Guest post by JD Rucker: Why Life is at the Forefront for the Federalist Party - Granite Grok

Guest post by JD Rucker: Why Life is at the Forefront for the Federalist Party

The Declaration of Independence conspicuously listed life as an unalienable right. It’s impossible to know for certain how the founders would weigh in on the modern abortion debate, but the Federalist Party holds to the idea that protecting life at all stages is a self-evident truth.

The opportunities to write about this to the nation as well as directly to the people of New Hampshire that GraniteGrok serves are greatly appreciated. As such, we chose life as one of three core issues to discuss specifically because we feel New Hampshire is a microcosm of America. There are strongly polarized groups on both sides present in the “Live Free or Die” state just as there are diverse perspectives at every level in between. Since abortion is as much a cultural issue as it is a political one, we see it bridging the gap between pro-lifers on both sides of the political spectrum. The key is making sure the messaging is aligned with the Constitution in order to stay true to our other core beliefs of reining in the federal government and defending our freedoms.

The right to live is granted to all Americans who choose to accept it. For those who are unable to express their choice, the Federalist Party stands for them. Babies in the womb have no voice to tell of their desire to live any more than a 3-month-old baby does. The question then becomes a matter of time and development; when do American and human rights begin? When does the “living person” clock start? Since any judgment declaring when life starts is arbitrary and impossible to definitively prove, we must take the safest stance of life beginning at conception.

That doesn’t mean we will be militant with overreaching declarations from DC when we represent enough of the governing body to decide. As small-government Federalists, we want issues pertaining to health care to be handled by the states, medical professionals, and most importantly the individuals affected. At a national level we would want to reverse Roe v. Wade and allow individual precedents to be argued from a Constitutional basis as new state legislation is challenged and escalated. As a nation, we must demonstrate an appreciation for the sanctity of life. The only Constitutional way to approach it is to let states legislate the details. From there, challenges can and often will escalate to the Supreme Court. As imperfect as the system is, it’s the only way to protect life without opening the door for future decrees from an oppressive anti-life governing body if ever one is allowed to arise again.

Some will say that the GOP and other parties also demonstrate pro-life tendencies. It’s in their platform, right? While this is partially true, we’ve seen very few indications that they will push the boundaries with appropriate levels of action. They’ve gone after Planned Parenthood which is a good thing, but it’s an infinitesimal action when the problem is viewed holistically. As important as defunding Planned Parenthood is, it will not save lives. Planned Parenthood will use defunding as a way to raise tremendous amounts of money to expand their operations. They should be defunded as an economic accountability issue, but we shouldn’t expect doing so to prevent a single abortion in America.

This isn’t an issue that can be put on the backburner. Every day, more Americans are dying before they’re even born. A truly pro-life party would have begun work on this issue on day one of the legislative session. While there are good Republicans in office who hold life sacred, the majority of national party leaders and DC politicians view it as a campaign issue and fundraising tool. We’ve seen limited results on the pro-life front since they took charge of the House and Senate. This is unacceptable because abortion is time-sensitive. Every day spent waiting to act means more pre-born babies dying. Each day that pro-life Americans wait and hope for action from the GOP is another day spent being strung along.

The Federalist Party has four advantages over pre-existing pro-life third parties:

  • Our strategy is to build from the local level up. We want Federalist city councils, mayors, school boards, and state legislators just as much as we want Federalist Senators and a President. Other third parties tend to focus on wasting money and effort on big races they have no chance of winning. We will never run in a race we have no realistic expectation to win, nor will we ever play the “spoiler” or seek the “protest vote.” We’re not here to make a point. We’re here to make an impact.
  • Most third parties have seen nothing but failure for at least a quarter century. Being new and growing rapidly has invigorated a base of small-government-minded Federalists that have us on pace to be the fourth (and possibly third) largest party in America by June, 2018.
  • There hasn’t been a moment when the people are as ripe for change since the 19th century. Both major parties and most third parties have disenfranchised large portions of their membership. The people are sick of broken promises, unnecessary compromises, and an incessant status quo that seems to draw in the vast majority of politicians once they become immersed in DC’s country club environment. We are taking advantage of this angst by being in the right place at the right time.
  • Technology. We are making up so much ground on other older parties because unlike any time in history, we have social media, podcasts, texting (*cough* text FEDERALIST to 53445 for updates *cough*) and other venues through which we can spread the word rapidly instead of hanging flyers in the laundromat as some third parties are still doing today.

It’s difficult to suspend disbelief and embrace a new third party considering all the failures other parties have had. The majority do not believe third parties can make an impact so they’re often unwilling to step out for them. We know we’re going against this majority, but we look to a precedent for guidance. Had the patriots of 1776 listened to the majority, we wouldn’t have broken free from Britain when we did.

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