Trump, Pence, Sex and the Christian Left
Trump is a dotard, a sexist, a racist and a Fabulist who gets his news from Fox. So do his followers, many of whom are above 50, if not above 70. They are a temporary problem, as is Trump. He is Stephen Miller's sock puppet on race and immigration. Their pollution of the young is longer lasting, but not insurmountable.
The House resolution was written by a man and focused on his status as an immigrant. Trump did not tweet about him at all. While racism is surely a factor in the Trump psyche, his bigger issue is sex. To him, Black women are stupid welfare mothers and White women are toys to be played with. The first is the result of having Fred Trump as a father. I have no information about his mother, but his hyper-sexuality is a symptom of Bipolar I Disorder. Without medication, which he does not have, he simply cannot control himself.
Trump will eventually be removed when Mueller report witnesses convince GOP Senators that he will wreck the party if he is not removed. They will try to force him out, although he may not listen to reason. Ultimately, the 25th Amendment must be used. It should have been invoked long ago, but Pence does not have the moral courage to do so.
Pence will likely forge deals with Congress on fiscal issues, as he did in Indiana. If allowed to serve, he may do a good enough job to do what Jerry Ford did not. There is good reason for Pelosi to fear his ascension. His positions on social issues scare her more, especially if he is President. Whether he is a panderer or a true believer is the ultimate question. I am thinking the former, based on how he handles Trump. Still, he seems to have a moral core.
If we make Pence Trump's sin eater, it will change the narrative and prick his conscience. The reality is that, because Trump is insane and Pence can remove him, every bad thing Trump does, from his toxic tweets, to his immigration policies, to his bumbling foreign policy (he is also Bolton's sock puppet) are Pence's moral responsibility. Unless we force him to accept it, Trumps sins and those of his enablers will continue.
I could end here, but will not. There could be a moment of truth in a Pence presidency that will impact the GOP. If the Republicans do not take it, they deserve to die, not just spend time in the penalty box.
Trump won the White House for two reasons, neither of which have anything to do with endemic racism among Southern Baptists. First, Hillary did not put Booker on the ticket and black men stayed home. Two, she messed up in the last debate by playing to her base rather than showing Trump's incompetence when he brought up partial birth abortion.
Simply pointing out that PBA is already illegal and that he was pandering to Pro-Lifers would have defused the issue. The Midwestern bishops pounced and delivered the swing states to Trump. Whether they had forewarning or not is a matter for Congress to investigate. Even if they did not have a heads up, they are also sin eaters for Trump's actions.
What about Biden? Whether it is loyalty to the Church or pandering to Catholic voters, Joe may not explain why Roe was rightly decided and is part of the tapestry of civil rights law (which is not permissive, but rather prevents abuse of power by the states). This a could end the issue. Using the Cuomo pluralism explanation will not, even though pluralism is in line with Dignitatis Humanae. Dignitatis ended the requirement for Catholic politicians to make their nations Catholic. This would make the Trads throw another fit on Vatican II.
Reality may provide our moment of truth. Indiana v. Planned Parenthood has already shown that the last four GOP justices treat Roe in the same way as the four Democratic appointees, albeit for different reasons. We know this because Indiana was decided per curiam ( from the bench) without hearing. Indiana protected Down's children. If the Court won't hear that case, Alabama has no shot. If June v. Gee, the Lousiana Trap Law case is decided the same way (reversing the 5th Circuit), the prospect that voting Republican means overturning Roe is simply a lie.
This will hurt NARAL but it may end the pro-life movement as it exists today, unless both sides and the media ignore the truth. We must do our best to not let them.
The only alternative left to protect the unborn is what I have been saying all along, a living wage tax credit for each child to cover most, if not all, of the additional expense they bring, about $1000/month distributed with pay as an offset to an employer paid consumption tax. To sweeten the deal, this could eliminate income taxes for most families. This is could also be called a middle-class negative income tax.
We are at a divisive moment or a unifying one. If Pence proposes it, he deserves to win where Ford lost. If he does not, it will show that on the GOP side, opposition to abortion is about sexism, not the unborn, and that their love for Trump is no accident. Likewise, if Biden et al don't seek this, it will show that their support of Roe is about sexual liberation and not the well being of families.
There is much more at stake than meets the eye. It is time for a Christian Left moment. If Pence and/or Biden don't step up, then we become the sin eaters for Trump.
posted by Michael Bindner at 3:21 PM
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