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> 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 * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn