COMMENTARY:

Obama's speech on abortion at Notre Dame uses familiar left-wing tactics

May 18, 2009

As we all know, Barak Obama's presence for a speech at Notre Dame on Sunday, May 17, was extremely controversial because of his well-known support for "a woman's right to choose," including partial-birth abortion. In the Illinois legislature, he even notoriously voted against the bill "born-alive" infant bill (requiring medical care for a baby who survives a botched abortion).

In his speech Obama addressed the issue directly. He told the national audience that both sides must engage without "demonizing" each other. And we need to work together to address the main "root cause" of abortion - unintended pregnancies.

For us this is, as they say, a "teachable moment."

We've seen this so many times in our public schools, in the State House, and in the public forum. When the radical left wants to push something new--such as sex ed, condoms in the schools, homosexual programs for kids, same-sex "marriage", etc.-- they will use every unsavory tactic in the book. They will lie and deceive, they will viciously demonize critics, they'll use false statistics, whatever it takes they will do.

But once they get what they want they insist that we all must discuss the issue calmly, without passion, and "work together" to find "common ground". This always means that the left temporarily concedes some minor issue, only to take it back later. And our side gets nothing, except that we are portrayed as "reasonable" and not "fringe".

Too often, our side buys into that nonsense and the fight is lost. We see it all the time, especially with the abortion issue and the marriage issue. (As one of our activists has written: How can there be a dialogue with evil? How can there be a compromise on the truth?)

In this case it's even more devious. Obama's solution is to tackle the "root cause" of abortion, which he defines as unintended pregnancies. His solution will be more Planned Parenthood-style comprehensive sexuality programs (which will likely bring more abortions).

The true "root cause" of a woman getting pregnant and wanting to kill her own unborn child is a much larger issue. It has to do with a frightening amount of selfishness, self-centeredness, and a lack of moral grounding - from the woman and also from the people around her who encourage the abortion.

Obama's speech will serve to intimidate those who show the proper outrage at the act of abortion, and cause even more demonization of anyone who even criticizes it, and bring more self-righteousness to those defending it.

Saul Alinsky would be proud.