Mikal Watts... Republican in Democrat's Clothing?

Round 1: Pick the "Democrat":

A) “I personally have the view: I hold the pro-life position with three exceptions: one for rape, one for incest, one for the life of the mother.”

B) "the circumstances when abortion should be allowed are limited to protect the life of the mother, rape or incest."

C) “...come to the conclusion that the exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother are legitimate exceptions”

D) "...is pro-life with exceptions for rape, incest, and to save the life of the mother."

E) "...would not change current law on abortion funding, which prohibits federal funding except in cases of incest, rape, or life endangerment."

F) "banning federal funding of abortions except in cases of rape, incest or when a pregnant woman's life is in jeopardy"

G) "...justifies abortion in cases of rape, incest and to save the life of the mother"

Ok, are you ready? Listen to this sound clip. Guess who this is:

You may be surprised to hear that both the sound clip (from Capitol Annex), and selection "A" from above are both from Mikal Watts. Check out a post from last month that we've covered this: Party Like A Rockstar.

Oh, and in case you're curious here are the rest:
B) George Bush
C) John McCain
D) Mitt Romney
E) Rudolph Giuliani
F) Fred Thompson
G) John Cornyn

Round 2: Try Again... Pick the "Democrat"

A) "[about his anti-choice stance] that is a view i hold because my view of when life begins"

B) "I firmly believe that life begins at conception and that the preborn child deserves all the rights and protections afforded an American citizen."

C) "...we believe life begins at conception, and that we ought to do everything in the world possible to protect it until its natural conclusion.

D) ”I do believe that life begins at conception,”

E) "life begins....at conception.”

F) "I believe human life begins at conception."

G) "That's correct. It--I think it's a fundamental belief that life begins when it's--at conception"

Once again, Mikal Watts, "A" stands staunchly on the Red side of the spectrum when it comes to conception. Not only does Mikal Watts stand against a woman's right to her own health and welfare, he justifies it with the republican party standard line.

Here's the answer key to the rest:
B) Duncan Hunter
C) Mike Huckabee
D) John McCain
E) George W. Bush
F) Bill Frist
G) Rick Santorum

From Vince Liebowitz:

The "life begins at conception" soundbite is very popular among Republicans and is specifically designed to send a message to everyone who hears it, notes the TAPPED blog at American Prospect:
"Life begins at conception" is code for the extremist anti-choice position that wants hormonal birth control pills, the morning after pill, and intrauterine devices to be outlawed as abortion-inducing agents, or "abortifacients." All these methods prevent the implantation of a fertilized egg in a woman's uterus. They prevent pregnancy, but not conception.
The Democratic Primary for U.S. Senate in Texas will very likely boil down to the issue of a woman's right to choose. Clearly, it's a significant difference between the two candidates. Rick Noriega, as a matter of fact, has a 100 percent pro-choice rating for several sessions. (See endnote at bottom of this post). Mikal Watts, on the other hand, is the exact opposite.

Would Watts' beliefs mean that he would be prone to vote against abortion bills? Most likely. Do Watts' beliefs mean he would be likely to vote against confirmation of pro-choice judicial nominees in favor of more conservative, anti-choice judges? Probably.

Texas may not be the most progressive state in America, and most Texans believe abortion is against their moral beliefs. However, a great many Texans also believe it should be a safe, legal alternative for women according to a 2007 Texas Lyceum Poll .

A 2004 Scripps-Howard/Texas Poll showed an even larger number than the Lyceum poll, believe the choice should be left entirely up to the woman :

A 2004 Scripps Howard Texas Poll found that 81% of Texans agree with the statement, "Abortion is a complex issue that is better left in the hands of a woman, her doctor, her family, and her God, rather than in the hands of politicians."

Clearly, if Texas women (and Texas men, for that matter), want to see Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to choose protected, Mikal Watts isn't the right choice. Why replace one anti-choice senator with another?