GOP: Competing for the pro-choice 41 percent?
Following the results of last week’s election, here comes the inevitable renewed call to oust pro-life principles from the Republican Party platform.
I almost want to tell the GOP to go ahead. Are pundits really that stupid? Never mind the 2012 Gallup poll, which showed the percentage of pro-“choice” Americans at a historic low…
Do Republicans really want to compete with Democrats for the 41%, leaving the 50% to wander off to a third party? This would be our only option.
The real problem for the GOP establishment is its players fall into one of three camps: terrified of the pro-life issue, Pro-Life in Name Only, or anti-life.
Would that the Republican establishment were to embrace the pro-life majority of their party as tightly as Democrats have embraced the pro-abortion majority of their party. Pictured below is Cecile Richards, CEO of Planned Parenthood, one of many pro-abortion leaders who spoke at the Democrat National Convention. Click to enlarge….
But where were SBA List’s Marjorie Dannenfelser and AUL’s Charmaine Yoest to be seen at the Republican National Convention? I sat with one of them in a 5th floor sky box behind the stage the night Romney was nominated.
Were the Republican Party to embrace pro-life principles, one result would be pro-life candidates who are more adept at speaking on the issue. Instead of leaving pro-life candidates to fumble on their own (although there’s still no excuse, really), the GOP could integrate teaching talking points.
Another result would be to win even more people to the Republican Party. As Erick Erickson brilliantly pointed out the other day, the minority constituencies the GOP seeks to woo are already with us on social issues but not on fiscal issues:
In fact, if the GOP really wanted to expand its reach to minorities, it’d keep the social conservatism and thrown out the fiscal conservatism.
But no. We have Karl Rove, who wished Todd Akin dead, who counseled Nancy Brinker to re-embrace Planned Parenthood, and whose super-PAC only backed 6% of winners, planning to do even more damage. From Politico, today:
Where until now it battled only in general elections and against Democrats, Crossroads is considering whether to start picking sides in Republican primaries. The idea would be to boost the candidate it deems most electable and avoid nominating the kind of flawed and extreme ones who cost the party what should otherwise have been easy Senate wins in Florida, Missouri and Indiana.
That, however, could put Crossroads at odds with the tea party and other groups that devote their energies to promoting the most ideologically pure contenders.
Go for it, Karl. See how many more empty chairs there are at the 2016 Republican Convention.
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
*sigh* I would really like to see pro-lifers rise up out of the partisan politics and go all in for educating the public about abortion as the human rights violation that it is. Some pro-lifers will never be Republicans. Why tie the pro-life position to a political party? I know how the party platforms read, but are most people even aware of that? Politicians themselves do not fall in line with their party’s platform 100%. I really hate to see the pro-life movement alienating pro-life Democrats and others. Truly.
The pro-life position has science and compassion on it’s side. We should be able to convert a majority of ALL politicians to the pro-life view. We need to help them see abortion as a death penalty inflicted on the innocent. Most Democrats I know are against the death penalty.
We need to stop dragging the carcass of the establishment GOP.
Mitt Romney missed a huge opportunity to pull it all together and show the bigger picture. I don’t think he really understood the inherent evil he faced until the debates, and even then he was too unfamiliar with the Chicago way.
Just simply stand on pro-life principles and never waiver, forcing the squishy middle to take sides.
If libertarians want their abortion – then frame the debate in terms they’ll understand – it’s suicide to kill off human beings – future taxpayers.
The pro-life platform is the only thing standing between freedom and totalitarianism.
Lose us and off into slavery you go.
You can call us extremists all you want, but the similarities between abortionists and Nazis is undeniable. Deluding yourselves about it doesn’t change the facts.
Let em! They don’t value you anyhow. Come on over to the Constitution party. We are pro-life 100% and never compromise our values.
And also never come even a little bit close to winning elections. Woohoo, I’ll be right over.
Well X, thats because you’re all so willing to “settle” all the time. How did that work out for ya on November 6th?
And also X, despite conservatives hanging onto the GOP that doesn’t want them, Constitution party has won elections. The 2 party system actively seeks to keep us off the ballot (we’ve had to go to court several times) yet we’ve won. Imagine what we could do if people would actually stop settling and join us! We’d be unstoppable. No more socialism or marxism, no more crony capitalism but truly following the Constitution with life and liberty for al!
I agree with Chris at 9:11.
