You can always tell which way the GOP wind is blowing by watching Fox News. That’s the weathervane. So it’s curious in the extreme that a major legal decision went into effect yesterday, the Texas abortion ban, and Fox is apparently looking for the equivalent of Dr. Suess to broadcast stories about, because abortion is not their priority.
Seven hours later, and "abortion" still hasn't been mentioned on Fox News since the 5am hour https://t.co/TloKsYXqHG
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 2, 2021
They don’t want to touch it with a ten foot pole. Here’s the best analysis I’ve read so far on why that is. Texas and the GOP’s crowing crown prince, Greg Abbott, just put the party in a hell of a spot.
… will cost them seats all over the country. Pro-choice Republican women, and there are plenty, already uneasy after the insurrection and covid policies, will cross over in 2022. It won’t be a huge number, but it won’t take that many to flip close races.
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) September 2, 2021
This is an example of what they saying to each other. Those who care about winning elections. pic.twitter.com/FbcE2K6JDw
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) September 2, 2021
I think that this is the mainstream GOP reasoning now, that it’s not a good idea to have this flame into controversy. However, there are the usual far right GOP governors who are jumping right on the bandwagon. There is a substantial faction of the GOP that wants to go back to the Middle Ages and you know who’s at the vocal forefront, just who you would expect.
Desantis: “I’m pro-life. I welcome pro-life legislation. The science has been very powerful on this.” pic.twitter.com/Qpaz5Y9yAv
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) September 2, 2021
If you have any idea what he’s talking about, “the science,” please let me know. Science has now figured out all the theological arguments about when life begins, when a collection of cells actually becomes a person? Did I miss this? I guess I don’t hear the same voices in my head as Ron DeSantis does in his.
And then Kristi Noem will not be outdone. She is inspired by the draconian ruling in Texas to make her state the most backward of them all. Sioux Falls Argus Leader:
“Following the Supreme Court’s decision to leave the pro-life (Texas) law in place, I have directed the Unborn Child Advocate in my office to immediately review the new (Texas) law and current South Dakota laws to make sure we have the strongest pro life laws on the books in (South Dakota),” Noem said in a statement posted to social media Thursday. […]
This spring, Noem told the Argus Leader she’s an absolutist when it comes to her pro-life stance, desiring a complete ban on abortion without exceptions for rape or incest.
Noem is an absolutist. So Texas may be relative Hell, but South Dakota will soon be absolute Hell. Good to know.
In any event, you can see the way the battle lines are being drawn. The far right is jumping in and whatever is left of the old school GOP is saying oh oh and sitting back, not getting involved.
Let’s see what Fox News continues to do or not do. That will be most instructive.
Let his daughter be kidnapped, gang raped, & left pregnant. I will bet both of my testicles, he would pay to send her wherethefuckever to get an abortion. The rich never live by the rules they make. Any question?
They were never “pro-life”. They’re “pro-forced birth”.
If they were pro-life, they’d be supporting refugees, sex ed, birth control, and living wages, and against the death penalty and unending wars.
It’s called pandering to the base and I mean that in every sense of the word. Throwing out so-called red meat for the conservatives. I hope and pray this backfires spectacularly.
Also, if they were actually pro-life they’d be supporting masking and vaccines. Such unmitigated hypocrites, so full of sh*t.
These self-righteous “religious” zealots insist God knows all and while we might not understand his plan everything is part of this mysterious plan. They rationalize like crazy of course, and so Roe v Wade is “God giving them a chance to get organized and make this country a truly ‘Christian’ country. That it would ultimately lead to them gaining control of the entire federal government including that very Supreme Court that despite having seven GOP appointed Justices handed down the Roe decision”
Again and again when there is unspeakable tragedy they rationalize it as part of “God’s plan.” So, a question I’ve posed to some of them at times has cause all manner of ugliness. I point out the fact that every single day conception takes place. And that according to them that fertilized egg and the clump of cells that winds up making it’s way down the fallopian tubes to implant in the uterine wall resulting in pregnancy is a fully human life from the moment of conception. First I ask them to point to just where in the bible it says that. They get pissed because there is no verse to point to. Then I point out the FACT that every single day, millions of those clumps of cells that make their way down the fallopian tubes (and in this country alone it’s probably well over a hundred thousand a day) fail to implant in the uterine wall and pass right on out of women.
