Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-San Bernardino, has worked his way up the Democratic Party ranks to serve as chair of the House Democratic Caucus.
It’s a position that speaks to Aguilar’s skill as a politician, but it also means that Aguilar is frequently in the position of being a partisan talking point machine.
Consider, for example, his recent remarks on Wednesday marking the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood.
“House Democrats are fighting to restore reproductive freedom for every American; House Republicans are marching towards a national abortion ban,” he said during a press conference, continuing later.
Of course, Aguilar no doubt knows that a national abortiona ban isn’t actually on the agenda of his rival party. Last year, CNN reported on where House Republicans actually stood on the idea of such a ban: “In interviews with dozens of Republicans, the vast majority — even among the staunchest opponents of abortion — rejected the idea of Congress pursuing a national ban and said leadership has no plans on the horizon for it to be a centerpiece of their agenda.”
And Aguilar probably knows that the leader of the GOP, former President Donald Trump, has repeatedly spoken against a national abortion ban. Just last week, Trump responded on the All-In Podcast to the the question of whether he would support a national ban, to which he responded, “No I wouldn’t support a national ban….No I would not,” explained that abortion should be left to the states and that he supported exceptions for cases of rape, incest and the life of the mother.Aguilar sought to similarly stir up the same level of hysteria to smear Republicans as indifferent to the problem of gun violence, saying, “Republicans continue to put guns over kids. They continue to turn a blind eye to the hundreds of families who have lost loved ones in senseless acts of violence.”
This sort of exaggerated talk accomplishes what, exactly? It heightens political tension and makes those with different views out to be monsters. But does it accomplish anything? Does it persuade anyone of anything?
No, but it shows Aguilar is committed to being just another partisan politician.
