What do abortion, Gov. Bruce Rauner of IL, and Donald Trump have in common? More than you might think.
Following the impeachment and criminal prosecution of the former Governor of IL, Democrat Rod Blagojevich, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn assumed the governorship in 2009. Even though he would later be elected on his own merits in 2010, Quinn’s close connection to Blagojevich cost him his reelection in 2014 when he lost to Rauner, a Republican.
The Rauner campaign wasn’t without its warts—one local newspaper even considered him more of an Independent than a Republican—but the voters of IL were clamoring for change following the culture of corruption and incompetence they had come to know. Everyone, including pastors, small businesses, veterans, and even the liberal media endorsed Rauner for being a successful businessman, and being “not Quinn.”
Unfortunately, choosing Rauner as the lesser of two evils still resulted in evil.
Last week, the Republican governor signed SB1565 into law. Under this legislation, which could have been defeated with a veto, the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience—a law that protected the Constitutional rights of medical professionals and pregnancy health centers for refusing to provide abortions or abortion-related birth control for religious reasons—was changed, in essence, to promote abortion without regard to an individual’s religious freedom.
In the end, the law requires medical professionals in all capacities to go against their deeply held religious conscience by referring patients for abortions, along with counseling patients on what the legislation calls the “benefits” of abortion.
So, what does this have to do with Donald Trump, you ask? Rauner’s situation is the mirror image of the Trump campaign.
- Rauner was a wealthy businessman with no political experience; a political unknown. Trump is a wealthy businessman, supposedly, with no political experience; a political unknown.
- Rauner ran as an outsider. Trump is running as an outsider.
- Rauner is a big-spending, big government politician, particularly when it comes to infrastructure. Trump is also a big spending, big government politician, who just yesterday pledged to spend at least double the amount Hillary Clinton has pledged to spend on infrastructure.
- Rauner ignored social issues and ran to the left of conservatives. Trump ignores social issues and is running left of Bernie Sanders.
- As the pro-abortion bill shows, Rauner ignores the Constitution for political benefit. Trump is on record as targeting the First Amendment and Second Amendment in order to restrict freedom of the press, freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. Of course, Trump would have to know the Constitution in order to ignore it.
But the biggest parallel between the two? The primary reason Rauner gave IL voters to vote for him was that he was “not Quinn.” Trump and the Trumpettes say that the primary reason to vote for Trump is that he’s “not Hillary.”
Charles Spurgeon once said, “Of two evils, choose neither.” Good advice, because in the end, as Gov. Rauner and Donald Trump shows us, when we choose the lesser of the two evils, we still get evil.
David Leach is the owner of The Strident Conservative, your source for opinion that’s politically-incorrect and always “right.” His articles can also be found on RedState.com.
His daily radio commentary is nationally syndicated with Salem Radio Network and can be heard on stations across America.
