By Amy Rudolph
Elm Staff Writer
Since springing onto the scene with in-your-face videos slamming millennials and other “whiny groups” almost a year ago, Tomi Lahren has redefined what it means to be a young Republican. Young Republicans were once a simple people who hated big government, and were a group to poke fun at in the “my dad is a lawyer” meme. Thanks to Lahren, however, their image has changed to one of big mouth vocalism about their ideals.
Until recently, Lahren was the GOP’s secret weapon in relating to the youths. But on a March 17 taping of The View, Lahren fell off the wagon a bit and accidentally sounded like a liberal for a second by saying that she supports a woman’s choice to have an abortion.
Those who opposed Lahren before were wondered if maybe she wasn’t a lost, liberal-hating cause. The conservative producers at “The Blaze” who took Lahren from viral video fame to a talking head on a trash network condemned her actions, and many in her ultra-conservative audience wanted her gone.
I supported Lahren when she showed her true feelings and leaned more towards the moderate ideal because for once she wasn’t spewing unadulterated hate speech. I still, however, felt that it was too little too late. Her fan base thought it was too much too late.
“The Blaze” has put effort into making Lahren the poster child for the right. She’s blonde, white, seems educated enough, and can read from a teleprompter. She was on the fast track to becoming the next Megyn Kelly on Fox News.
With her one liberal leaning comment, the house came crashing down.
The reason why I support a woman’s choice to receive an abortion is because she should be able to decide what to do with their bodies and with their futures. A woman should be provided a place to have a safe abortion if she feels that is her only option. A woman should not be forced to carry a baby she does not want or cannot have to term because a politician thousands of miles away says that it is against his beliefs. That is a personal decision, and should remain as such.
Lahren doesn’t hold this liberal view, and called women who get abortions and OBGYNs who perform them “straight up baby killers” on a Dec. 20 episode of her program. Or does she?
On “The View,” she said, “I’m pro choice, and here’s why: I am a constitutional, y’know, someone that loves the Constitution. I’m someone that’s for limited government. So I can’t sit here and be a hypocrite and say I’m for limited government but I think the government should decide what women do with their bodies.”
Why was Lahren all of a sudden abandoning her beliefs and coming out with these fresh new middle-of-the-aisle ideas?
I stand up for Lahren as I do for all women, and think she deserves the right to have her own opinion and make up her mind if she wants to change it. But I don’t think that’s what’s going on here.
I think Lahren saw her future as the alt-right’s golden girl fading away into nothingness post-Women’s March. She saw women fighting for their constitutional right to assemble and determine what happens to their bodies, and if Lahren was really a “constitutional,” she had to get with the program.
I think Lahren is having a bit of an identity crisis, and is just telling people what they want to hear and doesn’t really know what she believes anymore. “The Blaze” is pulling her towards saying ultra conservative things that she may not agree with and the mainstream media like the ladies on “The View” and the people on “Fox News” don’t want her spewing crazy hate speech all day long.
Lahren is stuck in the middle of both sides of her party pulling her towards what they want her to be, and she has to decide what she really wants. We all know that fame can last for just 15 minutes and with ever changing views, she could be in this week and out the next.
That is exactly what happened with “The Blaze.” After her comments, Lahren was on the outs, even if her suspension was only temporary. If her fanbase doesn’t want her back, she’ll have to find someone else to take her in. Maybe, by sharing her real views on abortion, Lahren is padding her dossier with moderate views to make herself more marketable.
Personally, I hope Lahren fades back into internet obscurity, but if she really is basking in the liberal light, we might just have a pussy hat waiting for her when she makes the full transition.