Contraceptives mandate a cynical political ploy

With federal courts issuing preliminary injunctions and over 40 lawsuits nationwide challenging the administration's contraceptives mandate for bludgeoning religious freedom, one has wonder why President Obama took up the fight.

The Obama campaign cleverly calculated that a battle over contraceptives would energize their otherwise lethargic leftist base of single women, abortion supporters and non-religious voters. The campaign actually relished a battle with the Catholic Church and conservatives that they could spin as a "war on women."

What war? Contraception remained legal, cheap and, by the President's own testimony, easily accessible to women. Meanwhile, conscience-driven small business owners and nonprofit charities devoted to translating their faith into help for others suddenly faced millions of dollars in fines for simply declining to pay for pills that can end the life of a developing baby.

That such a cynical political ploy actually swayed a large number of voters is evidence of both a waning commitment to First Amendment rights and the power of simple emotional messages to mesmerize the masses. Americans need to realize that failing to fight to protect the First Amendment rights of all groups and basing our votes on propaganda rather than facts simply invites government tyranny.