Writers who are anti-President Trump, pro-abortion, and wont to describe any protections of religious liberties as “discrimination” are of two minds about the importance of the Supreme Court as an issue in the upcoming November 3 presidential election.
Who knows if there is an ounce of sincerity in all this, but some have persuaded themselves that single-issue pro-lifers and Trump’s vaguely defined “conservative base” will look at the very disappointing decision in June Medical Services, L.L.C. v. Russo and do exactly what they want us to do: blame the President for the decision and fold up our tents and go home.
We’ve discussed this before. The swing vote—the deciding vote in the 5-4 decision—came from a justice not appointed by President Trump. Explain to me again how the President should be blamed for that? Disappointment is not placing blame where it does not belong nor is it a recipe for defeatism. That’s not how we’ve responded….ever.
The other likely equally insincere story line is that pro-abortionists will be roused to activism by thoughts of some/most/all of the four justices in their 70s or 80s retiring over the next four years. Maybe.
But as we discussed last week, that’s not what the latest Gallup abortion survey suggests. In a story headlined, “Gallup finds ever-increasing pro-life advantage among voters who base their vote solely on a candidate’s position on abortion,” we wrote about how there is a huge advantage among single-issue voters for the pro-life candidate.
Not only has the overall pool of single-issue voters increased, so, too, has the pro-life advantage
If you look at one of the Gallup charts in particular, you see that four years ago, 23% of pro-lifers voted single-issue to 17% of pro-choicers—a gap of 6 points.
In 2019, the margin was nine points–35% to 26%.
In 2020, the net advantage jumped to 11 points: 30% to 19%!
Six points, to nine points, to ll points.
The other component is enthusiasm. Pro-abortionists and the media (but, to quote Chris Plante, I repeat myself) probably believe the current polls and draw the conclusion that in 3 ½ months, the advantage the President enjoys among his supporters over pro-abortion Joe Biden and his supporters will evaporate.
I’m here to tell you that is poppycock.
We understand what is at stake.
We understand that the media believes we will give up because they tell us they should.
Ed Kilgore—who fits perfectly into the category I mentioned at the beginning—wrote a typically snarky, condescending post. But he did get this right. “According to Election Day [2016] exit polls, one in five voters identified the Supreme Court as ‘the most important factor’ in determining who they would pull the lever for.” Among that huge segment, Trump enjoyed a decisive advantage.
And he will again. Because…
We understand the battle is just beginning.
Daniel Miller is responsible for nearly all of National Right to Life News' political writing.
With the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Daniel Miller developed a deep obsession with U.S. politics that has never let go of the political scientist. Whether it's the election of Joe Biden, the midterm elections in Congress, the abortion rights debate in the Supreme Court or the mudslinging in the primaries - Daniel Miller is happy to stay up late for you.
Daniel was born and raised in New York. After living in China, working for a news agency and another stint at a major news network, he now lives in Arizona with his two daughters.
