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Putting 'Life' Back Into The Democratic Party
By Paul M. Weyrich
January 7, 2005

Grim news was delivered on Election Day for Democrats who care about moving their party back to the mainstream. The party's losses in the South were comparable to those inflicted on the party in the 1972 McGovern and 1984 Mondale debacles. That failure to corral support from the region's many "God and country" voters should keep Democratic strategists up at night trying to determine how they can recapture the allegiance of voters who once constituted the heart and soul of the party.

Evidence of the serious decline in the Democrats' strength among rural voters was provided by an analysis of the results by the Los Angeles Times. Whites constitute a majority in 1,154 counties in the States that comprised the Confederacy plus Oklahoma and Kentucky. Kerry won 90 counties. President Bill Clinton carried 510 of those counties in his 1996 reelection. No wonder one county chairman in a "Kerry County" proclaimed, "We are out of business in the South."

How can the Democratic Party open its doors to invite back into its ranks those millions of Americans -- in the South and other regions -- who have been deserting the Party in recent elections? One idea would be to have the Party's Leadership become more receptive to including pro-lifers.

Right now, the Democratic National Committee is in the midst of a battle to select a new Chairman. Former U.S. Rep. Tim Roemer (D-IN) is a possible candidate. He is endorsed by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). National Right to Life's ratings from 1997-2002 show Roemer cast 51 pro-life votes during his last five years in the House. The only three votes where he differed from the position of the National Right to Life Committee during that time were not on votes directly related to abortion but votes related to campaign finance reform.

Even someone as liberal as Howard Dean has said the party needs -- at least rhetorically -- to be more open to pro-lifers. Make no mistake: Dean supports abortion rights. However, in a moment of practicality he told Tim Russert on "Meet the Press" on December 12th:

"I have long believed that we ought to make a home for pro-life Democrats. The Democrats that have stuck with us, who are

pro-life, through their long period of conviction are people who are the kind of pro-life that we ought to have deep respect for."

Dean is one of those liberals who makes "pro-life" mean more than just stopping abortions; it means expensive social programs, too. Keep that in mind. However, there are sincere pro-life Democrats who hold such views. At the same time, there are Democrats who mask their views and beliefs.

Some Democrats have been misled. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) has consistently tended to portray himself as a strong Catholic, which should naturally include a strong commitment to protecting innocent life. In reality, his record is absolutely antithetical to pro-life values and issues. He voted wrong in the 108th Congress on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act and on every life issue. Harkin actually sponsored, and was able to secure, Senate passage of an amendment in 2003 insisting "It is the sense of the Senate that the decision of the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade...was appropriate and secures an important Constitutional right; and such decision should not be overturned." He is not the only Democrat who mixes pro-life rhetoric with a pro-abortion philosophy and voting record. Remember Sen. John Kerry's contortions on the issue during the presidential campaign.

Leading liberal Democrats never would have made such an appeal after the 1984 election, the 1988 election or the 2000 election. Now, circumstances dictate that they must, given that Republicans control both chambers of Congress and a strong pro-life advocate is in the White House.

Pro-life Democrats have demonstrated they can win at the polls. Kristen Day, Executive Director of the Democrats for Life of America, recalled in a recent National Review online article that just twenty-five years ago, the pro-life Democrats in the House held 125 seats. That number shrunk to 50 by 1992 and it is now 35 seats.

Pennsylvania has pro-life stalwarts on the Democratic side in the House with Representatives Tim Holden, Mike Doyle and John Murtha, who each drew a 91% rating from National Right to Life (NRLC) for the votes on pro-life related legislation cast in the 108th Congress. Minnesota's Jim Oberstar and Collin Peterson are two other reliable pro-life votes. Peterson had a perfect rating (although he missed several votes) and Oberstar received a 90% rating.

Missouri had four Democrats in the House in the 108th Congress 2003-2004 (including onetime pro-life vote Richard Gephardt) but only Ike Skelton voted a consistent pro-life line, for which he received a 91% rating from the NRLC. Bill Clay and Karen McCarthy's records are diametrically the opposite of Skelton. Pro-life Democrats represent at least 25 seats in the State Legislature according to a recent article "Missouri Pro-life Democrats Urge Party To Emphasize Moral Issues," by Joseph Kenny of Catholic News Service. State Rep. Thomas Villa (D) commented in the article that his Party was "losing the masses because we tend to let the fringe elements dictate overall policy. They're now the dominant players, and they're not serving us well." There is no doubt whom Villa meant by "fringe."

Back in the 1970s and 1980s, I often worked with House members who were Democrats on pro-life legislation. We had a good partnership. Now, the party that once prided itself upon being the champion of the average guy and gal has gone Hollywood, more interested in landing big bucks that flow to their party from contributors living in Beverly Hills 90210 and Manhattan 10021.

Social issue conservatives should wish for a stronger pro-life presence in the Democrat Party. True, they command strong support within the Republican caucuses in Congress. What happens if the economy goes south and the Democrats regain power in Congress and even the White House? Do we want a party completely dominated by Hillary Clintons and Barbara Boxers to be dictating social policies?

Recently I had former Boston Mayor Ray Flynn, a pro-life Democrat, on my "Right Talk" webcast radio program, which airs live on Fridays, and he made clear his belief that the Democrats will not be able to win national elections until they make a real place for pro-lifers in their Party, including working-class Democrats, many of whom come from key Electoral States such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and Missouri. Democratic candidates for President are not winning these states, possibly because many of the people who live there are pro-life. He wishes the party simply would jettison all ties to the abortion wing.

Democrats for Life of America simply wishes that the party allow diversity of views on abortion.

I suspect that many wish, like Flynn, that the Democrats would become a pro-life party. It might, if we realize a change like this will not happen overnight but will take patience and perseverance. The pro-life movement has made significant strides in convincing Americans of the importance of protecting innocent life. In order for Flynn's vision to be achieved, even more effort must be made to have Americans who support legalized abortion understand the deadly result of the "choice" they advocate and to switch their positions.

I believe that result can be achieved if pro-lifers remain unceasing in their work, particularly reaching out to liberals and Democrats.

We must now steel ourselves to fight on behalf of important pro-life legislation that includes the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act, introduced last year by Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ). If enacted, this would require abortionists to inform women of the pain the abortion procedure would inflict upon the unborn child. Another important piece of legislation is the Child Custody Protection Act, which would make it a Federal crime to take a minor across state lines to receive an abortion without having notified the minor's parents beforehand.

We also can celebrate victories that were recorded in this year's election. Two pro-life Democrats who will come to Washington this year are Charles Melacon (LA) and Dan Lipinski (IL). Enough West Virginians cast their ballots for Joe Manchin, a pro-life Democrat, to place him in the Governor's chair. Pat Murphy, Minority Leader of the Iowa House of Representatives, helped recruit and elect pro-life Democrats. Let's hope these are signs of more good things to come.

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Paul M. Weyrich is Chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation

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Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.