2020 watch: Dems Will Repeat 2016’s Abortion Blunder

Not too long ago, Democrats still showed a modicum of moderation on abortion. But now that the party has adopted a Planned Parenthood-approved hard line, “the decision to vote ‘no’ on the Democrats and on their agenda just got a whole lot easier,” says Noemie Emery at The Washington Examiner. When Democrats were more willing to compromise on the issue, they were “appeasing the base while giving those who dissent leeway enough to vote for them anyhow.” But starting with Hillary Clinton’s run in 2016, they removed that leeway — and lost the overall Catholic vote to Trump. “What 2016 proved is that people will vote for someone they don’t like if the opposition is made to seem less attractive,” notes Emery. And with their candidates now taking an even more uncompromising stance on abortion, 2020 may yield a similar result.

Religion beat: Trouble Brewing for Christians in India

Last week, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi “rode a wave of nationalism” to reelection in “the world’s largest democracy,” notes John Allen Jr. of Crux. Modi’s roots in a right-wing Hindu nationalism and his emphasis on Hinduism as a defining trait of what it means to be Indian “raises pressing questions about the future for religious minorities in one of the world’s emerging superpowers,” Allen worries. India has been the site of an increasing number of anti-Christian attacks, with some states plagued by “chronic complaints that police and prosecutors are slow to investigate offenses committed against Christians by Hindu radicals.” Growing intolerance in India represents a tragic departure from the country’s “aspirations of both democracy and religious tolerance.” Catholic leaders in India, Allen concludes, should remind their country of its best values and sound that alarm over rising Hindu chauvinism.

Political scientist: UFOs Are No Joke

UFOs are associated with conspiracy theories and paranoia. But The Washington Post’s Daniel Drezner sees a “subtle shift” in the media coverage of ­recent years. He points out that the definition of an unidentified flying object does not necessitate alien activity. The Defense Department confirmed a military program tasked with cataloguing UFOs in 2017, and last week pilots confirmed sightings of a mysterious aircraft that took place in November. “What appears to be happening is that official organs of the state are now acknowledging that UFOs exist, even if they are not using the acronym,” says ­Drezner. Recognizing the existence of UFOs as they are literally defined, he suggests, could lead to serious consideration that they might be a product of extraterrestrial life. We’ve already taken the first step. Drezner asks: “What happens to our understanding of the universe if great powers meet that second one?”

Gossip: Behind Serena’s French Open Stunts

“Last year, Serena Williams caused controversy with her ‘Wakanda-inspired’ catsuit at the French Open,” recalls The Spectator’s anonymous gossip columnist, Cockburn. “This year, eager to outdo herself, the 37-year-old tennis champion wore a zebra patterned outfit emblazoned with the words, ‘Queen,’ ‘Goddess,’ ‘Mother,’ and ‘Champion.’ ” Cockburn has no trouble with the last two labels, but the first two are just too much. Cockburn muses: “It seems that, for Williams, winning tournaments isn’t enough. She must be talked about, and turning her tournament persona into a statement about racism, sexism and social justice is one way to do that. But Cockburn thinks “it’s less about social justice, more about showing off.”

Libertarian: Boycotts Can Stop Social Censorship

There’s been much coverage lately of arbitrary and ideological censorship on social-media platforms, observes Reason’s Nick Gillespie. Less noticed is how “high-profile individuals and companies” are “deleting their accounts in response to what they see as unfair, unethical or misguided behavior.” That’s what the exercise program CrossFit did last week after “Facebook deleted without warning or explanation the Banting7DayMealPlan user group,” as the company put it in a statement. “In the best of all worlds, such actions wouldn’t be necessary,” writes Gillespie. “But that isn’t the world we live in, so CrossFit’s public excoriation of Facebook serves an important corrective function.”

— Compiled by Ashley Allen and Sohrab Ahmari