EDITORIALS

By Dave Andrusko

"I Meant What I Said"

"The president must have the will to take on the issue, not only in the campaign but now that I'm elected....I earned capital in the campaign, political capital. And now I intend to spend it. It is my style. That's what happened after the 2000 election, I earned some capital. I've earned capital in this election."

Newly re-elected President George W. Bush, at a November 4 press conference

"Kerry was trying to shift the values debate to his terrain - - to a discussion of how to pursue 'a society of the common good.' Yet his position on abortion only served to remind pro-life Catholics (and non-Catholics) where he stood on the issue."

Terry Eastland, November 5 Wall Street Journal

"On November 2, 2004, George W. Bush won more American votes than any other presidential candidate in history - - 8 million more than he won in 2000, as a matter of fact. He was the first presidential candidate since 1988 to win more than 50 percent of the popular vote. He was the first incumbent since 1964 to win reelection while simultaneously expanding his party's representation in both houses of Congress. He had coattails, in other words; Republicans were elected to no fewer than six Senate seats that had previously been occupied by Democrats, for example, and in all six of those states, Bush ran well ahead of the rest of his party's ticket."

William Kristol, Weekly Standard

"Q: Will you seek a consensus candidate for the Supreme Court if there's an opening?

"A: ... I told the people on the campaign trail that I'll pick somebody that knows the difference between personal opinion and the strict interpretation of the law. You might have heard that several times. I meant what I said. And if people are interested in knowing the kind of judges I'll pick, look at the record. I've sent up a lot of judges, well qualified people who know the law, who represent a judicial temperament that I agree with and who are qualified to hold the bench."

Question and answer at President Bush's November 4 press conference

I was busy with a hundred other things when President Bush entertained questions from White House reporters barely 24 hours after Sen. Kerry conceded the election. So, it was not until that evening that I had a chance to observe the give-and-take replayed on C-SPAN.

After very carefully watching his mind at work, I sheepishly admitted something to myself. While it is quite true that prior to those 45 minutes I'd held Mr. Bush in very high esteem, it suddenly hit me that, like his enemies, I nevertheless had seriously underestimated his prowess.

I've watched Presidents from a distance since 1960 and up close beginning in 1980, with Mr. Reagan. President Bush's amalgam of native intelligence, shrewdness, keen grasp of human nature, command of what's commonly called "The Washington Game," and sheer toughness needn't take a back seat to what any of these men brought to the White House.

In the second editorial that begins on page 2, I'll talk more specifically about the nuts and bolts of this closely contested election. Here I'd like to consider how important Mr. Bush's talents are to building what he calls (echoing Pope John Paul II) a "culture of life," a society in which every child is "protected in law and welcomed into life." First, a couple of words of background.

At the risk of wearing out an already over-used phrase, Roe v. Wade can best be understood as a kind of judicial perfect storm. Roe (and its companion case Doe v. Bolton) represented the confluence of three fronts in the early years of the culture wars: radical pro-abortion feminism, judicial activism run amuck, and apocalyptic warnings that without ready access to abortion, mankind would breed itself into extinction - - a.k.a. the Population Bomb.

The 7-2 decision razed the abortion statutes of all 50 states, whether they were highly permissive or protective, whether they were a few years old or enacted a century before. It was as if a tornado had blown through town, leveling everything in sight.

Think of rebuilding a culture of life as if we were rebuilding a shattered home. In fact, the Roe twister was so powerful it damaged the foundations of civil society.

Before a new foundation can be laid, there needs to be grading and drainage and excavation work, in addition to forming and pouring the footings, building the foundation walls, backfilling, installing joists and sheathing, etc., etc. That's what you've been doing - - patiently, methodically, faithfully - - for over three decades.

President Bush brings a considerable political, intellectual, and spiritual toolbox to this task. We are doubly fortunate that he is a man who says what he means, and means what he says.

At his first post-election press conference, in response to an inquiry, Mr. Bush said, "I told the people on the campaign trail that I'll pick somebody [for the Supreme Court] that knows the difference between personal opinion and the strict interpretation of the law. You might have heard that several times. I meant what I said."

Choosing such men and women would be (so to speak) like adding windows and doors and plumbing and electricity to that rebuilt foundation.

To be sure, this reconstruction project is an immensely complicated enterprise, but we now have the right foreman to go along with the right crew.

As we labor together, we must continually remind ourselves that those whose whole lives have been dedicated to protecting the culture of death will not look kindly on our work. They will sneak back at the end of each day and attempt to tear down what we have built up.

So we must both build and protect. Thankfully, judging by the results, those who have dedicated their lives to the job of saving the lives of unborn children may be further along in their task than we might think.

This edition of the "pro-life newspaper of record" talks about the many successes NRL PAC accomplished the first Tuesday in November: helping President Bush secure a second term, increasing our numbers in the House, and producing a net gain of two in the Senate, to mention just a couple. Never afraid of a good fight, NRL PAC prevailed in 70% of the 40 closely contested House and Senate races it entered by producing the (always ignored) "pro-life increment."

This increment refers to the net advantage pro-life candidates enjoy among voters who vote single-issue on abortion. For example, 8% of the voters surveyed by Wirthlin Worldwide picked abortion as "the most important issue" in casting their ballots this year. Of that 8%, three-quarters (6%) voted for Bush because he was pro-life, while one-quarter (2%) voted for Kerry because he was pro-abortion. That is a net gain of +4% for Mr. Bush. (See story, page 5.)

Please keep in mind that NRL PAC does not pad its track record by entering races where the pro-lifer would have won regardless. No, NRL PAC throws itself into very competitive contests. It goes head-to-head with pro-abortion groups who try to match our grassroots muscle with gobs and gobs of money and a panoply of celebrity endorsements. (See story, page 1.)

The same night I watched the President's press conference I also caught interviews with a team of Newsweek reporters who talked about a special, hot-off-the-presses issue they'd just finished titled, "How He [President Bush] Did It." As it had in the past, Newsweek assigned teams of reporters who accompanied both presidential campaigns. In exchange for information and insights made possible by their unsurpassed access, they would not publish until after the election.

I listened to the (mostly young) reporters discuss the campaign, a discussion which began with an interview of veteran Newsweek Assistant Managing Editor Evan Thomas. Although not mentioned on C-SPAN, Thomas is the author of what quickly became a remarkably candid concession.

In July, referring to what he called the "establishment media," Thomas said, "They're going to portray Kerry and Edwards as being young and dynamic and optimistic and all, there's going to be this glow about them...that's going to be worth maybe 15 points."

What struck me about the Newsweek reporters and their stories was how much attention they paid to campaign managers, media buyers, strategists, chief advisers, the contribution of the candidates' wives, and battle plans to explain Mr. Bush's ultimate victory - - and how little credit they gave to Bush himself. It's as if his team was the cake and Mr. Bush, at best, the frosting.

Nothing could be further from the truth. If we reflect on the non-stop, unprecedented media assault on President Bush, no matter how large the contribution of those around him may have made, Mr. Bush would have been easily trounced had it not been for his own remarkable abilities.

The instant Kerry conceded, the partisan media and a number of hysterically angry Democrats drew the long knives. They will attack Mr. Bush from sunup till sundown - - and then piously turn around to insist that it is the President who is guilty of "partisan politics."

More important, from our perspective, they will try to do what they were unable to accomplish during the campaign: separate President Bush from his natural allies.

Remember that. And remember all that Mr. Bush has already done for unborn babies as, working together with our pro-life President, we continue our patient, unrelenting campaign to build a culture of life with ample room for the littlest Americans.

Dave Andrusko can be reached at dandrusko@nrlc.org.