Republicans: It's Time To Punt On The Abortion Topic
Prioritize defense of states' rights over defense of the unborn
The Founding Fathers had a hot potato on their hands. They were trying to create a country from a colony but there were a couple of impediments in the way. One of their biggest issues was slavery.
Some like Washington and Jefferson were lukewarm (while owning slaves). Others like Adams and Franklin were vocal in their opposition to slavery. Some like Charles Pinckney and James Madison were strong supporters. But all the Founding Fathers recognized, eventually, that if they didn’t table the discussion, they would not—could not—have a nation.
The fact was, the country wasn’t ready for it…because the culture wasn’t ready.
So. They punted on the topic. It was a strategic move. A political move. A smart move.
"I never mean, unless some particular circumstances should compel me to it, to possess another slave by purchase, it being among my first wishes to see some plan adopted by which slavery in this country may be abolished by law." - George Washington
The Founders realized that if they continued to make slavery an issue, they would never be able to solve it because there would be no country!
Today the Republicans1 find themselves in a similar moment in history. They are fighting a moral battle at a time of reduced morality. They are advocating for life at a time when life is not valued. They are defending the unborn at a time when birth rates have plummeted, children are considered disease vectors and liberal suburban moms are showing off their gender non-conforming 5 year old on FaceBook.
We are not sitting in a time in history when kids are cherished, when large families are celebrated, or when women can’t wait to have their first child.
Our culture just isn’t in the mood for an uncompromising Pro-Life stance. Because it doesn’t particularly like kids.
The Republicans need to recognize this and work, instead, on getting elected. Get into office to shore up freedoms and the constitution while waiting for culture to come around on kids and the rights of the unborn.
Because it will. It always does.
Get The Votes. Win Elections.
“BuT iF wE gIvE iN wE wIlL LOsE eVeN mOrE gRoUnD iN tHe CuLtUrE wAr!”
Yes. This is a great argument. And there are several more. In fact, the Pro-Life arguments are some of the soundest in politics.
But Republicans need to step back and think strategically.
Get elected! That’s it. That’s the strategy.
Nothing else matters. At the rate we are going, if the Progressive Communists keep taking more ground the Constitution will soon be in tatters and they will be sacrificing kids to Molech at Yankee Stadium.
Let’s face it. Democrats are better at marketing than Republicans. They are brilliant at naming their bills (Inflation Reduction Act, LOL) and framing their opponents’ (Don’t Say Gay Bill!). Democrats are rarely dogmatic about policy; instead they are dogmatic about winning. They are chameleons for votes and the masters of the ballots.
Remember in June 2020 when the Defund The Police movement started? The Dems at first dismissed the Defund movement as crazy talk. But then they sent out some trial balloons in the media, mostly around BLM. They tested the public to see how it played. Within months it was a key part of their platform. Then, when it didn’t poll well they flipped again.
The Dems don’t care about the ‘Defund The Police’ policy. They don’t care about black people or cops. They care about votes. Getting votes is their superpower.
Single Issue Country
Unfortunately, the Abortion topic is so polarizing, and so nuclear, that it is really the only thing people vote on today.
That might sound crazy, but it is mostly true. It’s certainly true for most Evangelicals—the base of the Republican party.
Meanwhile, I can’t tell you how many disaffected Democrats I know that hated that their kids were shut out of schools during Covid and hated the lockdowns. They hate cronyism, censorship and the trans activists. They have drifted away from the Democrat party to the point that they would take just about anyone over Biden, Harris, Pelosi, Newsom, and Schumer…
…but the Abortion issue sucks them right back in.
Take your average suburban soccer mom. You could force-mask her toddler while hosting weekly drag show’s in his preschool, all of which she opposes, and that MAGA-adjascent mom will vote Democrat over the Abortion issue. It’s true. Ask them.
And don’t get me started on Gen Z. Parents, you may think you are winning the culture war at home, but you are losing serious battles while your kids are at school or on YouTube or TikTok. And one battle you have probably already lost is Abortion. Pro-Choice is so assumed among Gen Z influencers that bringing up Pro-Life is like bringing up Creation.
The point is: Republicans, if you are gonna die on this hill, you are gonna die. If you can’t see the Abortion topic simply as a policy decision that is costing you votes, well, then, you simply won’t have enough votes to hold office.
Said another way. You lost on Abortion. So, do you want to be in power or do you want the Dems to have power perpetually?
Saving Face
The Dobbs decision gave the Republicans an out.
The Supreme Court said in Dobbs vs Jackson that the federal government is not in the Abortion game. That it is up to each individual state to decide.
Republicans need to seize this ruling and spin their stance on Abortion: it’s up to each state to decide.
Can’t you just hear the debates?
“Mr. DeSantis isn’t it true that you voted in favor of a ban on abortions after 6 weeks?"
“Yes, the citizens of Florida elected representatives who overwhelmingly were in favor of limits to abortion. As Governor I listened to the voters of Florida and passed the bill they wanted into law. Limits to abortion is a matter of the States. And it should stay a matter of the States. And when I am president I will nominate Supreme Court justices that will keep the federal government out of state decisions.”
Playing the “states” card fits in well with the Republican platform anyway. And allows for politicians to pivot into other areas of federal over-reach.
Furthermore, politicians still get to remain Pro-Life. It’s just that they are putting the rights of the states ahead of the rights of the unborn. Yup, a tough pill to swallow for most, but it is the right strategic decision.
I will wrap this up with an analogy from soccer. As a coach, I used to harp on my players to trap (receive) the ball well. It’s a skill, much like catching a baseball or a Frisbee. My message to them was this: “The only thing that matters is trapping the ball, because if you don’t trap the ball you won’t have the ball. And if you don’t have the ball then you are back on Defense.”
The Republicans are on Defense. The ONLY thing that matters is getting elected.
So punt on Abortion. Don’t engage. Wait for Culture to catch up on the value of life. And while that is happening, spin the current conversation to one about States’ Rights.
Then go get elected!
I do not particularly care for the Republican Party. As a lifelong Independent I like to keep my options open. But unless we can all figure out a way to get a new party spun up—one that doesn’t assure a Dem victory at the voting box—I feel like we need to focus, first, on defeating the immediate threat. The Democrat Party has gone totally pear-shaped and has sold it’s soul to the Globalist Progressive Narrative to a larger degree than the Republican Party has. That is not to say that the Republicans are much better…but they are a little bit better. At least there are many Republican congresspeople who are calling out the threats (with apologies to RFK Jr, who is doing a great job as well). I guess my assumption, today, is that we can influence the Republican Party through voting more than we can the Democrat Party, which seems hell-bent on globalist bureaucratic totalitarian communist tyranny.