digby: SC Puts Democrats on Notice: Stand Up for Abortion Rights or Risk Losing Everything

[babylonsister]

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/heather-digby-parton/101497/supreme-court-puts-democrats-on-notice-stand-up-for-abortion-rights-or-risk-losing-everything


Supreme Court Puts Democrats on Notice: Stand Up for Abortion Rights or Risk Losing Everything
by Heather Digby Parton | May 8, 2022 - 7:01am
— from Alternet


snip//

Even before this week, I believed there was ample material for going on the offensive against Republican extremism. From Trump's obsession with the Big Lie to the January 6th insurrection to the ongoing assault on democracy in the states to four years of Republican anarchy starting with Muslim bans, family separations and building that stupid wall, culminating in the tragically inept handling of the global pandemic and consequential economic fallout. That's the mess Democrats are having to clean up. I think if people are reminded of these things instead of a bunch of defensive arguments telling them they should be feeling better than they do, the people might just aim their discontent where it belongs.

snip//

Democrats have never run on this, apparently because they felt this was a settled issue which meant they could play around with it on the edges to possibly attract a few anti-choice votes without really putting much of anything on the line. They acted skittish about it and it carried over into policy. From the Hyde Amendment banning government assistance for abortion to the egregious political malpractice that led to the showdowns over abortion coverage in the Affordable Care Act, they have never put any muscle into defending this right that majorities clearly support. If anything they have used abortion as a bargaining chip, giving the impression that it is an expendable issue they can give to the other side without consequence.

Those days are over. This is now a vital and potent political issue for the Democrats and they cannot shirk their duty. The Republicans are clearly spooked by this decision and are not at all confident that it's not going to seriously hurt their chances in the fall. Their clumsy attempts to misdirect the revelation to the leak shows how much they are off their game. They quickly released a set of talking points in which they attempted to soften the rhetoric and pretend that Republicans all over the country are not working night and day to force pregnant women to give birth against their will regardless of the circumstances. They advise their members to outright lie about everything. Axios featured these excerpts from their memo:

snip//

If Roe is overturned next month as expected, the Democratic Party will no longer be able to have it both ways. One hopes that Democratic candidates everywhere will see that this is no longer a debatable issue and seize upon the opportunity to illustrate to the American people just how radical these Republicans have become. They simply have to wage the fight now whether they want to or not.

[dalton99a]

1. But no one could have foreseen this

….

It’s just a draft, not a final decision - things might change

….

Banning XYZ? Republicans wouldn’t do anything like that

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[tableturner]

2. K and R......

[Solly Mack]

3. K&R

My rights are non-negotiable. If that thought is something you can't handle, step the fuck off.