Abortion is arguably the apex issue atop the leftwing domestic policy pyramid, and our partisan media certainly treat it as such. So much so that it is often necessary to misrepresent differing viewpoints, as did MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow while opening the evening’s post-debate coverage.
Watch as Maddow misrepresented Sen. Tim Scott’s debate response on abortion as solely advocating for a federal limit on abortions after 15 weeks- the threshold for when the child can begin to feel pain:
RACHEL MADDOW: Abortion is a driving force behind Democratic victories across the country right now. And the candidates onstage tonight in Miami were asked what the path forward should be for the Republican Party on this issue, as they keep getting bashed at the polls on this issue, over and over again in blue states, in red states, every time and every way, the question gets asked. Some of the candidates were quite gymnastic in avoiding specific answers to that question. South Carolina Senator Tim Scott was not one of them. He just jumped right in and said that he wants a national abortion ban.
KRISTIN WELKER: Senator Scott, I would like you to weigh in. How do you see the path forward, and what do you make of what Ambassador Haley just said? Do you see this as a consensus issue?
SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC): Well, I am 100% pro-life. I have a 100% pro-life voting record. I would certainly, as President of the United States, have a 15-week national limit.
MADDOW: He has stopped saying ban, now he says limit, but that’s the only adaptation that we have seen on that issue.
Except that Scott’s take wasn’t “the only adaptation” on abortion. Ambassador Nikki Haley spoke about the need to change the way the issue is messaged on the right. This did not get mentioned in Maddow’s rant.
Furthermore, Scott was completely misrepresented. His response wasn’t limited to the 15-week limit, but also spoke about to the need to support mothers and children as part of a broader pro-life policy which includes supporting crisis pregnancy centers and promoting adoption. Look at the entirety of Scott's response:
SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC): Well, I am 100% pro-life. I have a 100% pro-life voting record. I would certainly, as President of the United States, have a 15-week national limit. I would not allow states like California, Illinois, or New York to have abortion up until the day of birth. I certainly would not allow for governors- former governor- Democrat governor of Virginia who talked about infanticide. We need a 15 week federal limit, three out of four Americans agree with a 15 week limit. 47 out of 50 countries in Europe agree with a 15-week limit. I would challenge both Nikki and Ron to join me at a 15 week limit. It is in our nation's best interest and, frankly, I think it is unethical and immoral to allow for abortions up until the day of birth. We have an opportunity in this nation to stop that reckless behavior from states like California, New York, and Illinois. And I’ll go a step further. In my Parents’ Plan, we have to start by talking about funding, block granting resources to crisis pregnancy centers. We should support adoption. There are a number of ways that we can say to the expectant mother that we stand with you. We should not only be pro-life before the child is born, we should be pro-life after the child is born just as much.
More importantly, Scott denounced the culture of infanticide that undergirds extreme pro-abortion legislation in certain states. And this is most likely why Scott’s statement got chopped.
The cult of Molech does not like sunlight.
