Those who claim that, “Pro-life really is a winning issue, we just haven’t campaigned the right way,” need to win a couple of referenda or else they’ll sound like those who say “Socialism works, it just hasn’t been really tried yet.”
Spot on comparison. And the Marxcissists who get elected, after Republican campaigns are torpedoed over abortion, will cause many more deaths than the number of abortions that would have occurred if Republicans had simply moderated their stance on abortion. Roe v Wade was overturned; I hope it does not become a Pyhrric victory, but they seem determined to make it one.
This reminds me of why I didn't join the College Republicans at Binghamton in the early 1990s. The leftists were holding anti-CIA recruitment rallies on campus and the brilliant college Rs wanted to hold a pro-CIA rally. I asked them, what will your slogans be "We don't know what you are doing but we support you!" I am pro-life but pro lifers are literally throwing the baby out with the bath water by overdoing it. They are creating the same back lash Roe itself created. Also, can we stop throwing commies out of the legislature for saying stupid stuff? It is more overdoing it and plays into the hands of those claiming WE are the totalitarians. Criticize them. Censure them when they violate the rules. But don't throw them out unless they really commit a crime and don't do it without appropriate due process.
I despair…DeSantis did everything right, and now this is the hill he’s chosen to die on. But if we have enough stupid women who would choose the hell that is America now under democrats because of abortion rights, then maybe we just don’t deserve to go on anymore. I guess the strategy now is, highlight the nightmare America is under democrats and hope Florida looks like El Dorado in comparison, but it’s frustrating because by signing that abortion-ban he’s alienated tons of stupid voters who might otherwise have voted for him. We’d better hope this is enough, provided he’s the nominee…responding to Trump’s sniveling insults isn’t a good look either, and I say that as a diehard DeSantis fan. Ughhhhh.
It turns out that the movement to overturn Roe was like a dog chasing a car barking. The dog doesn't have a clue what it's going to do if it catches the car. For a movement that spent so much time and effort to get Roe overturned, and notwithstanding the advance notice that the Court was about to deliver them the victory they had worked so hard for, I'm absolutely gobsmacked that no one in that movement gave a moments thought to what they would do.
Conservatives assumed that the matter would be returned to the states, where federalism would work its magic. The democratic process would result in compromise legislation. People in California, Illinois and New York would have the abortion regulations they wanted, and people in more conservative states what they wanted. The end result being vastly fewer abortions being performed, and the anti-abortion movement would move on to working for the moral awakening that must happen for abortion law to move forward.
Then came the nut-job fanatics, self-centered narcissists, who are prepared to sacrifice everything, including the unborn, in their quest to immanentize the eschaton right here in Babylon so we can all admire their moral perfection. No matter what your moral purity, it's impossible to do good in the world without wisdom, and wisdom is what they lack.
Our side is passing highly restrictive abortion laws in states where most of the abortions are being done to a population that votes 95% Democratic and is economically dependent on the governments and taxpayers of those states.
If you’re not in favor of importing more Somalis and Haitians into the US, why are you in favor of restricting abortion services in Alabama or Mississippi?
The result of these zealots behavior on this issue puts the country in Kamala Harris' hands at some point in the next Biden term. Not sure that's quite enough to turn suburban women away from Democrats to Republicans. These women are not stupid by the way, and they aren't all for unfettered abortion. They are scared to death of themselves or their daughter being raped, shudder at the thought of another women, probably not themselves, becoming pregnant incestually, or having health issues with the only option being a horribly emotional option to stay alive, and not being able to abort. You add to that the government wanting to be in the room with the woman's family, doctor and priest when this choice is being discussed, and you end up with Kamala the President. Repeat it's not stupid women it's insane zealots leading the country to this end.
Abortion absolutists not only don’t care about winning elections, they also don’t care about race. They believe in equality, in a “color-blind society,” and in Martin Luther King. (Did you know he had a dream and went to a mountaintop?)
They are true conservatives. They never, ever take the following into account:
“White women had the lowest abortion rate (6.2 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years) and ratio (118 abortions per 1,000 live births), and Black women had the highest abortion rate (24.4 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years) and ratio (426 abortions per 1,000 live births).”
“In 2020, compared with White women, abortion rates and ratios were 3.9 and 3.6 times higher among Black women and 1.8 and 1.5 times higher among Hispanic women.”
(Abortion Surveillance, United States, 2020 — CDC)
Race and ethnic distribution of abortions by select states:
An amazing 73% of Black adults believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to a national Pew Research poll released on Tuesday. That’s the highest percentage in favor of abortion access of any ethnic or racial group.
So if you are not an abortion absolutist and want to attract the elusive black vote, you might want to be more open to abortion access for certain specific medical reasons (and certain specific demographic groups).
