RNC Distances Itself From Mitt Romney Over Abortion
The official platform language up for approval at next week’s Republican National Convention is somewhat at odds with the platform of the presumptive GOP nominee, Mitt Romney. RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said Tuesday that, specifically, the RNC’s language regarding abortion is not the same as the message carried by Romney.
The RNC’s platform committee is voting Tuesday on draft language related to abortion, reports NBC News. Specifically, the RNC is looking to curb abortion rights by calling for a “human life amendment” to the Constitution as well as “legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children.” The only problem here is that it might muddy the waters between the RNC and Mitt Romney, especially with all of the attention abortion rights are getting following Todd Akin’s controversial remarks.
“I think as far as the details of some of these things, like an exception for rape or life of the mother, these are not uncommon differences that candidates have and don’t share some of the detail on some of those exceptions,” Priebus said. “This is the platform of the Republican Party; it’s not the platform of Mitt Romney.”
But like it or not, Akin’s comments have put abortion rights back into the public discourse just in time for election season. If it evolves into a central issue, will Mitt Romney be running against his own party?
The problem here is that the RNC is actually doing itself a disservice by focusing on abortion rights when the advent election is one over budgets, healthcare, and entitlement reform. According to Fox News, the Romney/Ryan ticket has failed to gain the boost it needs from the VP announcement because voters are still waiting to hear a comprehensive, pro-growth, fiscally responsible agenda emphasizing job creation.
So why is the RNC beating the war drums of abortion? It’s an important issue, but will it really matter at the polls in November?
Will Mitt Romney suffer over distance from the RNC?
