Pro-Life Activist Insists Seriousness of Presidential Run
Randall Terry, founder of the pro-life group Operation Rescue, says he is running a very serious race for the democratic nomination in the 2012 presidential election.
The pro-life advocate told The Christian Post that he is preparing to pack up his family, which consists of his wife and four boys, and go on the road to reach "rank-and-file" democrats to support his cause. Yes, Terry is running as a Democrat.
He explains his decision saying, "The Democratic Party is made up of honest adversaries. They say they're going to do something, and they do it. The Republican Party is made up of treacherous adversaries. They say they're going to do something, and they don't do it."
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Terry says he is tired of waiting for Republicans to put an end to abortion. He also says he has an axe to grind with President Barack Obama, who he calls the "arch promoter of child killing." If he seriously runs as a democratic candidate, Terry would battle Obama for the party's nomination.
Many people have questioned Terry's seriousness about running for president after he stated that he plans to use his campaign as a vehicle to air graphic images of aborted fetuses during Super Bowl 2012.
A similar strategy was successful last year when Missy Reilly Smith ran as a candidate for D.C. delegate to the House. Terry had managed Smith's campaign. Images of dismembered and slashed babies the size of quarters are prominently displayed in the ad. According to FCC ad laws, Terry will be able to air the ads during the Super Bowl despite the gory content because the sporting event is two days before the Super Tuesday primaries.
The Super Bowl offers prime national advertising and Terry estimates the ad will cost him up to $2.5 million. The Associated Press reported the cost for this year's Super Bowl ads to between $2.5 and 2.8 million.
But Terry is optimistic about being able to raise the money needed. He has already set up a website with videos appealing to Catholics, evangelicals, Hispanics and Tea Party members. He says pro-lifers and Tea Party members will not be able to resist donating to air the ads. Since he announced his candidacy on Jan. 20, there have been no contributions toward the ad. He is currently operating his campaign with a $5,500 personal loan.
This is not Terry's first political rodeo. He ran for congress in 1998. Although his bid was unsuccessful, Terry said he raised $1.2 million during that campaign. He is confident that this time he will be able to double his contributions through the internet, phone calls and mailers.
"Our phones are ringing, our e-mails are filing up. We will cause Americans to see these babies and hopefully have a conflict of conscious," he says. Terry also informed The Christian Post that he is not a one-issue candidate.
"Abortion is the number one issue, but it is not the only issue," he states.
His platform consists of maintaining marriage between one man and one woman, rolling back all federal-funded entitlement programs, and securing basic freedom for citizens in countries where there are repressed religious freedom and human rights, such as in China and Pakistan.
Terry's main supporter is Rabbi Yehuda Levin of the Rabbinical Alliance of America. Levin appeared with Terry at the launch of his campaign five days ago and reaffirmed his support at Monday's March for life. Terry says the two will be traveling to New York in the coming months to rally pro-life Democrats.
