(Over)playing Their Hand
Last night in Kansas the voters spoke up about the right for women to make their own healthcare decisions without interference from politicians. Turning out like never before, voters struck down Republican efforts to strike abortion rights from the state constitution and impose a strict ban that would cost lives. This election was the bell cow for other states that were trying to do the same thing. Had pro-choice efforts failed here, it would have cast a dark cloud over vast areas of the entire country as ideologues imposed their religion and dogma over tens of millions of women and their families.
More significant, Republican legislators cheated their asses off to get the result they wanted, making their loss even more sweet. Kansas Republicans had already put this measure onto the ballot for the PRIMARY election where no Democrats were running, hoping that they could ban abortion under the radar in a low turnout election. After the SCOTUS stupidly and wrongly struck down Roe, that strategy went out the window, and Kansas became the focus of national attention. That attention drew a turnout estimated at 54%, almost 20% higher than typical primaries, and more important, the measure was struck down in red areas of the state by almost 20% higher than Trump received in 2020. What this tells us is that not only are abortion rights strongly supported by those who vote Democratic, it’s also supported by Republicans.
What happened last night is the logical result of gross overreach which always happens when politics are dominated by one party. The Republicans should learn a lesson from this (but they won’t) that overplaying your hand can be costly. With issues as important as Constitutional rights under threat, Americans who are normally asleep at the wheel wake up and actually vote. We saw that during the Viet Nam war, after Watergate, after Bush’s foray into Iraq, with veteran’s healthcare just this week, and now women’s right to choose.
Hopefully this motivation to the polls sticks for the November mid-terms and beyond. The only way our government works is for elected representatives to be held accountable to the voters for corruption and power grabs. The GOP has proven itself to be irresponsible and callous to the needs of its voters. It’s long past time for local, state, and federal governments to be brought back to actually representing the people. ALL the people.
Very well said. May the R’s reap the whirlwind.
1This left the dumpsters full of the same measures that they were going to use to increase Republican voter turnout.
2If you claim to be a 100% absolute “pro-lifer” no abortions for any reason, yet you have a “Do Not Resuscitate” declaration stamped in your medical records and it is well known amongst your doctors, family, and friends, on a scale of 1-10, what type of lying hypocrite are you?
3And the real loser in the Kansas election last night was….the Catholic Supreme Court of the United States.
4Don’t worry Texans – our GOP overlords won’t give us the opportunity to vote on a Constitutional amendment against abortion. You’ll just have to show up and vote against GOP candidates . . . and bring all your registered voter friends!
5I agree with everything you wrote but still think we need to expand the SC by four additional justices.
6Although I suspect most Republicans would be pro-choice, the results in Kansas aren’t clear. In an overwhelmingly Republican state, many Democratic and independent voters would cross over to vote in the Republican primary. Partly to support choice, and partly to pick candidates that will not be as strong in the general election.
An elderly Republican neighbor of mine always votes in the Democratic primary, to try to get the least likely to win candidate. One year that backfired on her. She assumed America would never vote for a black president ….
7Correction: “four additional ATHEIST/AGNOSTIC/FFR” Justices.
8Hey – I live in Kansas and this was not a Republican-only primary. There were lots of local legislators to vote on for both parties. Us Democrats had plenty of good choices to make not just getting to vote NO on the dumbass amendment. It was a victory for us Free State Citizens!
9I hope this translates into voters choosing pro choice candidates in November. I suspect many repugnantican candidates that have been touting their support of the supremes overturning Roe v Wade will change their advertising and not mention their anti woman’s reproductive rights agenda. The repugnantican candidate for Oregon governor has her “pro life” (I find this contradictory term hard to say) support in her current ads. Suspect that will disappear from her ads asap.
10I am also following the announcement yesterday that the DOJ is challenging Idaho’s almost total abortion ban legislation. If the DOJ is successful, that could be a recipe for going after other states anti-abortion legislation. I hope.
Thanks for the post.
Riffing off your description “This election was the bell cow for other states that were trying to do the same thing” —
And shamelessly linking to a cultural touchstone …
I want to hear Will Ferrell banging away and Christopher Walken uttering two lines shouting “We’re gonna need more bell cow.”
11Congratulations to Juanita Jean’s good friend, Susan Bankston. Her son Mark appears to have Alex Jones in a forked stick, since Jones’ own dumb lawyers sent Mark the entire content of Jones’ cell phone nearly two weeks ago. Let’s just say it’s being used to good advantage.
12Second that! Like everything else Alex Jones says and does, he wants people to unsee and unhear the offensive, dangerous stupid and incriminating things that emanate from him when it’s convenient. Can’t undo that. Now, the DOJ wants to investigate his texts, too. Oops
13Now we have to be equally vociferous when the R’s and the SCOTUS come for women’s franchise.
And you know that’s next on ALEC’s list
14And now starring on the front page of the Daily Beast: Mark Bankston! There’s a really nice video clip of the trial.
Enjoy, everyone!
15weeelllll, twitter having a field day on yesterday’s events at AJ trial. apparently Mr Bankston could have won this case with most brains cells tied behind his back since the current defense lawyer is quite bad at his job. my god, the data dump from AJ’s phone is a gift that will keep on giving. plus a super weird closing from AJ’s ‘lawyer’ (honestly, did he get his diploma online?).
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