Hannity to Dobson: Support Rudy or face Hillary 'landslide'
 Prominent social conservative Dr. James Dobson appeared with Fox News host Sean Hannity to discuss his support for a pro-life, third-party presidential candidate if both eventual Democratic and Republican nominees support abortion rights. Hannity warned that an endorsement of such a candidate from Dobson, who heads the evangelical group Focus on the Family, could spell disaster for the goals of the pro-life movement.
"If in fact you were to mount a third-party challenge and support a third-party candidate, the result would be a 'landslide victory for Hillary Clinton,'" said Hannity, citing a recent Rasmussen poll that found Republican frontrunner Rudy Giuliani would lose to Clinton by 16 points if a more conservative pro-life alternative entered the race.
"Now that's the same partial birth abortion-supporting Hillary, that's national healthcare Hillary, that's Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hillary -- or worse," Hannity continued, underscoring what a Clinton presidency could mean for many core conservative principles.
In a New York Times editorial last week, Dobson had weighed in on a recent meeting of "more than 50 pro-family leaders" held in Salt Lake City, Utah, which had convened to decide on a response "if both the Democratic and Republican Parties nominate standard-bearers who are supportive of abortion."
"After two hours of deliberation," Dobson wrote, "we voted on a resolution that can be summarized as follows: If neither of the two major political parties nominates an individual who pledges himself or herself to the sanctity of human life, we will join others in voting for a minor-party candidate. Those agreeing with the proposition were invited to stand. The result was almost unanimous."
"We're very concerned about the implications of a Hillary Clinton presidency," Dobson told Hannity in the interview, adding that "for 35 years I've been trying to defend the unborn child."
But, he added, "I can't now abandon that because we've got two bad choices here."
"If Rasmussen's right," Hannity continued later, "and that becomes a landslide for Hillary, you get Ruth Bader Ginsburg or worse, you get somebody that totally is against you on issues of abortion and school choice and gay rights and definition of marriage, and the result would be far worse. Do you not see that that would be a worse-case scenario for things you believe deeply in?"
"You're assuming that the election is going to be tomorrow," Dobson responded. It is 13 months away."
Noting that Dobson had previously said he would not support any of the leading Republican contenders for president, Hannity said that he thought "all three of these top candidates are infinitely better than what Hillary Clinton has to offer on the significant moral issues of our time."
Dobson acknowledged Hannity's point regarding Clinton, but told the host they would have to "agree to disagree."
The following video is from Fox's Hannity & Colmes, broadcast on October 8, 2007.
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