All this indecision about whether to keep prolifers in the GOP is a waste of time. Prolifers are going to remain in the GOP, just as some foolish prolifers have remained in the Democratic party (it is only slightly less foolish to be a GOP prolifer!). The real issue is whether they are going to educate their prolife members how to talk about the prolife issue.
In my opinion this teaching should’ve taken place a long time ago and it is utterly foolish that it hasn’t taken place and they are still indecisive about this issue. Educate your party about the life issue, the fundamental right, and get on with the other issues. Learn the talking points and stop berating Akin and Mourdock Enough already!
I would recommend that the Life Institute, the Priests for Life, AUL and Heartbeat International give the GOP members a seminar on life issues.
Jill, you could facilitate the seminar!
Furthermore, this “Life” training seminar should be mandatory and put on at least twice a year for the next decade. Figure out how to fit into your budget GOP – show some work ethic. If you are going to state you are prolife in your platform (your mouth) spend some money (money) on educating your members who endorse your platform.
Jill, at the seminar, don’t forget to remind them that the problem isn’t only ignorance, but the otherside’s willingness to promote evil.
Karl should spend some of the money “fixing” the “flawed” characters. He should come out with a clear written list of what he considers to be “flaws.” Right now, it seems the “flaws” Mr. Rove has identified are social conservative values. If the flaws are not social conservative values but the ability of the GOP members to articulate those values – well, spend some money helping the candidate learn how to articulate those values in a convincing and persuasive manner. I am sure there are a lot of people who could help with this – both with the substance and the style concerns.
Step 1 in fixing the GOP: Get rid of Karl Rove. Seriously, everyone should stop listening to him, he’s useless.
“Constitution party has won elections.”
Would you be so kind as to list some? I would honestly be impressed if any were above the school board level.
JDC, which party do you support? Are you a GOP supporter?
51% consider themselves prolife, yet many of those 51% support rape and incest exceptions when it comes to abortion. Around 23% of persons believe abortion should be outlawed for any reason.
One step at a time. 51% is greater than 33%.
Without the pro-life position, the GOP would be terribly inconsistent with its other positions, and make each and every issue more difficult to debate.
Every time a party loses a major election there is always the inevitable second guessing, sniping, and even some bitter savaging of some of the people and positions. Mitt Romney did well, but obviously not well enough to win. There are a number of other factors that were far more consequential in his defeat than pro-life. Had he NOT had pro-life support it would have been a brutal defeat.
One of the things that is NOT a weakness is the pro-life plank in the party’s “mission statement” if you will. The pro-life platform is firmly planted in the GOP. Yes, we could do better articulating it, but there has been a significant broad based movement towards pro-life in the Party…think back to Gerald Ford’s open disdain with pro-life and compare that to today. Paul Ryan gave as good of a defense of pro-life principles as we have seen. The House of Reps has more members than ever who espouse the pro-life position. And we have some 31 governors willing and ready to sign pro-life legislation. Reagan did better than anyone and thanks largely to him the GOP took the pro-life fork in the road and has never looked back. Pro-life is a WINNING issue for the GOP and the numbers are there to prove it.
Now going forward we are at the point where the leaders in the party are either going to man up and take the principled stand on life and other conservative positions, or otherwise lose their identity in a pathetic groveling for votes they won’t get anyway.
I agree with Tyler’s 10:26 post and think his idea at the end is terrific.
Thanks Jerry.
I was also thinking that at this “life” seminar they should probably have time alloted for prolifer bloggers/Stanek posters so that they can tell the politicians some of the various arguments they have heard from prochoice people. You could get people like yourself, Carla, rasqual, xalisae and Jespren (sorry to those not mentioned…I could go on) to relay all of the arguments they have heard from prochoicers and what experience has taught them to be the most effective responses.
The seminar should also prepare the politicians for some of the typical tactics and questions that MSM uses in order to put the prolife politician on the defensive.
I for one would have liked to hear Jill, Rebecca Kiessling speak at the convention. It would’ve been good also if the GOP thought to ask Fr. Pavone to speak as well. This may have countered the Nuns on the Bus.
Actually, and here is another idea for the GOP – have people from the various civil and private institutions that you cherish speak at your convention. So in addition to having small business owners and leaders speak (which they could’ve had a lot more of, if they had any), they should have had leaders of various volunteer organizations (especially from the health services industry) to highlight the good they do, they should’ve had doctors speaking at the event, they should have had leaders from various Pregnancy Crises Centres, they could have had various religious leaders (outlining the social good they do), etc… As it was, it displayed all the great young GOP politicians (government workers). If the GOP is the party of the free market and civil institutions… have free market individuals and civil institution leaders speak at the convention!!!
