Slick Rick's Limbo Schtick

Rick Lazio, the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, complains that it is not fair to point to his voting record in the House of Representatives these past eight years which contradicts his assertion that he is "Pro Choice" on a woman's right to choose. Obviously, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate seat, Hillary Rodham Clinton, is a genuine supporter of a woman's right to choose on this issue.

It has been generally accepted that the next President will appoint three new Supreme Court Justices during the next 4 years. The candidates of the Democratic party and the Republican party are on opposite sides of the volatile issue of a woman's right to choose as mandated by the landmark decision of Roe vs. Wade (1973). The Supreme Court today is considered to be a 5-4 conservative board on most issues, but on a woman's right to choose, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor broke with the conservatives on the bench and sided with the more liberal Justices. Her vote prevented the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

George W. Bush, the Republican candidate for President, is surrounded by the acknowledged leaders of the Religious Right - Ralph Reed, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and Bob Jones University. Bush himself is viewed as opposing Roe v. Wade. Al Gore, the Democratic candidate for President, is on the record "I support Roe v. Wade and will appoint Supreme Court Justices who will protect a woman's right to choose."

If George W. Bush becomes President, he will most certainly appoint conservatives to the Supreme Court who will agree with Rehnquist, Scalia and Thomas. Al Gore will not do so as he is clearly and forthrightly on the record on the issue.

When the next President makes his appointment(s) to the Supreme Court, the Senate will vote yes or no on each appointment. In the past, the vast majority of Republican Senators voted to confirm Rehnquist, Scalia, Thomas, and Kennedy and the Right to Life minority on the Supreme Court. Where will Rick Lazio be if he wins a U.S. Senate seat? I predict that Rick Lazio will vote the same way the Republican party has voted these past 27 years. Hillary Clinton, in contrast, will not vote to confirm Supreme Court Justices who are opposed to Roe v. Wade.