Abortion Ban: An Opportunity?
/By Don Varyu
May 3, 2022
A leaked draft from the Supreme Court shows that the radical right is about to realize a dream a half century in the making: abortion will be banned. Initially, this ruling will apply only to states which vote for it. But there is widespread expectation that this will soon be followed by a federal mandate affecting all states.
Unsurprisingly, this reveals the outright lies and hypocrisy which continue fueling the lunatic right. At least three Supreme Court nominees lied about their views on the sanctity of Roe v. Wade during their confirmation process—and this characterization comes not just from the left, but also from Republican senators, as well.
Then, the hypocrisy. After gay marriage was legalized by the court, GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell said this was wrong, and that the decision should be left to the will of people. Somehow, there was no immediate demand from McConnell that in this case the court should also step aside and simply follow the will of the people on abortion; no doubt because Roe has the support of three in five Americans. To McConnell, apparently the will of the people is sort of a sometimes thing.
All of the current outrage is justified. But no one’s betting it will have any impact on the final vote by the court later this spring.
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However, there is the potential for a silver lining in this thundercloud. It has to do with how the Democrats choose to use this moment and formulate their wider proposition. The Dems have been wrestling on how to get voters’ minds off of inflation. It has seemed impossible. But have they now been presented with a chance?
Maybe yes.
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The assessment of modern American politics is painfully simple. Democrats want to empower people and give them things (even, at times, at exorbitant cost.) Republicans only want to give things to the rich, and take away everything else.
The power of that last phrase— “take away everything else”--is enormous. Simply look at what the GOP wants to take away:
Voting rights and equal representation for eligible voters
Medical coverage
Abortion and reproduction rights
The move to clean energy
Parental rights to have a voice on what’s taught in public schools
Freedom from religious indoctrination in schools
Add to that the takeaways from a plan hatched by Republican National Senatorial Committee chairman Rick Scott that would, among other things:
Sunset all federal laws every five years; that would suggest both Social Security and Medicare would be up from grabs
Cut the federal government workforce by 25%
Increase taxes on the lower half of American workers
Transfer as many federal programs as possible to the infinite wisdom of individual states
“Protect...God’s will”: the nuclear family
No law or program will, “…reward people for being unmarried.”
There’s more. but there’s no need to dig deeper into the lunacy. What this represents is an opportunity. What the draft abortion ruling signals more than anything else is that we’ve reached the end game for the far right. There is no more evasion or shame. They are all-in. They’ve pushed all their chips into the middle of the table, and if they win, they take everything—for at least a generation.
And if they lose, for them nothing is really lost.
Inflation is the yoke around Biden's neck. He needs a "hail Mary." And maybe he's got one. All this outrage can set a fire that activates ALL Democrats--and wakes up the majority of independents, as well.
Tell voters, "any vote for any Republican running for any office will make things much worse. You don't think they won't take stuff away from you, too?"
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