Inclusion Hypocrisy

by Bill Barnwell

One of the reasons why Democrats are supposedly superior moral beings is their adherence to the holy doctrine of "inclusion." Both parties are on a crusade to prove to the nation that they are the true champions of compassion and tolerance, who want to welcome all walks of life into their ranks. For several decades, the Republican Party has come under fire from the nation’s elite and political correctness czars for being too "mean-spirited" and "hateful," while the Democratic Party, we are told, is composed of the true fighters for "the people." Not only that, say the guardians of political correctness, but the Republican Party is composed of angry middle aged white guys and greedy economic supply siders. The Democratic Party, on the other hand, is the party of the "little guy."

Now the Republican Party is not a group of principled warriors. They’ve broken countless promises and would prefer to be seen as Democrat-lite than conservative. However, it is the Democrats who take the gold medal in the competition for treachery and hypocrisy. One the chief examples of the rank hypocrisy that comes from the Democrats is their use of the "inclusion" issue. While the Democratic Party shows plenty of "tolerance" towards the homosexual lobby and radical feminist groups, their much-trumpeted value of "diversity" is nowhere to be found when it comes to dealing with pro-life organizations and individuals.

Who can forget in 1992, when then Democratic Governor Bill Casey was denied a speaking role at his party’s presidential convention simply for the reason that he was pro-life? Things have not changed much at the Democratic convention. Fox News reported a story during this summer’s Democratic convention involving a couple of brave pro-life Democrats who tried distributing pro-life literature to delegates on the convention floor. In response, they had their literature crumbled up and thrown into their faces. All this while they had to endure a barrage of insults and obscenities from their Democratic comrades. Welcome to inclusion, liberal style.

Why did the other major news media outlets bury that story? Can any objective person imagine the howling and hysterical outcry that would have erupted if pro-life delegates at the Republican convention treated pro-choice delegates in such a manner? The New York Times would have fired out a snotty editorial denouncing Republican "extremism" while Geraldo and Chris Matthews would have condemned the event on their respective television programs.

This same media employs constant double standards and poor journalism when it comes to dealing with the abortion issue. For months, the editorial pages of our nation’s newspapers and liberal journalists challenged George W. Bush to pick a pro-choice running mate. Such a move, they said, would truly show that Bush was really a "compassionate conservative" and was committed to "diversity." Considering that there are many pro-life rank and file Democrats, where was the thundering and yammering to Al Gore to pick a pro-life running mate?

The Democratic Party is home to many Catholics who hold deep pro-life convictions. The Democratic Party is also home to many minority groups that have large numbers of pro-life individuals within them, but side with the Democrats on unrelated issues. In the last presidential election, roughly 90% of blacks voted for the Democratic Party. Does that mean that 90% of blacks are pro-choice? Of course not. And to the dismay of many in the Democratic leadership, more and more of these people are demanding a voice within their party when it comes to this issue of life. When is the elite of the Democratic Party going to allow free and open debate within their ranks on the abortion issue?

Republicans behaved a little differently at their convention. Despite all the nonsensical talk about Republican "intolerance," several prominent pro-abortion speakers addressed the Republican convention. Outspoken pro-abortion governor, Tom Ridge, gave an introduction speech for Governor Bush, and even pro-partial birth abortion advocate Colin Powell was given a prime-time speaking spot at the convention. During Governor Bush’s speech, he professed his pro-life stand to the nation, while saying that good people can disagree on the issue. Can you remember Al Gore or the Democratic Party making such an outreach to pro-life voters any time recently?

When will pro-life Democrats wake up and realize that their voices are not being heard within their party? Not only are their opinions ignored on this important subject, but also they are facing an increasingly hostile resistance. Recently, a pro-life state representative from southern Michigan told me off the record that he predicted his political career would be over when he eventually loses his seat because of term limits. The reason? He claims that it is becoming more and more difficult for pro-life Democrats to move up the political ladder because the party targets them for defeat in the primary with more liberal opponents.

Thankfully, the U.S. House of Representatives has about 30 Democratic members who break with the majority of their colleagues and support pro-life legislation. However, many of these members have watered down their pro-life stand over the years. Indeed, even Al Gore was once an opponent of federal funding of abortion while he was in Congress, and he once wrote to a constituent in the 1980s that abortion was "arguably the taking of a life of an unborn child." Now Mr. Gore celebrates Roe v. Wade and defends the brutal practice of partial birth abortion, as does his running mate Joseph Liberman.

It is time for pro-life Democrats to stand up to their party and demand that the leadership answers for their inclusion hypocrisy and their hypocrisy in general. After years of giving false hope to the poor masses enslaved to the federal government, stirring up racial tensions, and linking arms with abortionists and pornographers, it is more than past time that Democrats wake up and realize that they have been duped. The least the Democrats could do is allow open and free debate within their ranks, and honor their cherished virtues of diversity and inclusion. Instead, they will continue squashing any differing viewpoints from their own, proving they are frauds and liars unfit to lead the nation.

September 7, 2000

Bill Barnwell is a freelance journalist and co-editor in chief of www.thepotatoe.com

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