Tyler:
All great ideas. It just rings true that we have a “meeting of the minds” and an energizing and inspiring get-together to re-focus and get things back on track ASAP. We have our work cut out for us. As I see it on the political end of things campaigning has started for the 2014 House and Senate races. Anyone who thinks the anti-life side isn’t fast at it already should think again.
It would be great if they were to schedule something in conjuction with everyone already gathered in DC for the annual March for Life.
I fear that business leaders do not even believe in the free market anymore. Many businesses have begun to see regulations as a way to make money. Lawyers love more regulations, accountants profit by more regulations, consultants profit by more regulations. Most of the business leaders come from these industries, so the private business leaders give back to the old professional pals so that everyone is getting a piece of the regulation pie.
And I haven’t mentioned old school crony capitalism – where businesses directly lobby the goverment for special status and government money! When big business is going to the government you begin to realize that the free market system is becoming more of romantic notion from the 18 th and 19th centuries.
When the people who run the multinationals are not the people who built the business they don’t realize that the government wasn’t there to help them out when the business got started and they no longer care. Regulations help squeeze out competition.
still feel that the numbers show that if a pro-life candidate had been nominated, namely Ron Paul, we would have won.
The Republican’s dropped the pro-life issue when they nominated Romney.
Romney is for the heinous rape exception.
not bitter, just dissipointed.
Ron Paul would not only ofcarried the 41% but also the left leaning repiublicans and conservative democrats another 20% of the popular vote.
He just did not have the spending power, and that was due mainly to media coverage and lack of support. And he’s anti-zion, which doesn’t flow with most conservative Xhrustians, but if we were going to throw a pony overboard, I don’t think it should have been rape and incest babies that took the heat-Isral is more on their own than they would be with a Ron paul in power, so cut it any way you like-a Ron Paul would have been the optimum choice but he got a real snow job, not only by the Republicans and the Media, but also by major league players in the LIFE community.
then again… ELECTION FRUAD RESULTS (click)
Lrning / breath of fresh air – i would like to see pro-life groups not competing with eachother, and instead working off of, and in concert with, eachother’s strengths, filling in and working out our weakness under a spirit of patience.
We’re spread thin as it is, but alot can be said for team work and much more can be seen from it. As a matter of fact, teamwork between different Christian groups and hard-core bi-partisanship was how America came to be.
One person’s position not mention thus far is the pro-choice political consultant working for the pro-lifer while still pushing their own agenda. All consultants and candidates need to be vetted. Karl Rowe is an example of that kind of person IMO.
You can vote for a Democrat at the local level, but once they get to the national level, they’re not permitted to vote pro-life anymore. This is why you have Obamacare, with it’s forced participation in abortion. Yes, forced abortion is coming too. Pearl Joy’s parents would not have such mobility to find a doc who would care for their kid under Obamacare. Expect to be told to abort or deliver at home in the future.
It would help if everyone who decides to leave the Republican party over their constant threats and disrespect of pro-lifers, please notify the RNC. Three million letters might make them aware of who comprises the independents.
Our big problem with things as present is that we not only have abortion on demand, and tax payer funding, but we’re also going to be coerced into aborting as Obamacare becomes entrenched. We would have been more able to follow our own consciences under the libertarians than under the current system.
“JDC, which party do you support? Are you a GOP supporter?”
My apologies Tyler, I seem to have missed this question earlier. The simple answer is yes, I am a GOP supporter. Of the two parties capable of winning national elections in the United States, it is certainly the preferable one. I should also mention that I’m not American, so I don’t directly do anything to support American political parties.
JDC, cannot agree with you more re: Karl Rove.
Jerry, it *was* a bitter defeat… Romney got less votes than McCain. Just sayin!
And Lrning! Amen! :) Pro-life is not a political issue, it’s a human issue. It’s sad to watch so many pro-lifers get excited about their political team. The GOP will and has abandoned pro-lifers. The best way to overturn abortion is non-partisan and changing hearts and minds on the ground, in living rooms, in the culture, in our homes and our work places. Not only in political debates. We can still try to pass pro-life legislation, but pro-lifers need to realize that politics won’t fix the problem alone.
