UPDATE: The flyer handed out at today’s press conference:
We discussed yesterday how Republican Senate candidate Ken Buck hasn’t done himself many favors by trying to moderate his pre-primary positions. As we’ve said time and time again, looking like a flip-flopper is far worse than having particular positions that some voters may disagree with, but sometimes changing your position causes even more trouble with the people you were originally trying to target.
According to a press release from American Right to Life Action (full release after the jump), they plan to give Buck the business during a 1:15 p.m. press conference today:
“Ken Buck has already broken every pro-life campaign promise he made,” said Lolita Hanks, president of ARTLA, “including that he now recanted on his promises to fight for a state pro-life amendment to protect unborn children from the beginning of their development, to introduce a ban on abortion, and to not confirm pro-abortion judges.”
By all accounts, the U.S. Senate race is going to come down to the wire. Buck can hardly afford to be losing a base group of potential voters at this late date, and if today’s press conference gets decent media coverage, there may be a good number of otherwise supportive voters who decide just to leave his name blank on their ballots.
American Right To Life Action, a 527 group headquartered in Colorado, will hold a press conference in front of Denver’s federal Courthouse today at 1:15 p.m. criticizing a Republican U.S. Senate candidate.
“Ken Buck has already broken every pro-life campaign promise he made,” said Lolita Hanks, president of ARTLA, “including that he now recanted on his promises to fight for a state pro-life amendment to protect unborn children from the beginning of their development, to introduce a ban on abortion, and to not confirm pro-abortion judges.”
Also appearing for American RTL will be former Colorado candidate for governor Ben Goss who spoke with Ken Buck to determine whether the U.S. Senate candidate held a true anti-abortion commitment. Goss will explain that in a conversation withKen Buck, the candidate admitted that he would not make personhood a feature of his campaign, but that every other indication was that he would fight to end abortion.
“Now he says he will even confirm ‘pro-choice’ judges,” said Goss, “that’s not pro-life, that’s unacceptable.”
“Republicans like Ken Buck have turned abortion into a perpetual fundraiser,” said Hanks. “In the primary, they’re 100% pro-life; in the general election, they moderate; and if they win, they govern as liberal pro-choicers.”
“We will also attempt to prove that Ken Buck lied to pro-lifers and to all Colorado voters on CBS’ Face the Nation,” said ARTL’s director of research Darrell Birkey, “with this exchange:”
Bob Schieffer: You also said at one point that you would support a proposed law out there in Colorado that would have banned some forms of birth control, some birth control pills. Do you still hold to that?
Ken Buck: I have never said that. No. I have said that there is a state amendment on personhood. I am in favor of personhood as a concept. I am not taking a position on any of the state amendments.
ARTL will also present the survey question from a Colorado pro-life organization that Ken Buck answered “Yes” to indicating that he would support a state pro-life constitutional amendment upholding the sanctity of life from the single cell stage of development. “That answer, and other evidence, shows that Ken Buck misled pro-lifers into believing he truly would fight to protect the tiniest children,” said Hanks. “At least Buck has made it clear before election day that he uses the unborn as a political ploy to get money and votes.”
Who: American RTL Action with former Colorado Candidate Ben Goss
What: Don’t Throw the Bums In Press Conference
Where: In front of Denver’s Byron White U.S. Courthouse, 1823 Stout Street
When: 1:15 p.m. today, Friday Oct. 15
