Normal, sane people would if at all possible dodge a bullet instead of standing in its path. Not the Republicans in the Arizona legislature however. Nope. They seem to believe the bullet(s) will bounce off, or maybe like Neo in The Matrix they can stop them mid-air with their minds and casually brush them aside. You’re no doubt familiar with the the Arizona Supreme Court’s reviving an 1864 law that not only outlaws all abortions, but imprisons providers and recipients of the procedure. They had a choice of upholding a lesser abortion restriction passed in 2022, or making the draconian 1864 law enforceable and chose the latter option. Yesterday a measure to repeal that 1864 law was proposed, and GOPers said no way. They REFUSED to take the off-ramp!’
In the Arizona House while a REPUBLICAN was introducing a measure to repeal the 1864 law (reinstating I guess the less drastic 2022 one) another GOPer stood up and interrupted with a motion to adjourn. The Chair wasted no time taking up THAT motion. Watch for yourself, and listen carefully to the shameful manner in which the vote to adjourn passed:
The Chair asks for “Ayes” (to adjourn) and got some (didn’t seem like a lot to me at least) and then in as shameful and cowardly manner as possible in an instant and as quickly as he could said: “All opposed vote no ayes have it so ordered.” If you pay close attention it only took literally a second for him to say that and gavel the adjournment He was starting to band the gavel even before he got to the “so orderd” part! With the session adjourned no one could call for a recorded vote (if their rules allow it) so I for one can understand the shouts of SHAME! that rose up from so many present. Naturally, the forced birth freaks are all butt-hurt about being challenged. Your can read more about it in this article by the Associated Press.
Over in the Arizona Senate the Chair simply refused to consider taking up any debate on the matter so it was perhaps a bit less outrageous in procedure but the result was just as outrageous. The GOP controlled Arizona legislature had an instant gift of an off-ramp materialize, created by some of their fellow Republicans even but the hard core anti-abortion fanatics weren’t about to allow it to be used. Party leaders starting with Trump urged them to deal with this and right away, saying the 1864 law was too extreme. Trump himself said they (the Arizona legislature) would fix it. Senate candidate Kari Lake who used to advocate for exactly what the state Supreme Court did, make the old law the law enforced in the state backtracked after the ruling and said it went too far.
Gee, you think many Republicans both in Arizona and nationally wanted the legislature to immediately repeal that old, draconian law? I chose the title pic for a reason. I’m a senior citizen and remember the good old days of Saturday morning cartoons, and old Yosemite Sam sometimes getting a turn, indiscriminately blasting away with his pistols. The GOP has, when it comes to abortion been that cartoon character blasting away due to the Dobbs decision and they keep shooting themselves in the foot!
I’m also struck by this: In what seems now like a lifetime but in reality was only a month ago the state of Alabama found itself dealing unintended consequences from the Dobbs Ruling when their own state Supreme Court declared life begins at conception and frozen embryos are people. The uproar was instantaneous and while it leaves many issues to be addressed the Alabama legislature swiftly passed a law exempting IVF from the practical consequences of their state’s Supreme Court ruling. That folks was only a month ago! Republicans keep hoping that abortion as a political issue that can influence elections will die down, and boy was there all kind of outpouring of GOP support for Alabama “fixing” a mess.
It’s still a problem for the GOP but I’m sure most in that Party were hoping that the swift action in Alabama reduced their problem to manageable proportions. And now this. Yet another state Supreme Court issues yet another WTF? decision. But THIS time does a Republican controlled legislature swiftly step in to mitigate the impact of a “I can’t believe the judges did that” ruling? Oh hell no! They defiantly say f**k you to voters in their state and voters, even Republican ones nationally. Yes, even many Republicans are unhappy about the Dobbs decision and what it’s led to.
You want to hear something weird? Arizona voters actually have a pre-Dobbs history of being accepting of abortion. It’s a red state to be sure. Has been my entire life. And no one was more iconic that Barry Goldwater. He might have gotten creamed by LBJ in 1964 but until Trump came along he was often talked about as having planted the seeds of what we know as the Reagan Revolution and limited government. What many don’t realize is that Goldwater’s brand of conservatism had a strong libertarian bent. When he talked about limited government he meant in all ways, not just low taxes and limited regulation. He also meant keeping the government out of personal decisions, including abortion.
Goldwater despised Reagan’s cozying up to “Christian” conservatives. He believed it was an unholy alliance and openly said so. I don’t know how to add images to the text of a post or I’d show the memes themselves but for starters, Goldwater said once:
“The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both. I’m frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me…That if I want to be a moral person I must believe A, B, C, and D. Just who the hell do they think they are?”
There’s another meme that is particularly striking, the text of which says:
“Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the Party, and they’re sure trying to so so, it’s going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can’t and won’t compromise. I know, I’ve tried to deal with them”
This mind you is from the man who for much of my life was Arizona’s favorite son, even after McCain became (at one time) so popular. On abortion he didn’t think the decision was any of the government’s damn business and again was willing to say so. He even at one point gave indications his own daughter had had one and he and his wife supported her. He’d later muddy that a bit, but I suspect not over fear of backlash but stubborn principles about something so personal being, well personal.
