Sen. Bob Casey, Jr.’s speech at this year’s Democratic National Convention was supposed to be a breakthrough moment for the Party: in 1992 the Democratic National Convention prohibited Gov. Bob Casey, Sr. from making a pro-life speech. Casey, Jr. blew his chance to make a strong comment about abortion and only offered the standard cliché about promoting the “common good” by seeking “common ground.”
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. never settled for a “common ground” approach to fight racism—he sought to win. Similarly, Gov. Casey did not seek to fight abortion by looking for “common ground”: He knew that the “common ground” could only be achieved by protecting the lives of innocent human beings.
Moreover, when it comes to the issue of human trafficking, the Democratic Party Platform does not seek “common ground”—it wants “strong legislation and enforcement.” But when it comes to abortion, the Party jettisons a legal strategy, offering instead the tired mantra about seeking “common ground.”
Casey should have taken advantage of this opportunity and reassured Catholics that he is firmly pro-life. Instead, Casey dropped the ball.
