LA Times suggested Casey did not speak at 1992 convention because he was an "outspoken abortion opponent"

Summary: The Los Angeles Times suggested that then-Pennsylvania governor Robert Casey was denied a speaking role at the 1992 Democratic convention because he opposed abortion rights. In fact, other Democrats who opposed abortion rights spoke at the 1992 convention and at every convention since then, so Casey's opposition to abortion rights could not have been the sole reason he was not given a speaking role.

In an August 18 Los Angeles Times article, staff writer Michael Finnegan reported that the Democratic Party was "trying to widen its base" by giving Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey Jr., who opposes abortion rights, a speaking slot at the 2008 Democratic convention. Finnegan wrote: "For a party trying to widen its base, the move's symbolism was clear. In 1992, the Democrats denied a speaking role at their convention to the senator's father, the late Gov. Robert Casey, who was also an outspoken abortion opponent." In writing that "the move's symbolism was clear," Finnegan suggested that then-Pennsylvania governor Robert Casey was denied a speaking role at the 1992 Democratic convention because he opposed abortion rights -- an old, oft-repeated myth that, as Media Matters for America has repeatedly documented, is false. Other Democrats who opposed abortion rights spoke at the 1992 convention and at every convention since then, so Casey's opposition to abortion rights could not have been the sole reason. Additionally, Michael Crowley of The New Republic reported in 1996: "According to those who actually doled out the 1992 convention speaking slots, Casey was denied a turn for one simple reason: his refusal to endorse the Clinton-Gore ticket."

Moreover, Finnegan reported that Sen. John McCain "branded televangelists Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell as 'agents of intolerance.' " Finnegan did not note, however, that in April 2006, McCain said he no longer believed Falwell was an "agent of intolerance" and delivered the commencement address at Falwell's Liberty University a month later.

From Finnegan's August 18 Los Angeles Times article:

In another nod to antiabortion voters, Obama has given a prime-time speaking slot at the convention to Sen. Bob Casey Jr., a Pennsylvania Democrat known for his opposition to abortion. For a party trying to widen its base, the move's symbolism was clear. In 1992, the Democrats denied a speaking role at their convention to the senator's father, the late Gov. Robert Casey, who was also an outspoken abortion opponent.

[...]

At least one justice will probably retire during the next president's term. A replacement named by the president could determine whether the court, which has been closely divided on abortion cases, overturns the ruling.

As a result, the Republican candidate's remark about Ridge in an interview with the Weekly Standard alarmed religious conservatives who have long been wary of McCain, who once branded televangelists Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell as "agents of intolerance."

—M.B.B.