Deal with it Catholics: Pro-Choice for Life

It happened again. A man, a theology and religious education professor nonetheless, lent his opinion on the status of abortion in politics, mainly as the title of the op-ed clearly states, “To Win Again, Democrats Must Stop Being the Abortion Party.” As if another male could really contribute to the contentious debate that only affects women, but alas, here’s another male writing about abortion, if only to critique the professor’s lack of knowledge on the subject.

The author is attempting to weed through the reasons why Secretary Hillary Clinton didn’t win enough support from Catholics as former President Barack Obama had in the past, dismissing the idea that the droves of working-class voters made up by said Catholics were more concerned with jobs than abortion. Without citing any poll or survey, he argues that Clinton’s unwavering support for a women’s choice had lost her the election, specifically the Catholic vote.

Obama also supported a women’s right to choose, which the author either fails to mention or bowdlerizes to insinuate a difference between the two Democrats. Yet the reason abortion had become an issue again during the election was not because of Clinton’s unwavering support of Roe v. Wade but of Republicans all out war on access to abortions.

Clearly the professor doesn’t have the expertise on any subject to speak with such authority. Not once does the professor mention legislation restricting and eliminating abortion access that has sprung up in various states over the last decade. Republican lawmakers from various states, with the help from anti-choice groups like Americans United for Life, have devised a slew of requirements they found necessary to subject women to in their private decision. This includes making women wait days or requiring an invasive procedure known as transvaginal ultrasound to hear the heartbeat.

Texas has been at the forefront of enacting such laws that restricted access. The state enacted laws aimed at facilities that provided abortions, resulting in many clinics having to close down due to the mostly impossible standards set by the legislature. These laws were later struck down by the Supreme Court for obstructing a women’s access to abortions.

This is why the Democratic party must remain the in the corner for women, not only for their right to choose but to have unfettered access with few obstacles. If Republicans and Catholics allow Roe v. Wade to remain without repeatedly building roadblocks than the law wouldn’t have to be constantly defended by Clinton and Democrats. Instead many are in fear with the fate of the law in doubt, so it is only natural that the left remain vigilant against any further attempts to dismantle a woman’s right to choose. Women fought for the law, they’ll fight to keep it alive.

It’s not Democrats that need to change, it’s the group of Catholics and other religious sects that refuse to move on and accept that social norms have changed and our laws must reflect society. New York Times understood that by publishing this op-ed that a flurry of objections would arise from many irate women over another mansplainer giving his take on abortion, specifically over at women media outlets like Jezebel or Bustle. Hopefully the professor and his fellow Catholics will listen and learn that not only will women’s choice be a right in this country but that also Democrats will not abandon them.

Stop the Meltdown: Clinton Win Still Inevitable

Still amidst a meltdown in the Democratic party after it was revealed the FBI in an unrelated case discovered more emails from Hillary Clinton during her tenure as Secretary of State, there have been no new revelations since FBI Director James Comey’s letter was sent to Congress. Yet polls have continued to look slightly better for Republican nominee Donald Trump, especially in swing states he desperately needs to achieve 270 electoral college votes. FiveThirtyEight forecast is a great indicator for the impact of the news on the polls, showing Clinton’s chances drop below 80 after sitting comfortably there for the past couple weeks.

All of this is to the chagrin of Clinton, who seemed all but certain to clinch the election and demolish the GOP. Now it all seems a distant dream, with down ballot candidates worried of the aftermath and losing their chance to take back the Senate. But does this “October Surprise” help Trump enough to win the election? How damaging is it really to Clinton’s last shot at becoming President of the United States?

Clinton is reportedly building a solid support in early voting taking place in some swing states, and the election will be entering its final week so the general feeling is most voters’ minds have been made up. So this gradual swing in the polls towards Trump is not only alarming for Democrats but also somewhat contradictory to what the public has come to expect the last couple weeks.

One reason I’ve come to believe for the uptick towards Trump is the optimism Republicans have conjured since these revelations from Comey. As the FiveThirtyEight crew went over in their past Saturday podcast, Republican voters have become more willing and incensed to participate in polls rather than after Trump’s Access Hollywood tapes were leaked. It has also made Clinton supporters generally less responsive to these same polls, giving the edge now to her Republican rival.

This theory can be easily dismissed as it is based on speculation with a lack of evidence. But much in the same way Clinton received a bump after her series of good debate performances (as well disastrous for Trump) ignited Democrats, now Trump is benefiting from her negative press. It’s especially worse for her when concerning emails, even if a lot of the public isn’t entirely sure what the controversy is but are positive they don’t like it.

If this theory has any truth to it, reinvigorated Republican voter base alone will not be enough to surpass Clinton’s already established lead. While Democrats may have decided to stop answering pollsters, they may become even more incentivized to vote after feeling secure with a Clinton presidency.

Unfortunately for Clinton, the only way the press and voters will stop talking about her emails is for Trump to get in his own way again, which can only happen so many times. Luckily for most of us, we only have to deal with this scandalous drama for only seven more days. Until then, Democrats should not be thwarted by the threat of a Trump victory, it’s an embarrassing episode that only bolsters his supporters more. They have already strongly convinced the public that Trump and the GOP are a circus show, don’t let them believe the other side is a melodramatic soap opera.

Democrats Finally Take a Stand

Kudos to Congressional Democrats. They have banded together and finally found some sense of decency in combating gun violence. Led by John Lewis, a man all too familiar with using alternative tactics to bring attention to an issue, House Democrats have taken over the floor to protest for a vote on a gun control bill. Persisting into the wee hours of the night, Senators joined the sit-in including Elizabeth Warren with Dunkin' Donuts and Bernie Sanders.

While this is a valiant effort that not only gives great publicity to Democrats but also shows they care enough to do something rather than sit idly by like their Republican colleagues, there's still little hope that anything will change. Glenn Greenwald and The Intercept have been persistently eager to point out that these gun control proposals only focus on a small minority of U.S. citizens and the means to compiling the list tend to be prejudiced against Muslims. These preventive measures may have stop the Orlando shooter, but not the shootings in a movie theater, elementary school or church because none of those white males were considered terrorists before and now.

Maybe a start is better than nothing. Maybe this will inspire a deeper discussion, maybe it will ignite a electorate to elect leaders that will stand up against special interest groups and their well-funded lobbyists and say no more guns. Late show host Stephen Colbert has been consistent on his coverage on the aftermath of the Orlando Massacre, proclaiming that even a fig leaf would show that Congress can do its job. Democrats are showing they can do their jobs, perhaps they need better collaborators, better leaders to complete the task and maybe one day put an end to mass shootings.