Of course, there are other advantages to such a nuanced position…
I agree with, Ann. Our country is on life-support. Primary these pro-life zealots. Nothing more than a 2nd and 3rd trimester ban, with exceptions. We need to win elections.
PS- See my earlier comment agreeing with Ann but also, these heartbeat bills may paradoxically lead to more abortions as women are forced to rush their decision or lose the abortion option. Furthermore, a 15 week fetus is more visually compelling than a 4, 5, or 6 week fetus and more likely to cause a woman to decide to keep the baby after seeing a sonogram.
If one must be a single issue zealot, just play it smart and stand unflinchingly for the Constitution and the God-given individual liberties which made America the marvel of humanity...if we can keep it!
Ann provided a lot of logic and facts about the pro lifers who haven't thought about the electoral consequences of their own zealotry. First off, abortion was right to be sent back to the states since it is a states rights issue and that seemed to be what pro-lifers were arguing. But now Pro Life, Inc., is demanding both state level and nationwide abortion bans which the Democrats have and will skillfully use to frighten their base and independents such that Republicans could be facing oblivion in 2024 congressional elections. The abortion issue got a previously despondent Democrat base energized and out to vote and probably saved 10-15 House Seats for Democrats and 1-2 Senate seats.
There was a time when polls showed the wicked Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan losing to a generic Republican by up to 6 points but the Dobbs decision and Tudor's hardline anti-abortion chance ensured her re-election. It also caused the Michigan state legislature to flip to Democrat control which just forced through radical anti 2A measures.
Pro Lifers need to go SLOWLY and learn to take small victories wherever they can get them. Instead they treated the Dobbs decision like a national mandate from the almighty.
Abortion to the political left and independents is like immigration and the 2A to the right. Mess with abortion and the left and many independent become blind with rage.
DeSantis signed a 6 week abortion ban which he will be forced to defend and it won't be a good look as his eyes bug out and he talks with his hands like an Italian grandfather when forced to defend himself.
Fantastic column, Ann.
Those who claim that, “Pro-life really is a winning issue, we just haven’t campaigned the right way,” need to win a couple of referenda or else they’ll sound like those who say “Socialism works, it just hasn’t been really tried yet.”
"This is our DEFUND THE POLICE faction..."
Spot on comparison. And the Marxcissists who get elected, after Republican campaigns are torpedoed over abortion, will cause many more deaths than the number of abortions that would have occurred if Republicans had simply moderated their stance on abortion. Roe v Wade was overturned; I hope it does not become a Pyhrric victory, but they seem determined to make it one.
This reminds me of why I didn't join the College Republicans at Binghamton in the early 1990s. The leftists were holding anti-CIA recruitment rallies on campus and the brilliant college Rs wanted to hold a pro-CIA rally. I asked them, what will your slogans be "We don't know what you are doing but we support you!" I am pro-life but pro lifers are literally throwing the baby out with the bath water by overdoing it. They are creating the same back lash Roe itself created. Also, can we stop throwing commies out of the legislature for saying stupid stuff? It is more overdoing it and plays into the hands of those claiming WE are the totalitarians. Criticize them. Censure them when they violate the rules. But don't throw them out unless they really commit a crime and don't do it without appropriate due process.
When Ann Coulter is the adult in the room you know something is going on.
I can’t believe I’m saying this but I agree with everything she says.
Being “right” and losing elections is a non-starter for me.
I despair…DeSantis did everything right, and now this is the hill he’s chosen to die on. But if we have enough stupid women who would choose the hell that is America now under democrats because of abortion rights, then maybe we just don’t deserve to go on anymore. I guess the strategy now is, highlight the nightmare America is under democrats and hope Florida looks like El Dorado in comparison, but it’s frustrating because by signing that abortion-ban he’s alienated tons of stupid voters who might otherwise have voted for him. We’d better hope this is enough, provided he’s the nominee…responding to Trump’s sniveling insults isn’t a good look either, and I say that as a diehard DeSantis fan. Ughhhhh.
It turns out that the movement to overturn Roe was like a dog chasing a car barking. The dog doesn't have a clue what it's going to do if it catches the car. For a movement that spent so much time and effort to get Roe overturned, and notwithstanding the advance notice that the Court was about to deliver them the victory they had worked so hard for, I'm absolutely gobsmacked that no one in that movement gave a moments thought to what they would do.
Conservatives assumed that the matter would be returned to the states, where federalism would work its magic. The democratic process would result in compromise legislation. People in California, Illinois and New York would have the abortion regulations they wanted, and people in more conservative states what they wanted. The end result being vastly fewer abortions being performed, and the anti-abortion movement would move on to working for the moral awakening that must happen for abortion law to move forward.
