I would add that Trump is not widely expected to win. The latest batch of polling shows Trump barely ahead of Biden, and not much different than it has been for much of the year. A squeak-by advantage well within the margin of error.
Perhaps that is good news, and shows social and Christian conservatives saying enough. Maybe Christians and others who value the Life movement are saying , they have debased themselves and held their noses for eight years. But they will not simply act like sheep and push the appropriate button as Trump moves to diminish opposition to one of the most critical moral crises in modern history.
Trump was never a conservative by any stretch. The Left portrayed him, as it does all enemies, as a far right neo-Nazi misogynistic racist. But in honesty, Trump in many things has been left of center, especially regarding animal pleasures. Why the sudden party platform shift, I don't know. I do know I've heard little push-back from conservatives - social, Christian, Catholic or otherwise. And nothing will play up to the 'lie of the pro-life movement' more than standing by as that movement is chipped away at by the GOP while handing over votes in due order.
It might just be time that we accept the end of the Christian era and a new phase in the history of the Faithful. It's not time to compromise the Faith to stay loyal to a party that has never really wanted us in the first place, and increasingly is making that clear under the leadership of Donald Trump.
"It's not time to compromise the Faith to stay loyal to a party that has never really wanted us in the first place,..."
ReplyDeleteI severed myself from the Republicans a few years ago after Biden was installed as President following the many ballot frauds. Other than a smattering of truly conservative Republicans the rest can go pound sand and find funding and support from someone else. The Republicans pols at large are basically Dems. The differences they show to the public and the occasional bloviating against the Dems is just show. The Dems and the Republicans are basically one and the same.
No. After leaving the Republican party as I said, I did not join the Dems. I would rather stick a screwdriver in my eye than ever joining the party of death and perversion.
By now when it comes to Trump, if I don't see specific links or instances, then I just don't believe anything about it. Mollie Hemingway's podcast drops every Wednesday and she had a good point on there about Trump being transactional with the pro-life movement. And like a good salesman, he seems to actually try and deliver what he sold rather than string them along like so many other republicans have.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise I'll just sit here with popcorn, watching as the Right keeps throwing people under the bus in purity spirals then acting confused on why we can't seem to find any leaders.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/258252/worst-platform-i-ve-ever-seen-conservatives-slam-republicans-for-softening-pro-life-stance
DeleteThanks, Dave! Though I note looking at that it just talks about the RNC, not Trump in particular. Which is what Ed was ranting about. I'd be curious to see how much interaction there is between the two. Would be nice if the link provided the source of the platform. I'm getting so exhausted from detailless reporting.
DeleteAnd isn't it interesting that today, even the most measured and nuanced thinkers of our time keep falling into the conflation fallacy. I've seen how Feser reacts to those who act like the Pope speaks for and is all Catholics and Bishops. No consideration there might be similar issues among leadership of an even more political organization?
Anyway, thanks again for the context, Dave.
https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/2024-republican-party-platform
Delete(Tom New Poster)
ReplyDeleteMy chief support for the GOP is based on a consistent record of nominating originalist judges to the bench and leaving more room for the Church and conservative (i.e. orthodox) Christians to do our thing. I never expected them to do that thing: it's not the job of the Republicans, the Constitution or the courts to establish a culture of life anymore than it's their job to make this country a Catholic nation. Those are OUR jobs.
The tragedy is that the Constitution restricts the power of the federal government to coerce us to do what we don't want to, and too many of us are happy being murderous, hedonist rotters.
Trump's stand on abortion is disappointing, to say the least, but let's not lose sight of the fact that he at least does NOT treat pro-lifers as mortal enemies, whereas the Biden administration and liberal Dems are determined to brand pro-life activity as fraudulent, discriminatory, un-American and even as domestic terrorism. If Catholics and other orthodox Christians get the idea that Trump is now "just as bad" as Biden and that they now can't in good conscience vote for him, all that will do is allow the Democrats to win without a fight and make things worse than ever.
ReplyDeleteIf the GOP doesn't want to push a national abortion ban any longer, I would suggest they replace that plank with a strong defense of the free speech and conscience rights of pro-lifers everywhere. Suburban women in blue states may insist on having free access to abortion for any reason or no reason, but that does NOT have to include shutting down crisis pregnancy centers and tossing people who pray or picket abortion clinics in jail for months or years at a time.
This^^
DeleteDid not Trump say to leave abortion up to the states? It is not the federal gov't job to get into our personal lives without our say so. That is what Roe v Wade did. Now each state can determine BY its voters what the law will be. Want an abortion? Then go to a state that allows it.
ReplyDeleteI confess I've never read a party platform before, and I would hardly consider myself to be a party loyalist, but I think pro-lifers have been treated like minority voters for a very long time. It was easy to pander to them previously because Roe v. Wade was in place so there was actually very little that could be done on a federal level, and the R party knew that. The other thing is the Republican party has never been fully anti-abortion. You just had a better chance of finding an actual pro-life candidate who might do what they say in the R party than the D party. Coalition has always seemed strategic and pragmatic to me. Trump's actions overturned Roe v. Wade, but he wasn't exactly rewarded for it by the pro-life crowd, so it's not surprising he's moderated his approach.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, even those who should be "social conservatives" have made enough concessions to the culture of death it's difficult to present a serious case to a broad audience anymore. IVF is a prime example. My very fundamentalist acquaintance just posted her joy at her daughter finally conceiving a child through IVF and I just couldn't bring myself to "like" that post. Everybody wants to cut corners and make that cross a little easier to carry. And if they want that opportunity for themselves in some area, who are they to take away someone else's opportunity to do the same elsewhere?
In short, I'm not a purist. I'm a realist and a pragmatist. We don't have great options, but that won't keep me from voting for the candidates least likely to persecute those who would make a stand for our causes either. I have no illusions I might get burned by one side, but I'll take my chances as I KNOW I will be actively sold out by the other side. With our options, I can't in good conscience not put up obstacles to those who would completely overrun us.
Addendum: I was listening to some sort of talk radio on the way home from the ball field this afternoon and they were interviewing a guy who had done research on political affiliation. His first definition was "partisan". A partisan was someone who identified with a particular party. "I am a Republican/Democrat." When a partisan votes, they are voting FOR the party or party candidate. This was contrasted to those defined as "Independents." Independents will vote more negatively. They don't necessarily want to see someone in office, but they want to see someone NOT in office and will vote accordingly. This is apparently why you see so many negative ads. (Side note, the research presented actually shows that ads are not particularly effective and campaigns waste money on them, but I digress.)
DeleteAnyway, I have met far more "morally pro-life" but partisan Democrats than pro-life partisan Republicans. Most people I know vote more in the vein of Independents. So, I do not get the impression people are so much attached the Republican party as they are trying to keep certain people/parties/policies out of office.
Actually what's funny is while we have posts like this, you can't swing a dead cat around Twitter without finding endless screaming about Trump & project 2025 and the new theocracy he is going to install.
ReplyDeleteThey needn't worry, as Trump has very loudly disavowed any support for Project 2025.
ReplyDeleteOh I've seen plenty go on about how he's lying about that.
DeleteRemember the truth about Trump never matters to these people.