(Townhall) — Mark Twain once observed that Congress was made up largely of “America’s native criminal class.” It wasn’t just that they prevaricated, but that they did it so convincingly. Giant Henry Hyde joked that the great politician is one who could accuse his opponent of duplicity … without appearing to be envious.
So it has been and likely so it shall always be.
Maybe it has to do with the fact that so many of the members of our political class have law degrees. Or perhaps it’s the water. Power is certainly corrupting. Sadly too many in Washington are willing to bend the truth to acquire more of it. While our friends on the Left are the most egregious offenders (we see it when their lips move), the temptation also spreads to Republicans and throughout the bureaucracy as well.
Examples of unvarnished truth are so rare. They pierce the darkness like a blinding lightning bolt in a pitch black night. Such is the opinion written by Associate Justice Alito. Truth is a powerful thing. His sound legal reasoning is peppered with history and undisputed facts. He even took the time to review and counter the dissenters’ opinion. It may be one of the greatest documents ever produced by any Supreme Court justice.
Just like that mighty bolt of lightning, it was followed almost immediately by deafening thunder.
The cacophony of angry voices was led by “devout” Catholics Biden and Pelosi. The ones who have previously claimed that they were personally opposed to abortion but they didn’t want to impose their views on women who “found themselves” in a difficult situation. The Supreme Court had ruled. It was the law of the land.
Suddenly, it was no longer the law of the land. That excuse has been removed. The laws of the land concerning abortion will now be written by elected representatives of the people in the sovereign states, not nine judges in black robes. The proponents of this butchery will be forced to defend it openly in the court of public opinion. God and the facts are not on their side. Their anger suggests that they do not like their chances.
Like the defenders of slavery, they will be forced to retreat to a handful of states. But they must know that even these will one day fall. Truth has a mysterious way of grinding down falsehoods.
The angry Left could not argue with Alito’s reasoning, facts or history. So they predictably turned to half truths, euphemisms and bald faced lies. A bald faced lie is one that cannot find even a whisker to hide behind. Even the euphemism, “women’s health care” is wearing thin. Producing a dead baby does not fit most people’s definition of health care.
For them to acknowledge the truth would be to admit defeat. The truth is that an abortion is a grisly procedure, especially after the first trimester. When the suctioning device is removed, small skulls and tiny limbs must be accounted for.
Let the proponents defend that.
They want to focus their arguments around the word choice. But their choice cannot be explained to a four-year-old. When a preschooler asks, “What’s an abortion Daddy?” No matter how you try to sanitize your answer, the conversation inevitably ends with another question, “You mean they kill the baby?”
Any political argument that ends like that is a losing argument.
The president in his remarks quickly retreated to the canards of rape and incest. Even the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute acknowledges that these represent only a tiny fraction of abortions performed. The reality is that at its core this is an argument about a selfish solution to irresponsible behavior. It encourages more irresponsibility and devalues human life itself.
The Democrats now want to make the fall elections about abortion. They certainly don’t want it to be about soaring inflation, gas prices or this administration’s growing list of policy failures. Of course they can count on air cover from the dominant media. Nonetheless Republicans should pick up that gauntlet. Indeed, they must.
Lies and euphemisms are the weapons of scoundrels. Truth is a both a shield and a mighty sword. The truth is that this barbaric procedure is indefensible. Any politician worth his salt knows that the way you win a policy debate or an election is to force the other side to defend the indefensible.
Poet Carl Sandberg said, “A baby is God’s opinion that the world should go on.” God is not neutral between the forces of darkness and light. May we march always in the ranks of those who defend life … and the truth.
Gil Gutknecht
Gil Gutknecht is a former Republican congressman from Minnesota.
