Democrats Using Transgender Issue to Energize Liberal Voters

According to a new story in Politico, President Obama’s administration is “expected in coming weeks to aggressively reinforce its position that transgender student rights are fully protected under federal law.”

Just last week, Obama’s Justice Department sent a letter to North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory warning him that the state’s controversial “bathroom bill” was in violation of federal anti-discrimination laws. Additionally, the DOJ warned the University of North Carolina that they would risk losing federal funding if they were to enforce the law’s requirements. They government has given North Carolina until Monday, May 9 to respond.

Both UNC officials and the governor have indicated that they will meet the deadline, but we won’t know how they will respond until they make a statement. If Gov. McCrory decides to defend the state’s right to independent rule, North Carolina could find itself in a legal war with the feds.

The really interesting part of the Politico story is that the author actually explains why Obama and the Democrats are suddenly so interested in this issue. In a casual paragraph, they say:

The building political war over transgender rights has drawn vehement protest from the right and exposed and exacerbated simmering tensions within the Republican Party — and proven to be an effective issue for Democrats to use to mobilize their base.

There it is. In other words, Democrats really only care about transgender rights because conservatives oppose these efforts so vigorously. The more conservatives oppose it, the more liberals like it. That’s what it’s all about. That’s what all of it is about. Whenever you see Democrats get behind a “progressive” issue that doesn’t seem to really further their agenda (besides expanding the power of the federal government, of course), this is usually the reason why. A policy doesn’t have to make sense or have any logic to it; that conservatives despise it is good enough.

The completely rational reaction, therefore, would seem to be this: Instead of fighting Democrats on every small “social-justice” issue, we should pick our battles. Let them have their insignificant victories, knowing that the vast majority of Americans are uncomfortable with many of these ultra-liberal policies. Employ a rope-a-dope strategy and let the Democrats hang themselves with their own noose.

Unfortunately, that seemingly-wise strategy doesn’t work. This isn’t elementary school, where you can potentially dissuade a bully by ignoring them. Conservatives get infuriated at their elected representatives for capitulation, and liberals get emboldened by their success. They call themselves progressives for a reason; like sharks, they must always be moving. They win on one issue and then come back with something even more terrifying. Eventually – inevitably – Republicans will find themselves up against a proposal they cannot ignore.

On the other hand, the current strategy – put up loud opposition for a while and then ultimately buckle underneath the pressure – is also ineffective. This strategy delays the worst of liberal encroachment, but that’s hardly a victory worth celebrating.

The problem we have right now is that liberals are trying to get things done and conservatives are just trying to stop them. That’s no longer good enough. We need to begin developing a proactive approach to government. Barack Obama and the far-left wing of the Democratic Party have pushed our country well beyond the acceptable limits of decency, fiscal responsibility, and common sense. They’re driving the ship south and the best Republicans can do is to throw out the anchor once in a while. Until we get serious about actually turning the ship around, we will forever be the so-called “Party of No.”

We will never defeat them as long as we remain on defense.