After Obama's recent victory, pundits on both sides of the aisle are claiming America is lurching toward the left. While it is clear our leadership is headed in that direction, Americans themselves have done little to abandon their support for conservative principles like protecting the innocent unborn.
Colleen Carroll Campbell of the Ethics and Public Policy Center (they do great research, check them out!) recently illustrated that conservatives have not disappeared:
Still, the reports of social conservatism's
demise are greatly exaggerated. For starters, two of the three state
anti-abortion measures that failed did not receive the support of major
pro-life players in their states because they were perceived as deeply
flawed. Republicans sustained significant losses in Congress, but the
number of congressional Democrats elected on pro-life platforms
increased for the second time in two years.
I would add that 14 of the 15 GOP freshmen House members were supported by the House Conservatives Fund, a PAC dedicated to supporting candidates who embrace the values of Ronald Reagan, including respect for Life. Those who won election (in a "bad" year for GOPers no less) were overwhelmingly conservative stalwarts. The SBA List Candidate Fund endorsed four of the freshmen, Cynthia Lummis (WY-AL) and three freshmen men who defeated pro-abortion female Candidates: Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-06), Steve Austria (OH-08), and Aaron Schock (Il-18).
Carroll Campbell goes on to say,
As for the presidential race, Sen. John McCain
was not exactly a conservative darling. His support for embryonic
stem-cell research and opposition to a federal marriage amendment made
him a less than ideal standard-bearer for the pro-life and pro-family
causes. And his recent proposal for the federal government to buy up
America's bad mortgages inspired little confidence among fiscal
conservatives.
McCain clearly is more socially conservative than Obama. But it is noteworthy that in their match-up, Obama mostly played defense on social issues. He repeatedly distanced himself from his socially liberal record by stressing his desire to find "common ground" on abortion, hedging on earlier pronouncements about a pro-Roe litmus test for judges and reminding voters that he opposes gay marriage.
Obama's fans on the hard left are trumpeting his victory as the definitive triumph of social liberalism in America. But exit polls paint a more mundane picture of an electorate overwhelmingly focused on economic issues. Although voters in 2004 cited "moral values" as their top concern and re-elected socially conservative President George W. Bush as a result, voters in 2008 cited the economy and opted for Obama, who campaigned as an economic change agent. Obama's decision to play up pocketbook issues instead of social ones reflects his understanding of an electoral reality that eludes many of his left-wing supporters: When contentious social issues dominate an American presidential campaign, liberals lose.
Few social issues are more contentious than the definition of marriage, and on this score, conservatives won big last week. Voters in Florida, Arizona and California approved gay-marriage bans, bringing the number of states with such bans to 30. The California victory was particularly impressive because it happened in a solidly blue state where voters supported Obama by double-digit margins. In backing the time-honored understanding of marriage and thereby affirming every child's right to a mother and a father, California voters proved that defending marriage is a bipartisan priority.
McCain clearly is more socially conservative than Obama. But it is noteworthy that in their match-up, Obama mostly played defense on social issues. He repeatedly distanced himself from his socially liberal record by stressing his desire to find "common ground" on abortion, hedging on earlier pronouncements about a pro-Roe litmus test for judges and reminding voters that he opposes gay marriage.
Obama's fans on the hard left are trumpeting his victory as the definitive triumph of social liberalism in America. But exit polls paint a more mundane picture of an electorate overwhelmingly focused on economic issues. Although voters in 2004 cited "moral values" as their top concern and re-elected socially conservative President George W. Bush as a result, voters in 2008 cited the economy and opted for Obama, who campaigned as an economic change agent. Obama's decision to play up pocketbook issues instead of social ones reflects his understanding of an electoral reality that eludes many of his left-wing supporters: When contentious social issues dominate an American presidential campaign, liberals lose.
Few social issues are more contentious than the definition of marriage, and on this score, conservatives won big last week. Voters in Florida, Arizona and California approved gay-marriage bans, bringing the number of states with such bans to 30. The California victory was particularly impressive because it happened in a solidly blue state where voters supported Obama by double-digit margins. In backing the time-honored understanding of marriage and thereby affirming every child's right to a mother and a father, California voters proved that defending marriage is a bipartisan priority.
