As Trump advanced to the White House, commentators closely and regularly monitored the vital signs of the Religious Right. Last night, that pulse started to flatline.
During his first address to a joint session of Congress, the new president avoided any of the hot button issues that regularly animate social conservatives. In 60 minutes, Trump didn't talk marriage and he didn't breathe a word about abortion. Those omissions were deliberate, chances are.
The Trump White House appears completely uninterested in waging the culture wars that defined the last sixteen years. That doesn't just mean a major realignment among the Republican Party, it also represents a potential shift in national politics. Pundits would call this a pivot. In reality, it's more like a giant aircraft carrier turning on a dime.
Think back to the prime time addresses of the last two presidents. While Presidents Bush and Obama were diametrically opposed, they had one thing in common. Both were happy culture warriors, who used their bully pulpit to advance social causesalbeit in opposite directions.
When Obama talked to Congress, it almost sounded like he was reading from a Think Progress newsletter. And Bush wasn't much different. He hardly ever passed up a primetime opportunity to permanently brand Republicans as the anti-abortion party. Six of his eight State of the Union addresses mentioned the right to life.
And the Texas president was never subtle. In his first State of the Union after winning re-election, Bush absolutely hammered social issues. For voicing his support of "a constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage," Bush got a standing ovation from Republicans. In less than three minutes, the GOP caucus was back on its feet applauding Bush's words about "striving to build a culture of life."
Those social conservative crowd pleasers were often the bread and butter of Bush's messaging. But last night that base was left hungry when Trump didn't mention their favorite culture fights. So far his rhetoric has mirrored his policy.
Despite the warnings broadcast from the left, Trump isn't coming for women's birth control or gay couples' marriage licenses. Sure, he has reinstated the Mexico City policy and withdrawn Obama's bathroom directives. But otherwise, Trump has taken a hands-off approach. Vice President Mike Pence summed up this new federalism when he told Focus on the Family's James Dobson that many controversies "can be resolved with common sense at the local level."
What's all of this mean? It means the culture wars will rage on, but the White House will be sitting it out.
Also from the Washington Examiner
The White House ruffled CNN anchor Jake Tapper after Vice President Mike Pence was made available for several interviews Wednesday but not with the network the administration fights with the most.
In a Twitter message that morning, Tapper suggested the White House was being petty.
"'Trivial fights' should be 'behind us,'" Tapper wrote, quoting a piece from Trump's joint session speech from the night before, "but hours later White House offers Vice President Pence interviews to every major U.S. TV broadcaster except CNN."
Sure enough, Pence's official schedule did include several interviews, including with NBC, ABC and CBS.
03/01/17 2:55 PM
Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
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Republican Rebranding: Trump completely skips social issues - Washington Examiner