How many Americans fit this profile?
- They are inclined to view politics in moral terms, and it is important to them to be one of the good people and not one of the bad people.
Their understanding of the workings of the larger systems in their world (e.g., the U.S. government and the American and world economies) is limited. Having neither the time nor the interest nor the background to develop a complex picture of American politics, they welcome a simple way to exercise their duties as citizens. Finding a single issue that can define their political choices serves this purpose.To lock in the support of such people, the issue of abortion is perfect.
Protecting the defenseless unborn can easily be cast as a high moral purpose. The issue lies on the human scale, with no complex systems involved. It concerns family relationships and also involves the consequences of sexual behavior, on which cultural traditions have had much to say.
The abortion issue creates the opportunity for a savvy political force to capture and hold those millions of single-issue voters. The Republican Party has seized that opportunity for decades, convincing those millions that the GOP is the moral party and that their opponents are immoral.
While Americans as a whole are not comfortable with abortion, it is only a minority who think it should be illegal in all circumstances. The Democratic Party has inevitably settled into representing the feelings of the American majority that does not want abortion banned outright.
Although the position that the Democrats take on abortion -- "safe, legal, and rare" -- reflects the majority opinion in America, very few in that majority vote on that single issue. But by targeting voters who meet the above profile, the Republican Party has been able, over the decades, to cultivate an important bloc of single-issue anti-abortion voters.
That's why the abortion issue has been a goldmine for the Republicans. That's why, as soon as the Republicans captured state governments in the 2010 elections, even though the nation was still in a deep economic recession and the people were clamoring for programs to create jobs, in state after state, the Republicans diverted attention away from the urgent economic issues and rekindled the political battles over abortion.
The Republicans have encouraged those single-issue millions to see abortion as defining political morality -- a pure case of good vs. evil, with no moral ambiguities. With the Democrats locked into a non-absolutist position -- abortion is regrettable but not prohibited -- the idea can be established in people's minds, as I have heard on the campaign trail, that "one cannot be both a Christian and a Democrat."
But what makes this single-issue voting bloc a goldmine for Republicans also makes it a danger to the country.
When a political party can get millions of voters who care about moral values locked into seeing it as the defender of morality, it frees itself to engage in immoral conduct of all sorts without fear of losing those voters' support. And that is what has happened.
In America today, a great many immoral and unjust acts that have nothing to do with abortion are being carried out in our political arena, the preponderance of them by the same political force that has gained the permanent support of one-issue anti-abortion voters.
Abortion's special appeal for today's Republican Party lies in the fact that it is wholly disconnected from the quest for money and power that are the party's real purposes.
Those millions of single-issue pro-life voters are satisfied that they are supporting morality even though they vote for a political party that has been relentlessly transferring wealth and power from average Americans to the richest and mightiest few. With its right hand pointing to abortion, the Republican Party distracts attention from the large-scale acts of immorality being carried out by its left hand.
In the Bible, while relatively little is said about the status of the unborn, the passages are many in which the prophets call for protecting "widows and orphans" and for giving justice to the weak.
In a nation where the task of aligning power with the good and against the evil is far from simple, the simplification of the tasks of citizenship into a single test can play directly into the hands of the kind of evil power the prophets railed against.
This piece ran this past week in two newspapers in the author's conservative Virginia district.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Women's Rights Hang In The Balance
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election will prove to have vast and potentially dire consequences for women in America. From the fall of Roe to an assault on IVF in Alabama and the resurrection of an 1864 Arizona abortion ban, women's rights are under attack across the country.
HuffPost is committed to bringing you the most up-to-date information as Americans vote this fall. While other news outlets retreat behind paywalls, we believe news this important should be free for everyone. Would you consider supporting our journalism? Even as little as $2 helps fund our work. Thank you.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.