Street Roots • August 18-24, 2017
News
Page 7
known as Operation Save America, 25 years
after it drew 25,000 people to a pro-life rally in
Wichita, Kan. (That rally was followed by
abortion clinic bombings and assassinations.)
You wrote: “Whereas the 1991 Sum m er of
Mercy paralyzed the city o f Wichita, the 2016
protests often dissipated by lunchtime. ” Why is
it that while the rescue movement’s numbers
are shrinking, its political influence appears
to be increasing at the same time?
RIGHT W IN G , fro m page 5
talking about major tax cuts, so that
dynamic is still happening; it’s just
overshadowed by the Trump show.
E.G.: There seem to be a lot o f different
right-wing factions - from the pro-life and anti-
LG BTQ movement to the militias, white
nationalists and anti-immigrant movements.
Are you seeing that these groups are coming
together in a cohesive way, or are we still
looking a t a bunch o f splintered fringe groups?
M.B.: I don’t know that they’re all still
fringe groups. Political alliances can always
be a little strange, and I think that, for
instance, the alliance between the pro-life
movement and the anti-immigration
movement has always been kind of weird in
that they have very different values - but
they’ve found the same politicians to
champion them.
I think they’re coming together in new
ways. Everyone still has their areas of
priority, but you see Christian right leaders
or evangelical leaders who have been, up
until now, all about virtue in the public
square, backing Trump and de facto allying
themselves with vicious racist movements
that are also backing Trump. These people
might not see eye to eye, but they’ve found
common ground in a president who has
promised to help them and advance their
goals.
E.G.: Are there any right-wing players or
organizations that you think have more
potential fo r damage than they’re getting credit
for right now in the media? Are we
underestimating any potential threats?
M.B.: Where to begin! The influence of
conservative evangelicals has been reported,
but I don’t think it’s fully understood how
much influence they have in that Trump has
handed over some major areas to the
movement. He’s basically promised these
folks, who have been working to remake the
federal courts, that he’ll remake the federal
P H O T O B Y M IK E SEG AR/REUTERS
Donald Trump appears at a Sept. 17, 2016, campaign event in Houston with members o f The
Remembrance Project, a group that recognizes Americans killed by undocumented immigrants.
courts with people who are not only friendly
Childhood Arrivals). I think that’s something
to keep an eye on - that these groups aren’t
to corporate causes, but hostile to LGBTQ
going to let Trump get
rights and hostile to
away with not doing
"Y ou see C h ristia n rig h t
reproductive rights.
That’s one of the biggest leaders o r e va n g e lica l lead that.
(Tanton founded and
influences a president
ers who h a w heenf up « u til
funded the Federation for
can have, and he’s mostly nowr a ll about v irtu e In
American Immigration
ceded that to the
the p u b lic sgnare? b a ckin g Reform, the Center for
religious right.
It’s also worth keeping T ra m p and de la c to a lly in g Immigration Studies and
U.S. Inc. These groups
themselves w ith vicio u s
an eye on the anti-
immigration movements.
have strong ties to local
anti-immigrant group,
Oregonians for
Immigration Reform. You
can read more about
them in the 2016 report
“The Anti-Immigrant
Lobby: The White
Nationalist Roots o f the
Organizations Fighting
Immigration, ” at
rightwingwatch.org.)
r a c is t m o v e m e n ts th a t a re
There are a handful of
also b a c k in g Tramp« These
groups founded by a
people m ig h t not see eye to
Michigan activist named
eye, b u t tb e /v e io n n d com
John Tanton, who has
m on g ro u n d in a president
expressed some white
who has prom ised to help
nationalist thoughts,
them and advance th e ir
expressed interest in
eugenics, and he created g o a ls,"
the anti-immigration
w o raw ba b l u e
movement as it exists
today. These groups are
E.G.: I wanted to ask you about your report
happy with some of what Trump’s done, but
“Return to Wichita.” You examined the return
they are really pushing hard for him to end
of the rescue movement, a pro-life organization
the DACA program (Deferred Action for
o
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M.B.: Operation Save America had its big
national event this year in Louisville, Ky.,
where there is one remaining abortion clinic
in the state. They protested in front of this
clinic and actually tried to block its doors to
keep people from entering, but they also
have been working behind the scenes to talk
with state lawmakers in a number of states.
They met privately with Matt Bevin, who is
the governor of Kentucky, to push this idea
that state governments should just ignore
federal laws on abortion rights. There’s no
evidence that Bevin has listened to them, in
taking it that far, but he has also been
working on his end to try and close this
remaining clinic through the enforcement of
TRAP laws: targeted restriction on abortion
providers.
I think you see that dynamic happening in
a lot of places where you have these more
outwardly extrem e people protesting in
fr o n t o f t h e c lin ic s , m a k in g a s c e n e an d
making it really uncomfortable for women
going into the clinics, but you also have
legislators who are trying to close down
abortion providers in using targeted
legislation and the courts. They are two
sides of one coin. I don’t know if I’d say the
rescue movement has become more
influential over recent years, but I’d say that
it’s seeing some of its goals being achieved,
whether or not they’re the ones who are
making the difference.
emily@streetroots. org
Follow on Twitter @greenwrites