Donald Trump has now given the pro-life, religious liberty folks everything they wanted from a president.
He’s appointed a Supreme Court justice who shares their views.
He’s reinstated the Mexico City Policy, blocking federal funding for NGOs that provide abortion counseling or referrals, or advocate for abortion rights.
He’s appointed an Education Secretary who’s committed to providing public funds for religious schools.
And he’s about to rescind Obamacare’s contraception mandate for any employer with a religious or moral objection.
So what’s left to do? Declare victory and close up shop in Washington? Go for it, evangelicals. You’re the base of Republican Party and on issue after issue, you overwhelmingly take the GOP line.
Catholics, however, have a set of social teachings that — like Catholic voters — straddle the partisan divide. They may be with the GOP on abortion and same-sex marriage but they’re with the Dems on immigration, health care, and global warming.
So let the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops rechristen its annual Fortnight for Freedom as Go for the Common Good Week, focusing on health care, immigration, and climate change. Thank Archbishop Lori for his service and put in charge someone who cares about those issues and has the swot to push them — someone like Newark’s freshly minted cardinal Joseph Tobin.
It’s time for a big pivot in the speak-truth-to-power department.