Brownback votes for Sebelius, 'betrays' Christians
Jim Brown - OneNewsNow - 4/30/2009 7:00:00 AM
Senator Brownback (R-Kansas) joined home-state colleague Pat Roberts and seven other Republicans Tuesday to help Kathleen Sebelius win approval (65-31) to serve as HHS secretary. The nomination of the Kansas governor -- which Brownback has supported since it was announced almost two months ago -- was controversial because of her failure to pay taxes and her lack of honesty regarding the large sum of campaign donations she received from notorious Kansas abortionist George Tiller.
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Does Sen. Brownback's endorsement of and vote for
HHS Sec'y Kathleen Sebelius damage the sincerity of his pro-life stance?
Wichita pastor Terry Fox, a longtime friend and supporter of Senator Brownback, says the word "disappointment" would not be strong enough to describe his reaction to Brownback's actions. Pastor Fox says members of his Wichita church have made hundreds of phone calls to Brownback's office, but the senator "doesn't care what conservative Christians think" on this matter.
"The part of the body of Christ that I'm a part of feels that we've been betrayed by Sam Brownback," says Fox. "Pat Roberts has disappointed us before, and we know him some; but really, Sam Brownback has been a huge disappointment. And I would say [that] we must, we must hold Sam Brownback accountable for this vote."
Brownback has said that although he opposes the new HHS secretary's hard-line support for abortion, with her position on Barack Obama's cabinet Sebelius can do so much more for Kansas. Pastor Fox believes Brownback let his desire to become the next governor trump his pro-life principles.
"He's doing this for personal gain," the pastor offers. "He thinks because Sebelius has been elected twice in Kansas, then by endorsing her he can get on the coattails of her popularity in Kansas -- which I think is absolutely misguided. She has an entirely different base of people who are going to vote for her liberalism no matter what."
Republicans joining Brownback and Roberts in voting in favor of Sebelius's nomination were Kit Bond (Missouri), Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe (Maine), Judd Gregg (New Hampshire), Richard Lugar (Indiana), Arlen Specter (Pennsylvania), and George Voinovich (Ohio). Senator Specter switched to the Democratic Party after Tuesday's vote. No Democrats voted against the nomination.
OneNewsNow's calls and emails to Senator Brownback's press office have not been returned for several weeks.
