>    Subject: ANALYSIS: Conservatives put Bush in tight spot on stem cells
>    From: Murray Charters <[log in to unmask]>
>    Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 04:11:10 -0700

Philadelphia Inquirer
Wednesday, July 11, 2001
Conservatives put Bush in tight spot on stem cells
By Dick Polman
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

During his quest for the White House, George W. Bush advertised
himself as a man of action who makes swift decisions without
sweating the details. As he liked to say, "I know how to lead."

But one hot issue has flummoxed him since January, because
it inflames the political tensions that undergird his presidency -
namely, the need to satisfy his conservative base without
alienating the independent voters who dominate the middle
of the electorate.

And the problem with this issue - whether to support federal
financing for stem-cell medical research that destroys human
embryos - is that it's a surefire political loser. When Bush finally
announces his decision, expected any day now, it's a cinch bet
that he will make some enemies.

If he says thumbs-up to federal money, he would anger people
in the antiabortion community, particularly religiously active
Catholics who want no deviation from "pro-life" doctrine and
whose support for Bush was crucial to his narrow victory last
autumn.

As pollster Steve Wagner, an expert on Catholic voters, argued
yesterday: "This is a critically important issue to religious
Catholics. At root, the President can't compromise on a moral
decision. It's either right or wrong."

But if Bush says thumbs-down to federal money, he would
anger those Americans - a majority, according to pollsters - who
want to explore every avenue for curing diseases such as
Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and cancer. Bush would also expose
himself to the charge that he is not a "compassionate"
conservative at all.

It's also possible that Bush will try a compromise, perhaps
allowing research to continue on stem cells already extracted
from embryos, but not permitting the destruction of new
embryos for research purposes. If this happens, he could
get hit with flak from both sides of the divide.

Marshall Wittmann, a conservative analyst with ties to
Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.), said yesterday: "There is a
broad theme, at the heart of the Bush administration, that's
bigger than the stem-cell issue. For six months, this President
has treated his conservative base as holy and sacred. But he
also has to face the reality that he lost the popular vote and
that the Democrats control the Senate.

"So the big question is: Should he remain true to his base
at a time when the country's mood is not particularly favorable
to ideological conservatism?"

As a candidate, Bush said federal money should not be
awarded to research that involves destroying human
embryos, even when the extracted stem cells - the basic
cells for human life - might further the search for cures.
Conservatives assumed that, as president, he would
quickly ban the use of federal money.

But he didn't do it. Instead, he postponed the decision
for further study. And prominent Catholic leaders,
in particular, have been fretting ever since.

This is a sensitive matter for the Bush team, which is well
aware that religiously active Catholics (those who attend
Mass at least once a week) buoyed Bush's victory.

Al Gore edged Bush in the nationwide Catholic vote.
But among those who attend Mass regularly (42 percent
of all Catholic voters), Bush topped Gore by 13 points.
The Bush strategists weren't entirely surprised, because
they had ardently wooed those voters during the campaign
by stressing conservative social values.

And they're still doing it. Bush meets with local bishops
when he travels to swing states such as Pennsylvania and
Missouri. He met recently with several bishops on the
stem-cell issue. His political aides conduct a weekly conference
call with top conservative Catholics, including pollster Wagner.

The White House believes that, with proper handling, such
Catholics will boost Bush's 2004 prospects in key states where
Catholics play a big role. These include New Jersey (47 percent
of voters), Michigan (30 percent), Wisconsin (37 percent), and
Pennsylvania (32 percent), where many conservative Catholics
are also "Casey Democrats," who supported Bob Casey, the
late antiabortion governor.

But pollster Wagner said that unless Bush declares an
outright ban on federal financing of stem-cell research,
"he runs the risk of disillusioning his [devout] supporters.
Yes, we all know that issues are complicated. But that
doesn't mean you can simply cut the loaf in half."

Some conservative Catholics are privately grumbling that
Bush is acting "Clintonesque" in his protracted reluctance
to take a strong moral stand. Many conservatives instead
want Bush to emulate Ronald Reagan, who, in the words
of the Weekly Standard magazine, "found that when he
took a consistent position on moral issues - even an unpopular
position - folks may have disagreed, but they respected him."

Some Bush defenders argued yesterday that a moral stand
against federal money would be an empty gesture, that it
would merely trigger a long and politically costly battle with
Congress - where there is broad support for financing
stem-cell research.

As Wittmann said: "Bush doesn't have a mandate to
govern, like Reagan had. And there's just no way to
forge a wise compromise. On this issue, there is no
King Solomon to be found in the West Wing."

Dick Polman's e-mail address is [log in to unmask]

SOURCE: Philadelphia Inquirer
http://inq.philly.com/content/inquirer/2001/07/11/front_page/CATHOLICS11.htm

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