So, what causes the real ugliness to ensue is reminding them that they believe God has his plan, yet all these “human lives” never even result in an actual pregnancy. Which makes their GOD the biggest/most prolific ABORTIONIST of all.
So to hell with them and their “morality” which is nothing of the sort.
Being a guy speaking on abortion, let me hang this lantern: because of this law, women will die. People will be pushed into financial ruin. Authoritarianism will spread. Any comment I make about the political ramifications keeps this reality in mind.
We have to see what happens, but is anyone else getting strong “California in the early 90’s” vibes?
1. California 1990 was a Republican stronghold, land of Nixon and Reagan. There were signs of shifts…Bush won it 51-46 in 1988. Trump won Texas 52-46.5. Hmm. The CA result in 1992 was probably pretty close to 88, just Perot split things up.
2. Then in 1994, CA Republicans pushed an entirely unpopular anti-immigrant law, Prop 187. This sought to create a sort of vigilante approach to attacking immigration by taking away immigrant rights – healthcare, education, etc.
3. This created a fundamental shift in the electorate. It wasn’t so much that California Republicans switched parties (but a few did). Rather, new voters registered in droves, a lot of them young and more diverse. After Prop 187, Democratic presidential and statewide candidates always had a floor at 52% of the vote. Texas has an even larger population of unregistered and low propensity voters than California had in the 90’s.
These recents events aren’t exactly like the California case, but there are a lot of similarities. There is a distinct possibility that the GOP has just created the next cornerstone of Democratic political power. We will have to fight to make that happen, but I think this was a massive blunder on their part.
In other words: EVERYONE STEP BACK…Abbott has ignited his petard. Please step away from the petard. This might not turn out the way they thought it would.
Only 13% or voters want to see Roe over turned. Another 26% want to keep Roe but with more restrictions. compared to 51% who want to keep Roe at least as strong as it is. I suspect the chance for republicans to take the house and senate have declined greatly.
The Supreme Court just effed the Republican party…hard. Or does anyone think it a coincidence that Roberts went for the dissenting opinion here? The idiot dogs finally caught the car and now it’s going to drag them to death.
Midterm elections are typically get out the base affairs and a move like this all but guarantees our side will be skipping nap time for the foreseeable future. SCOTUS and Texas didn’t just cut the GQP’s throat. They cut the head off with a chainsaw.
How is it seemingly impossible for the Republicans to think at least an hour or two ahead of blathering out edicts and super swings to religion-based demands instead of level-headed readings of what our Constitution says … somehow, I guess I’m confused here, because I thought that there was a separation of church and State, just to calm out these nasties, not to mention that I believe a woman and her doctor/s are the only ones that need to discus her needs and health issues Texas State has NO business poking into her most private life and telling her what she is going to do, forced if she does not follow orders …
Now here’s another problem with these self-important people so intent on forced birth, even if the poor girl/woman was raped or abused by a family member …
They don’t mention the first week after she has a rapists’ offspring … nor the week after that, months/years perhaps the responsibility of support and nurture of a child of rape is not a horror to these freaks, but when a young girl can see the face, smell the sweat, feel the weight and pounding she suffered at the hands of her attacker in the eyes of the child she is forced to have and support, even if she is still in Junior high school is beyond comprehension … I’ve NEVER heard of a reasonable health plan from the Republicans to support the many unwanted children they insist on forcing young girls to bear …
You neglected to mention a third problem: Republicans of the John Roberts/Liz Cheney stripe know you have to frame and fig leaf something like this in as much reasonable language as possible. Be THIS blatant about it and you’re all but asking to get hit back hard.
I sure hope so! I am so sick of “devout” individuals, especially evangelicals, trying to shove their religious beliefs down our throats. I, for one, do not believe that humans are the primary life force on the planet. I hate that we have made other species extinct, fouled the oceans and air, kill endangered animals for trophies, and on and on. We are not deserving of this concept that every human zygote is precious as long as they’re in the womb but once born, if black, brown or female, they are less deserving than a white male.