Big Life Starts to Chafe in the MAGA Bed It Made
Some sellouts are showing signs of concern, while others intensify their gaslighting.
Last week, Donald Trump became the first Republican presidential nominee in of the modern era to oppose federally protecting preborn babies from abortion, which he followed up by making clear that protecting them at the state level doesn’t matter all that much to him either. In the days since, the party’s standard bearer changing standards has had the effect you’d expect, prompting a range of reactions by Big Life talking heads.
In effect, Trump’s statements gave MAGA voters and politicians a permission slip to break with anti-abortion groups. Within days, two of his most prominent allied politicians in each state began doing just that. Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake backed Trump’s opposition to a federal law, and said the Arizona ruling was “out of line with where the people of this state are,” a reversal of her previous support for the state law. Especially galling to social conservatives, Lake declared in a video — without getting specific — that she wanted to offer pregnant women “more choices,” the type of language typically associated with abortion rights supporters.
On Monday, Sen. Rick Scott weighed in on Florida’s current six-week restriction signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, saying that he’d support a less-restrictive 15-week statewide ban in the name of “consensus.” Trump has previously touted Scott, who is up for re-election, as a potential Senate majority leader.
The article goes on to share a telling quote from a Big Life figurehead who shares a slice of the blame for the current situation:
“No one would believe me if I said I wasn’t concerned. I’m clearly concerned and it’s definitely a gut check moment for people who have been pro-life for a very long time,” Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, told Semafor. “I mean, no one could argue that Republicans who switched positions is a move in the right direction — and there’s multiple senators who have done that.”
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Looking longer term, Dannenfelser asked “whether the Republican Party can be sustained without the support of a reasonable pro-life position and the movement that goes along with that.” If they choose to walk away from the movement, “there’s a major realignment ahead.”
Back when Trump floated his first “leave it to the states” trial balloon in April 2023 (meaning that, yes, it’s been a full year since Big Life first squandered its ample opportunity to try for a pro-life presidential nominee), Dannenfelser called it “morally indefensible.” Less than three weeks later, however, she was all smiles again, touting a “terrific meeting with President Trump” while conspicuously omitting any mention of Trump satisfying her own stated line-in-the-sand of “We will oppose any presidential candidate who refuses to embrace at a minimum a 15-week national standard.”
Fast-forward to last week, and Dannenfelser was “deeply disappointed” with Trump’s latest, while meekly conceding it ultimately didn’t matter by concluding that her group “will work tirelessly to defeat President Biden and extreme congressional Democrats.”
And now she’s “concerned.” Well gee, Marjorie, maybe pro-lifers would have less cause for concern today if you hadn’t taught Trump he could walk all over us when you mustered all the fortitude of cotton? Or if you had thrown your weight behind the actual pro-life candidate in the race?
As nauseating as that is, it’s nothing compared to the spin jobs that Big Life organs like National Right to Life Committee, “Priests” for Life, and Students for Life tried to pull for Trump (the latter group lamely trying to split the difference a few days later with a letter asking him for “clarification”).
The latest group to join Team Sellout was Operation Rescue, which picked Tuesday to publish its formal endorsement of Trump, in which Troy Newman preposterously bemoans “the pro-life betrayal of Trump” (emphasis added). Yes, really. Don’t we realize that Donald is “the most pro-life GOP president or nominee in our lifetime”? (No, because he isn’t.) Why are we holding him “to a higher standard than anyone else”? (Outright lie—John McCain and Mitt Romney were nobody’s idea of great pro-lifers, but neither of them ruled out federal action to ban abortion.)
Some are standing on a soapbox and declaring our job is to reach people for Jesus, to “change hearts and minds.” That sounds exactly like the pathetic and spineless pastors in our country who refuse to get involved in politics.
Not only is this a strawman, but it’s one that doesn’t even pretend to make sense here. Historically, the “hearts and minds” spiel is trotted out as a substitute for fighting to change laws, not those demanding action from our politicians.
In fairness, not all major pro-life groups and leaders are disgracing themselves—Lila Rose, Abby Johnson, Judie Brown, and the Personhood Alliance have proven themselves unafraid to state the plain truth. But there’s no getting around the fact that we’re in this mess because they are the exception.
Now some seem to be getting uncomfortable with what their compromise has created. Not yet comfortable to change, but there will be plenty more opportunities for them to, because it only gets worse from here.
Great observations, Calvin.