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I’m pro choice and lifetime liberal (not woke) Democrat but I actually can get behind some of Vance’s pro family talking points along with other signs that the GOP is moving past ‘starve the beast’ domestic policy + neoconservatism foreign policy. But the problem is it’s all bullshit. GOP had total control of government from 2017-2019 and the only accomplishments were judges and a huge unfunded tax cut for the rich.

In the past 3.5 years GOP had an opportunity to cross the aisle on useful pro family legislation, perhaps combining elements of the Romney plan + student debt relief, partly funded with modest tax increases on the wealthy (anyone remember carried interest). Instead it was a return to McConnell’s strategy from the Obama years— accomplish nothing so you can blame the (non) accomplishments on POTUS.

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The Republican party doesn't exist. Obama called their bluff by offering compromises. They had no interest. Now here we are in 2024, an idiot can get published by CNN for ad revenue by scolding a man who dedicated his life to public service for not recognizing his limits.

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The fundamental social issue with abortion is that it places culpability/responsibility of a child on the mother. People get that pregnancy can happen in consensually grey and "oops" situations. If abortion is legal now the woman is expected to make a socially responsible choice with respect to having the child. The social position is the grandparents and man involved goes from one of social support "we'll make this happen" to social pressure "we're not ready". Social institutions similarly adopt against unexpected motherhood. While some people are indeed not ready, others would mature find themselves ready if they had support of family and culture. Perfect becomes the enemy of the good and you get low fertility rates and extended adolescence. None of this changes with pro-family branding.

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