Commentary
I am a pro-life individual with natural human concerns about abortion, and despite comments I have read by writers I respect, I simply cannot get excited over their writing off former President Trump for his statements on Meet the Press.
“My analysis of the former president’s breakup with the pro-life movement: Abortion was the single biggest issue that led to Donald Trump winning the 2016 election. It may be the single biggest issue that leads him to lose in 2024.” – Ben Domenech
He’s wrong in suggesting that Trump believes he “doesn’t need the pro-life movement anymore.”
Oddly, while Domenech views Trump is playing “a dangerous game, assuming an abject and spineless posture (to) entice more suburban women voters back to his side without losing the pro-life voters who supported him last time around,” he concedes “that’s a gamble that is likely to work.”
I remind you of the survey conducted after the first debate revealing that Trump improved his ranking among women by 10 percent and white evangelicals by eight percent.
Be assured, Trump isn’t casting aside those in the pro-life movement, he’s not a single-issue candidate and is aware of the other issues voters are really concerned about. For Domenech to say that Trump “this time around, he’s signaling that he’s given up on them,” is unreasonable.
Polls change a number of times during presidential campaigns. For the purpose of showing how abortion is ranked, I selected one conducted by NPR because abortion is a bigger issue among the left. Abortion was ranked eighth out of nine issues at six percent among Democrats and five percent among Republicans.
Then, looking back to the issues in the 2016 campaign, a review of Pew Research statistics effectively shoots down Domenech’s statement that “abortion was the single biggest issue” then as abortion was ranked 13th on its list of 14 as “very important.”
I recall evangelical leader Ralph Reed’s comment going into the last election that “Those voters who are pro-life love Donald Trump and they will crawl across broken glass to get him reelected.” He lauded Trump for having “masterfully capitalizing” on his pro-life position.
Earlier this year, appearing on the PBS News Hour, Reed spoke of the “opportunity to protect innocent human life in the United States again, for the first time in 50 years at the state level. While he was politically hesitant to predict what will happen in 2024, mentioning Pence, Haley and DeSantis, he emphasized, “there’s a very deep reservoir of affection and appreciation for President Trump in the faith community.”
Returning to the transcript of Trump’s Meet the Press interview, I noted again how Kristen Welker frequently interrupted him and denied what the Democrats want as presented by Trump. Trump quoted the former Virginia governor who said, “after the baby is born, you will make a determination, and if you want, you will kill that baby.”
Of course, Democrats aren’t talking about partial birth abortion. “Voters would be repelled,” noted Wall Street Journal columnist William McGurn.
Welker didn’t want to hear Trump’s view that he would bring people together on the issue, demanding to know if he would sign a federal ban on abortion. Trump didn’t bite.
Calling attention to the wide opinions on abortion, “Should there be a national ban? At how many weeks? Should it be entirely left to the states?” Steve Scheffler, president of the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition, suggested that “Some people get it wrong when they think this constituency is in lockstep.”
Recognizing that Trump nominated conservative judges to the Supreme Court, who were critical in overturning Roe, Ed Whalen, president emeritus of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, says “it’s quite another to think we should view him as an ally going forward.” He’s wrong, too.
I usually agree with the commentary of Mr. McGurn at the Journal, however, his claim that “it was the pro-life movement that made Donald Trump possible and that he “owes” them is a stretch. Trump will be there for them.
In 2016, American voters were fed up with “old Washington” and liked what the non-politician Trump was saying. His position on Supreme Court nominees was but one of many in his message of making America great again.
In “Trump’s abortion stance isn’t hurting him in GOP,” an AP piece by Will Weissert and Thomas Beaumont, they note that Trump has warned Republicans against locking themselves into positions that are unpopular with the majority of the public, and has argued that the Supreme Court’s decision gives abortion opponents the right to “negotiate” restrictions where they live rather than rely on federal curbs.
Looking ahead to 2024, I believe the economy and inflation, immigration, energy independence, Ukraine, and crime in our streets will weigh more heavily on Americans than abortion.
With the Iowa caucuses just around the corner, Lynn Paris, 65, a retiree from Muscatine, Iowa refers to Trump as a fighter, saying “I think he’ll keep the issues in the forefront that are important to voters, like the economy, and on abortion he’ll stick to his guns.”
“It’s not a federal issue, it’s a state issue,” said Ginny Mitchell of Boone, Iowa, adding “There shouldn’t be a national ban.”
Finally, Barb Corson, a 64-year-old retiree from Waverly, Iowa is in my camp, saying, “Abortion is very important, but there are other issues that are going to carry the Republicans, like jobs and border security.”
It will be interesting to see if DeSantis, Haley and Pence, all with different abortion positions, can win over the pro-life movement and diminish Trump’s commanding lead as the election nears. Don’t hold your breath.
May God continue to bless the United States of America.
