and "yes" on H.R. 635 include:
Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.), Barney Frank (D-Mass.), Rush Holt (D-N.J.),
Donald Payne (D-N.J.), Janice Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.),
Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fl.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and John Yarmuth (D-Ky.).
Additional Resources
House
vote Recognizing the importance of Christmas and the Christian faith
House
vote Recognizing the commencement of Ramadan
Heisman Winner Makes Forward Progress on Life
According to his mom, football sensation Tim Tebow came very close to
missing his run at the Heisman Trophy. Pam Tebow says it wasn't because of his
performance, but because her doctors had advised the couple to abort him. Back
in the '80s, when she and her husband Bob were in the mission field, Pam was
diagnosed with a medical condition that could only be treated with drugs that
risked harming her unborn child. To avoid "irreparable damage" to
her baby, doctors suggested that she abort the future Heisman winner. She
refused. Today, Pam, Bob, and the entire University of Florida football team
are glad she didn't. Despite the doctor's prediction, Tim was born completely
healthy--and remains so. In his acceptance speech for the Heisman, Tim said,
"I just (want) to first start off by thanking my Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, who gave me the ability to play football, gave me a great family and
support group..." Sadly, not every unborn child is as fortunate as Tim.
For every baby like him, whose parents embrace the gift of life, there are
countless others whose lives are ended before they begin, all in the name of
"choice." Of the 49 million who never lived to realize their
potential, imagine the number of future leaders, inventors, doctors--and, yes,
even Heisman trophy winners--among them. We are grateful to the Tebow family
for sharing their testimony and pray that it helps persuade other women of the
inherent value of their unborn children and the great promise that lies
within.
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