This week’s Nation scared the hell out of me: Should Roe Go?
An excerpt:
Democratic Party insiders quietly wonder if abandoning abortion rights would win back white Catholics and evangelicals.
Call me naïve, but isn’t there a bigger political question here? Namely, is it acceptable to compromise on principles for electability’s sake? Swallow the poison pill for a “greater” good? If so, to what extreme? Accept slavery if it preserves the Union? Criminalize abortion and win the South? What exactly is the greater good? A Union with legalized slavery? A Democrat in the White House?
This is the Democratic Party’s biggest problem: It has no soul, no strongly held principles. The Republicans do, and they stick to them. No matter how one may view their principles, consistency is the Republicans’ strong suit.
It’s hard to shake the image of a Democrat as someone who will say anything to get elected. Senator Kerry was for the war before he was against it, he’s personally against abortion but respects the right to choice. I mean: what’s the message here people?
If Pennsylvania can elect a bigot like Santorum (hmm!), the lesson is clear. Find your base and stick to it. Trying to have it both ways merely alienates voters into abstaining or moving towards the Naders. So stop trying. White evangelicals are a lost cause anyway: focus on those NARAL members!
