NARAL Scrapping Controversial Anti-Roberts Ad -- 08/12/2005

Jay Anderson of Pro Ecclesia links to this story from Cybercast News service.

NARAL gags on the Kool-Aid and puts the hatchet down:

NARAL Pro-Choice America says it "regrets" that so many people have "misconstrued our recent advertisement" about the record of Supreme Court nominee John Roberts -- and announced it will change the ad.

In a letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), NARAL President Nancy Keenan said the ad -- which many Americans, including Specter, blasted as false and misleading -- was intended to focus attention on "an important aspect" of Roberts' record.

"Unfortunately, the debate over that advertisement has become a distraction from the serious discussion we hoped to have with the American public," Keenan said in the letter to Specter.

She said NARAL Pro-Choice America will run another ad examining Roberts' record -- "including his advocacy for overturning Roe v. Wade, his statement questioning the right to privacy, and his arguments against using a federal civil rights law to protect women and their doctors and nurses from those who use blockades and intimidation."

(Now, see how satire carefully illustrates the absurdity of NARAL's position without attacking any person? See, it can be done!) The Ad became the story. That's a sure sign the campaign fails. Instead of talking about what NARAL wanted the nation to discuss--Judge Roberts is an extremist that will limit a woman's "right to choose", the nation talked about the unfair nature of NARAL's attack. That's what happens when ideologues of any stripe turn away from the truth in order to sell. People get wise and the deal's off. Who knows how many people NARAL has helped convince to throw their support behind Roberts--simply because his character was unfairly and publically slandered?

Reasonable elites and Foolish resistance-fighters alike had better remember that truth in advertizing works. No message is worth a forfeiture of integrity.