Republicans are beating liberals at their own game of fighting 'for the children'

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"For the children" has been one of the most used phrases in politics for decades, often in support of liberal policies. But lately, it's become the defining characteristic of arguments made by social conservatives.

After all, social conservatives want everything from the tax code to the design of the welfare state to make it easier for adults to have children. Their arguments for the Florida parental rights bill and state-level transgender athletes legislation focus on protecting children from premature conversations about sex and perceived fairness in youth sports. The doomed case against Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson hinged on her child pornography sentencing record. And of course, many Republicans entered politics in the first place to prevent what they regard as the legal killing of unborn children in the womb by abortion.

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W. James Antle III

W. James Antle III is the politics editor of the Washington Examiner, the former editor of The American Conservative, and author of Devouring Freedom: Can Big Government Ever Be Stopped?.