Then came the nut-job fanatics, self-centered narcissists, who are prepared to sacrifice everything, including the unborn, in their quest to immanentize the eschaton right here in Babylon so we can all admire their moral perfection. No matter what your moral purity, it's impossible to do good in the world without wisdom, and wisdom is what they lack.
Our side is passing highly restrictive abortion laws in states where most of the abortions are being done to a population that votes 95% Democratic and is economically dependent on the governments and taxpayers of those states.
If you’re not in favor of importing more Somalis and Haitians into the US, why are you in favor of restricting abortion services in Alabama or Mississippi?
The result of these zealots behavior on this issue puts the country in Kamala Harris' hands at some point in the next Biden term. Not sure that's quite enough to turn suburban women away from Democrats to Republicans. These women are not stupid by the way, and they aren't all for unfettered abortion. They are scared to death of themselves or their daughter being raped, shudder at the thought of another women, probably not themselves, becoming pregnant incestually, or having health issues with the only option being a horribly emotional option to stay alive, and not being able to abort. You add to that the government wanting to be in the room with the woman's family, doctor and priest when this choice is being discussed, and you end up with Kamala the President. Repeat it's not stupid women it's insane zealots leading the country to this end.
EXTRA ANN VIDEO CONTENT! From today’s Mark Simone radio program: https://youtu.be/37xCKPeUBo0
Abortion absolutists not only don’t care about winning elections, they also don’t care about race. They believe in equality, in a “color-blind society,” and in Martin Luther King. (Did you know he had a dream and went to a mountaintop?)
They are true conservatives. They never, ever take the following into account:
“White women had the lowest abortion rate (6.2 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years) and ratio (118 abortions per 1,000 live births), and Black women had the highest abortion rate (24.4 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years) and ratio (426 abortions per 1,000 live births).”
“In 2020, compared with White women, abortion rates and ratios were 3.9 and 3.6 times higher among Black women and 1.8 and 1.5 times higher among Hispanic women.”
(Abortion Surveillance, United States, 2020 — CDC)
Race and ethnic distribution of abortions by select states:
Mississippi: White 18% — Black 77%
Georgia: White 20% — Black 67%
Alabama: White 26%; Black 66%
N Carolina: White 28% — Black 52%
Virginia: White 34% — Black 47%
(Statistica.com January 2023)
An amazing 73% of Black adults believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to a national Pew Research poll released on Tuesday. That’s the highest percentage in favor of abortion access of any ethnic or racial group.
So if you are not an abortion absolutist and want to attract the elusive black vote, you might want to be more open to abortion access for certain specific medical reasons (and certain specific demographic groups).
Of course, there are other advantages to such a nuanced position…
I agree with, Ann. Our country is on life-support. Primary these pro-life zealots. Nothing more than a 2nd and 3rd trimester ban, with exceptions. We need to win elections.
PS- See my earlier comment agreeing with Ann but also, these heartbeat bills may paradoxically lead to more abortions as women are forced to rush their decision or lose the abortion option. Furthermore, a 15 week fetus is more visually compelling than a 4, 5, or 6 week fetus and more likely to cause a woman to decide to keep the baby after seeing a sonogram.
If one must be a single issue zealot, just play it smart and stand unflinchingly for the Constitution and the God-given individual liberties which made America the marvel of humanity...if we can keep it!
I wish you where wrong.
Ann provided a lot of logic and facts about the pro lifers who haven't thought about the electoral consequences of their own zealotry. First off, abortion was right to be sent back to the states since it is a states rights issue and that seemed to be what pro-lifers were arguing. But now Pro Life, Inc., is demanding both state level and nationwide abortion bans which the Democrats have and will skillfully use to frighten their base and independents such that Republicans could be facing oblivion in 2024 congressional elections. The abortion issue got a previously despondent Democrat base energized and out to vote and probably saved 10-15 House Seats for Democrats and 1-2 Senate seats.
There was a time when polls showed the wicked Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan losing to a generic Republican by up to 6 points but the Dobbs decision and Tudor's hardline anti-abortion chance ensured her re-election. It also caused the Michigan state legislature to flip to Democrat control which just forced through radical anti 2A measures.
Pro Lifers need to go SLOWLY and learn to take small victories wherever they can get them. Instead they treated the Dobbs decision like a national mandate from the almighty.
Abortion to the political left and independents is like immigration and the 2A to the right. Mess with abortion and the left and many independent become blind with rage.
DeSantis signed a 6 week abortion ban which he will be forced to defend and it won't be a good look as his eyes bug out and he talks with his hands like an Italian grandfather when forced to defend himself.