Yesterday was International Women’s Day. So how did Republicans celebrate it? If you guessed “debating a new bill designed to curtail abortion rights”…well, you win. Though this country faces some serious, intractable problems that demand leadership and vision to resolve, Republicans are choosing to focus on abortion and women’s reproductive health care. Now there’s some inspired leadership, eh??
Perhaps it’s just political calculation at work. Perhaps Republicans understand that they have no hope of defeating Democrats on the REAL issues facing this country- health care, education, infrastructure, war, etc. Perhaps they’re grasping at anything they think might gain some traction as Election Day approaches. Personally, I’m incredulous that Republicans would choose to plant their flag on an issue that could- and likely will- alienate the female half of the electorate. Divide and conquer? Not exactly….
Though Roe v. Wade is settled law and has been since 1973, anti-choice Social Conservatives have been patiently chipping away around the edges at a woman’s right to a safe and LEGAL abortion. Now the GOP has taken up the battle against abortion and doubled down by turning it into a war against women and their right to reproductive health care. How Republicans can imagine that declaring war on the distaff half of the electorate is a winning strategy seems to indicate that they’re less concerned with winning than enforcing a twisted version of ideological purity.
Yeah, that oughta play well come November….
