Anyone who is seriously contemplating giving Democrats the wheels of government in order to defeat Trump and Trumpism should be doing so with a clear understanding of the Democratic agenda.
This is an opinion article from the editor, taken from a segment of the April 29th issue of From the Hawk’s Nest, a bi-weekly newsletter.
There’s no crystal ball that can tell us, for certain, what a new presidential administration will look like. Administrative vision, legislative agenda, and executive prerogative end up largely defined by the unknowable circumstances of the future.
However, we can gain a sense of the likely direction a presidential term can take by taking stock of where political momentum lies. Specifically, we can look to the legislative actions and proposals of that president’s party at both the state and federal level.
Where does such a preponderance lead us as it relates to what can come from a Biden presidency? Probably not a place many conservatives and moderates willing to vote for Biden, to defeat Trump, would be happy to see the country go.
Starting with the most obvious, the Democratic Party has made it clear they view the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in an almost religious sense. Being Pro-Choice has become a veritable litmus test for government office at all levels in the Democratic Party.
The questioning we’ve witnessed of executive appointees in the Senate has demonstrated a growing belief among Democrats that Pro-Life views, especially if they’re connected to religious beliefs, should be considered disqualifying for any government position.
The Kavanaugh hearings were a complete circus as Democrats and their allies reacted to even the smallest possibility that Roe could be reversed or limited. Many protestors dressed up in costumes from The Handmaiden’s Tale, suggesting that having a country that dared protect unborn life would be akin to female slavery in a totalitarian theocracy.
To punctuate all of this, Democrats at the state level have in New York, and other places, crafted legislation that allows the most permissive abortion policies possible. These policies effectively allow for unrestricted abortion up to the day of birth.
What about gun policy? I can’t help but wonder if Virginians who voted for Democrats out of protest of Trump are wondering if they are getting more than they bargained for. The Democratic Governor of Virginia, aided by new Democratic majorities at the state level, has managed to bring his state to the brink of armed conflict as he has endeavored to enact the most comprehensive and restrictive combination of firearm policies imaginable.
And, what has the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives showed us?
I discussed last year how H.R. 1, 2019 constituted a veritable shot across federalism’s bow. There are few proposed bills out of the House that are much better. You can go down the list of issues of importance to even moderate conservatives, or moderate liberals for that matter, and the Democrats have signaled an evident willingness to go the other direction in spades.
There’s no doubt that another four years of Donald Trump is dreadfully consequential for the health of our republic. But having a president in the White House willing to sign the legislation that would likely continue to pour out of a Pelosi-led House and, heaven forbid, a Schumer-led Senate would be terribly consequential as well.
Watching Donald Trump shatter norms and valuable American institutions, day-by-day, has been horrible to watch. The idea of a second-term from that man is not something I like to contemplate. But the Democrats have signaled at every turn a coming assault on the system itself. They want to change, in almost every way, the individual citizen’s relationship with the federal government. They want to redefine the very idea of rights and liberty in this nation.
Anyone who is seriously contemplating giving Democrats the wheels of government in order to defeat Trump and Trumpism should be doing so with a clear understanding of the Democratic agenda. They should be doing all they can to demand a new sense of moderation in the Democratic Party’s tone and direction.
If the Democrats refuse to take more than a few steps back from the progressive abyss, even given the consequential realities of a second Trump term, any conservative who suggests support for them is delivering themselves hostage to a party that is openly hostile to their values, principles, and worldview.
This might be a way to defeat Trump. It’s not the way to defeat Trumpism. And it’s definitely not the way to restore the norms of our constitutional republic.
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