SydneyM, I voted Constitution party for President this time around! :)
“It’s sad to watch so many pro-lifers get excited about their political team.”
I agree with working pro-life objectives from the bottom-up and changing individual hearts and minds. But, LibertyBelle … How is it sad to oppose four more years of the most abortion-happy president in our nation’s history? The election happened just one week ago. Give us all some time to get used to the idea that we have to hear Obama talk nonsense about “women’s healthcare” while promoting child murder inside and outside of this country for 48 more months.
Sorry, LifeJoy, I wasn’t trying to rub anything in. As a pro-life libertarian, I’m pretty used to a) not getting emotionally invested in elections, for they usually disappoint and b) bouncing back rather quickly from the almost invariably dismal results. :)
I can’t stand Obama and I think opposing him is good – I truly think he’s an evil man. It’s just that I don’t think Romney was any better, on a whole host of issues. I meant it more as encouragement. The pro-life movement won’t be won in the White House. It’s going to be won in state legislatures, then the House and Senate. So take heart! It’s all right. I watched so many pro-life friends put their hopes in Romney, when they probably shouldn’t have.
Oh, LibertyBelle, I apologize for not putting the best construction on your words. I think you really did mean sad for us, not sad (as in pitiful and wrong) that we had some hope. Can you tell that I must be sensitive about it or something?! Truth is I really didn’t want to care as much as I did – I used to be a bit apolitical and cynical. I guess now I’m political and cynical … and disappointed. But not defeated. I think it is as you said, that Romney may not have done what we would have liked to see happen for the movement, and that so much is not lost. There may be some unexpected advantages in Obama’s reign, in terms of its effect on pro-life people’s passion and perseverance. =)
The gallup poll backs up what Coulter said though, which was widely rejected here.
Just 20% of people think abortion should be illegal in all circumstances.
It’s just how you spin it. Same poll sends two messages:
– 50% of the population considers itself pro-life.
– 77% of the population supports abortion in some or all situations.
Both are true based on this gallup poll. They need more questions.
LifeJoy, ha! And can you tell I’m a little exhausted and frazzled?! :) Yeah I did mean sad for you. Because I had to learn the hard way that you just can’t put your hope in a politician and getting all despondent over a political loss is tiring and exhausting… and totally unnecessary. It’s just sad to watch my pro-life friends get so despondent over the loss, when I know they don’t *have* to be so discouraged about it. :) So I get where you’re coming from, just saying take heart because the crux of the battle’s not on Pennsylvania Ave, but rather in the hearts and minds of those around us. Obama can’t take that away! He’s just a man. A selfish, narcissistic, man, but a man nonetheless.
Is America really pro-life? I don’t think most people understand that term in the same way we truly pro-life people do. Exit polls showed a large majority of Americans want abortion available for the tiny percentage cases of rape, incest, and life of the mother. Whether self-IDs as pro-life depends very much on how the question is asked. I do believe that a majority of Americans are against the extremist pro-abort position – abortion on demand for any reason, multiple abortions, partial birth, late term, etc. But I think a very large number in the “middle” are very squishy – they don’t like abortion in a sort of nebulous sense, but I think there is a large number who kind of want it there as a backstop if they really screw up and need it themselves, or their daughter or even granddaughter “need” it at some point. The number of Americans who are truly opposed to abortion across the board is probably more like 1/3, at most.
We need to understand this if we are going to have honest discussions about how to pursue pro-life policy. And we cannot simply educate, education may take decades and will always have an uncertain result because of the secular pagan media/culture with which we have to compete. We must strive to enact as much pro-life policy as possible, and that requires a viable political party to do so. What we must strive to do, is to drive the GOP into being a truly pro-life party and driving the Roves and others out. I agree with Jill, probably 70+% of GOP leadership is either terrified of pro-life, PLINO, or anti-life. We’ve got to change that. It may require forcing the GOP to lose some elections horrifically. It may require joining third parties for a while. I hate to say this, and I was saying the opposite before the election, but if the GOP wants to walk away from pro-life, assuming we’ll always be there because we haven’t another choice, they will learn to their dismay how wrong they are, and how badly they need us.
But I would rather it not come to that. We must start making the GOP understand in no uncertain terms that they don’t have the pro-life vote locked up and they must do more than pay mere lip service to our concerns. We need to support organizations like SBA List, PFL, HLI, National Right to Life, American Life League, and individuals like Jill to get our point across. We need to put our money where our mouth is.