WASHINGTON – On the day after the New York Post ran a full-page image of his nude wife on its cover, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump signed a pledge to crack down on internet porn.
The Children’s Internet Safety Presidential Pledge, put forward by internet pornography watchdog Enough is Enough, carries no actual weight but draws attention to one aspect of the conservative agenda. Candidates frequently sign such pledges as a public relations tactic but then fail to follow through once elected.
Although most of the pledge’s eight pages are devoted to time-worn and suspicious statistics, hyperbole and impassioned emotional appeals, five points compose the heart of the document. In signing the CISPP, candidates promise to:
“Aggressively enforce” existing child-porn and obscenity laws.
Require schools and public libraries to filter internet porn.
Advance public policies to prevent the sexual exploitation of children.
“Consider appointing” a presidential commission to examine “the harmful public health impact of internet pornography.”
Establish public-private partnerships to “reduce the threat of internet-enabled” child sexual exploitation in corporate America.
According to EiE, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton “refused” to sign the pledge but supports its goals.
Donna Rice Hughes, who founded EiE after undergoing a religious conversion following a scandal that shut down Sen. Gary Hart’s 1988 presidential bid, praised Trump and called Clinton’s support “a step in the right direction.”
“Mr. Trump’s leadership and commitment to uphold the rule of law is demonstrated by his signing of the Children’s Internet Safety Presidential Pledge,” said Hughes, who serves as the organization’s president and chief executive officer. “Making the internet safer for children and families is a critical step in making America safe again.”
According to the pledge, part of the plan to “make America safe again” is appointing an attorney general who will make obscenity prosecution a top priority. Another is funding increased investigation by intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
It’s worth noting the last U.S. Attorney General to “aggressively enforce” obscenity law was arch-conservative George W. Bush appointee John Ashcroft, who famously covered the naked breasts of a sculpture of Blind Justice in the Justice Department’s press room.
Although EiE claims to be non-partisan and does not overtly endorse candidates, the organization publicizes the results of its pledge-signing efforts during each election cycle. This year, the pledge conveniently dovetails with political maneuvering in conservative states like Utah as well as with the 2016 Republican platform. Earlier this year, Utah’s legislature passed a resolution declaring pornography a “public health crisis.” Other states are considering the same move. During July’s Republican National Convention, the party revealed new planks that declare porn not only a crisis, but also a “menace.”
Image via Enough is Enough.
