U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) attracted headlines when the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced his party would not withhold financial support from pro-life candidates.
There’s a self-serving reason why the Democrat Party is now willing to embrace pro-life politicians.
The Democratic Party Platform supports tax-funded abortion throughout pregnancy for any reason. In the past, the party has refused to support pro-life Democrat candidates and has usually worked against them.
So it was a shock and surprise to many, especially pro-abortion activists, to hear about an alternative approach.
The Party’s extreme position on abortion has alienated millions of pro-life Democrats who have turned to pro-life Republicans. Rep. Luján’s statement reflects this indisputable political reality.
A growing number of the Democrat leadership feel their only way back into the congressional majority is with the help of pro-life candidates. House Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi, self-professed socialist Senator Bernie Sanders and California Governor Jerry Brown — all avowed pro-abortion politicians — agree a new approach is necessary.
This change wasn’t motivated by reading tea leaves. There is a solid body of evidence that shows candidates who stand for life benefit at the polls.
Poll results can vary widely on the issue of abortion, depending upon how the questions are worded. Most lack specifics of how people vote for candidates based upon their stand on this crucial issue. A review of polls measuring voters’ choices for candidates solely upon abortion — that is single-issue voting — vastly shows that babies come out ahead (no pun intended).
Credible polling firms like Gallup, Pew and Quinnipiac found that a significant segment of America’s voters believe abortion is the most important issue when electing candidates. Further, they found that a majority of them nearly always support the civil rights of unborn babies.
Since 2001, Gallup has polled single-issue voters on abortion and pro-lifers have outpaced pro-abortion voters every time. The highest margin was by 18 points in 2004.
A revealing analysis by William Saletan can be found on Slate, noted for its pro-abortion website. This article was from a pro-abortion position but refreshingly fair. He examined “high-intensity” (single issue) voters.
Saletan cited two Pew Research Center polls that demonstrated “high-intensity pro-lifers clearly outnumbered high-intensity pro-choicers.”
Even when CBS or the New York Times commissioned polling, the pro-life advantage prevailed, except for in one instance when they reported a tie.
Quinnipiac’s polls showed both a pro-life advantage in 2007 and a disadvantage in 2012. However, a poll in 2012 by Gallup showed pro-life candidates enjoyed a five-point gain, and another, a CBS News poll, demonstrated a six point benefit.
My inquiries revealed only one other (a 2006 Pew poll) where the pro-abortion viewpoint prevailed, showing a three point loss. Almost universally, polling has shown that being pro-life helps candidates get elected.
While welcome, the Democrat Party’s new approach to funding pro-life candidates isn’t enough. They must take this a step further. They must integrate a pro-life position into their party platform and leadership.
American voters will not be fooled by financial support to occasional pro-life candidates. Another political reality is this. If Democrats regain control of Congress with their current leadership, we will see zealous, pro-abortion chairmen appointed and controlling vital committees that will prevent pro-life legislation from seeing the light of day.
America’s unborn babies deserve elected officials with an intense fire in their belly on pro-life issues. They need women and men who will take the heat from their aggressively pro-abortion colleagues and the abortion industry — those who understand there are no other rights when you’re denied the right to live.
This analysis should give encouragement to our allies of the babies and hopefully put the fear of God into those politicians who hold their finger to the wind and base their opinions accordingly.
Slate writer, William Saletan wrote, “…when you see pro-lifers winning elections, passing laws and marching in the cold…They win because they care enough to fight.”
Let’s get to work!
Leave a Reply