I also saw last night a reference to a Governor’s race out in Arizona. No, not the recent one but one from two decades or so back. I was doing two things at once so I didn’t catch the details but it seems in red Arizona the issue of abortion had become a big issue in a Governor’s race and the Democrat pulled off a (narrow) upset win, and abortion rights (as in access to) was the deciding factor. Then we have the 2022 election in the wake of Dobbs and the legislature passing their 15 week law/ban. Clearly, not just polling but actual voting at the polls proves Arizonans believe in fairly broad access to abortion.
As with the election denialism that’s still rampant in the statehouse, the GOP legislators are out of touch with their constituents. And the rest of the country. They had Republicans including the bigliest of them all practically BEGGING them to repeal that 1864 law. I’d imagine a lot more was going on behind the scenes to get them to listen to reason. And yesterday Arizona’s GOP legislators (most of them) told everyone to f**k off.
We’ll see what happens next week or whenever they reconvene. I’m not hopeful for Arizonans, but it looks for sure like the voters WILL have their say come November with a ballot issue to enshrine abortion rights into the state’s Constitution. Such measures will be on a lot of ballots this fall and so far abortion rights are winning every time. And not a one has been a close vote. The ARE sane Republicans out there working to elect Republicans who are cringing. Alabama gave them some hope, a way to try and make a claim of being willing to compromise. Arizona GOPers have just taken it away, and even if they wind up backing down the damage is done.
Trump is already learning the hard way that there’s no compromising with anti-abortion zealots. Many are furious with him for advocating a repeal of that 1864 law. It the big name Evangelicals start trashing him he’s done. He knows it and that’s why he’s flailing about the past couple of days. He’s a drowning man and he’s not being thrown life preservers but instead anchors. The same is true for a lot of GOP candidates.
I think it’s safe to say that between now and November, every time GOP firefighters think they’ve gained control of the abortion fire their Party created, some asshat zealot or group of them (like a legislature that wants to be seen as THE most hard core anti-abortion people in the land) will dump gasoline on it.
Keep dumping gas on the fire, dimwits. You’ll deserve every single vote against your insane policies. Unfortunately, in the time between now and November, women and families will suffer. Damn you guys!!!
Libertarianism, if rand paul is a good example, no longer wants government out of a woman’s uterus or out of any other healthcare decision she might wish to make. Of course if government wants to keep our environment/country habitable, keep old ladies from having to eat cat food, keep folks healthy-oh f*ck no, can’t have that.
I don’t want anyone thinking I am supportive of Libertarianism. On the contrary. It’s the foundation of the larger GOP’s “I got mine, YOU can go f**k off” philosophy. Or as Obama called it “You’re on your own.” Except these people are quick to hold out their hand for government help when THEY need it. Not just in cases of natural disaster either. People overlook that a couple of decades before the financial meltdown in 2008 we had the Savings & Loan crisis in the 1980s that threatened enormous damage to the economy. RICH people, Republicans/conservatives sure as hell wanted government money and in massive amounts both times. It crystalized a philosophy that was referred to “privatize profits, socialize losses” that they don’t want anyone to remember. But it’s there. Hell, good ole “Christian” WalMart became the giant it is by paying it’s workers crap wages for so long, with minimal or no benefits for most of it’s workers in the stores. They counted on government to step in with Medicaid for their low income workers (which as I said was most of them) and other assistance like SNAP benefits.
There’s much that I can find fault with when it comes to Goldwater but at least he was consistent and stuck to basics when it came to his Libertarian beliefs. He was disgusted by the culture wars being engineered by “Christians” and too many fellow lawmakers too afraid to stand up to them and as I said spoke out quite a bit in his later years. He’d be both pissed off and horrified to see how it turned out far, far worse than even he predicted. He’d want to take to the skies in his old bomber (he was a brave one during WWII) and drop bombs on the mega churches and lavish homes of “Christian” Evangelical leaders. And right wing think tanks given what places like even the Heritage Foundation have become.
Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Go at it GOP, make yourselves electorally irrelevant.
Now, like the weathervane they follow, they are spinning their evil. Hell, even the Devil’s spawn leading the house is framing Jan6th like a tour where some folks were just walking around. They are like murder suspects caught on video who keep claiming they had nothing to do with it.
Perhaps they were talking about our Democratic Governor Janet Napolitano. She was elected Arizona’s first female Attorney General in 1998 and elected twice as Governor. President Obama named her 1st female Secretary of Homeland Security in 2003. While serving she created a firestorm when she provided information to Obama regarding the danger of our home grown terrorist. The media got word of her warning and it created a full on Republican melt down! But as we can all see today her prophecy was spot on!!!
Goldwater also said of gays serving in the military, that your didn’t need to be straight,just shoot straight to be in the armed forces. I suspect he would have more in common with Dems these days that the GOP.