 | By Eleanor Barkhorn Editor at Large, Opinion |
American politics is full of strange bedfellows, but none have been more fascinating to me in recent years than the alliance between Donald Trump and voters who oppose abortion. Equally fascinating are the arguments from some abortion opponents that this alliance is unacceptable. |
As a man, Trump seems as if he should be repellent to the religious conservatives who tend to oppose abortion — his personal life choices do not suggest that he is a man of deep faith, or even strong character. But as a candidate in the 2016 presidential election, he promised to pick anti-abortion nominees for the Supreme Court. And to many abortion opponents, the prospect of overturning Roe v. Wade was enough to throw their support to Trump. |
Still, there was a loud faction of abortion opponents who refused to make this bargain. Russell Moore, then a top leader in the Southern Baptist Convention, wrote in 2015 that to vote for Trump, fellow conservatives "must repudiate everything they believe." |
In the end, of course, the pro-Trump arguments won the day for most religious conservatives, as eight in 10 white evangelical Christian voters cast a ballot for him in 2016. And Trump delivered on his promises, nominating Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett to the court. |
Last Wednesday, the court heard oral arguments for Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the case that could lead to the end of Roe. In the weeks before the arguments, I wondered how the so-called Never Trump conservatives were feeling about the former president. Would hearing Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett interrogate the constitutionality of Roe lead them to think that maybe the Trump bargain was worth it after all? |
I reached out to Erika Bachiochi, a conservative legal scholar who refused to vote for Trump and also believes strongly that Roe should be overturned. In an essay today, she reflects on the "Was Trump worth it?" question. But she also looks ahead to the future of the Republican Party and casts a vision for what it ought to fight for if Roe is indeed overturned. |
"If the G.O.P. wants to be of any relevance in a post-Roe world — after all, with Roe gone, single-issue voters will be free to look elsewhere," Bachiochi writes, "it will have to offer the country the matrix of ethnic diversity and economic solidarity that Trump stumbled upon, but without the divisiveness of the man himself." |
A note from Times Opinion editor Kathleen Kingsbury |
Yesterday I learned that a great journalist was taken from us too soon: Fred Hiatt, the editorial page editor at The Washington Post. In his obituaries in The Times and The Post, you can read stories of his dogged reporting, defense of free speech and human rights, and superb editorial leadership. |
Fred approached reporting and editorial writing with a disciplined and inquisitive mind and a surfeit of energy. The editorial department he leaves behind is far larger and more diverse than the small team of editorial writers he began with when he took the job in 2000. Even as the opinion side of The Post and other major newspapers expanded, Fred never wavered in his duty to speak truth to power, whether it was in the hands of Vladimir Putin or Donald Trump. |
When Washington's hometown paper centers free speech and human rights in the national conversation, it has important ripple effects at home and abroad. Fred's advocacy on behalf of the First Amendment and justice, with Jamal Khashoggi's murder and in general, was his guiding light and his lasting legacy. |
When I stepped into my position at The Times a year and a half ago, Fred reached out — he was among the first people to congratulate me. From our conversation I was expecting wise counsel and serious mentorship, which did come, but not before he spent half an hour trying to make me laugh with tales of ornery writers. "When was the last time somebody reminded you how fun our jobs can be?" he asked. After that, he'd call from time to time to ask if I was having enough fun. That dose of perspective meant so much to me. |
As his family, friends and colleagues at The Washington Post celebrate his life and career, I will remember him as well for his quiet, unassuming and humorous way of being. |
Here's what we're focusing on today: |
Forward this newsletter to friends to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here. Do you have feedback? Email us at opiniontoday@nytimes.com. |
Contact us If you have questions about your Times account, delivery problems or other issues, visit our Help Page or contact The Times. |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment