Republicans keep trying hard to lose elections, and they are doing it, even in deep Republican states. 
Voters Send a Message
In red Ohio and Kentucky, and purple Virginia and Pennsylvania, Tuesday’s results show abortion is a major issue, especially among college-educated women.
If you are a Republican, consider the Grim Results From Tuesday.
In the Republican strongholds of Ohio and Kentucky, as well as politically purple Virginia and Pennsylvania, abortion-rights supporters spent millions of dollars to tell voters that GOP lawmakers couldn’t be trusted to set state abortion policy after the Supreme Court last year eliminated a right to the procedure under the U.S. Constitution.
Those efforts worked, giving Democrats hopes that they can harness the issue once again in 2024 to offset voter disenchantment with the economy and President Biden, who is running for re-election with weak job-approval ratings.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last June, abortion-rights groups have scored a string of victories in states as wide-ranging as Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan and Wisconsin. The issue also helped bolster Democratic fortunes in last year’s midterm elections in gubernatorial races in Arizona and Michigan, where abortion was a central point of division between the candidates, as well as in congressional races.
The victory in Ohio is likely to create new momentum behind efforts to put abortion rights on the ballot in 2024 in states including Arizona, Florida, Nevada and Nebraska. That could help boost turnout by Democratic voters in places that could be key battlegrounds in the presidential election and other races.
State by State
- Virginia: In campaigning for Republican legislative candidates, Virginia GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin had called for a ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, rather than the state’s current limit after 26 weeks—an idea that is off the table now that Democrats will control both legislative chambers.
- Pennsylvania: Democrat Daniel McCaffery won a state Supreme Court seat, after running ads promising to defend abortion rights and voting rights.
- Kentucky: In Kentucky, a state that former President Donald Trump won twice by more than 25 percentage points, voters re-elected Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and rejected Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who supports the state’s near-total ban on abortion. Beshear had run one of the sharpest abortion-related ads of the year, featuring a young woman who says she was raped by her stepfather at age 12.
- Ohio: Voters passed a constitutional amendment protecting access to abortion to 26 weeks. Close to 60% of voters in Delaware County, just outside Columbus, backed the constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights—substantially more than the 53% who backed Trump in 2020.
The Ad that Decided Kentucky
Please play the video.
Andy Beshear says “I was raped by my stepfather after years of sexual abuse. I was 12. Anyone who believes there should be no exceptions for rape or incest could never understand what it’s like to stand in my shoes. This is to you Daniel Cameron.“
Out of Touch With Reality
One of my readers commented to another post “You want to tell me the residents of Kentucky decided to reelect the Democrat governor? You’re braindead.”
It’s my reader who is braindead. All of these states issues were decided on abortion.
Republican governors and Republicans in general are braindead as well. The voters sent a message, don’t expect male Republicans to hear it.
This issues nearly cost Republicans the House in the last midterms.
I have repeatedly warned about this in advance.
Both Sides Trying to Lose
Wake Up Mr. President, Consumers Want Hybrids, Not EVs
On October 16, I commented Wake Up Mr. President, Consumers Want Hybrids, Not EVs
A better title would have been Wake Up Mr. President, Consumers Don’t Want EVs
While the President harps about how great things are, consumers don’t see it that away and I have been covering all the reasons why.
Please note, Biden’s Democratic Coalition is Splintering Over Israel and the Economy
Also, please see Five Alarm Bell – Biden Trails Trump in Five of Six Battleground States
The Unmistakable Message
People do not believe Bidenomics is working. Inflation is moderating, but prices are still going up.
On November 7, I commented “If Biden goes down in flames over this, at least will have gotten something for our money.“
And yesterday on Twitter, I commented “Both sides are trying to lose the election. One of them will succeed.“
This is the current state of affairs. Male governors, attorneys general, and Republican challengers are totally out of touch with reality in Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, Arizona, Michigan, and even Kansas.
History suggests they will not learn a damn thing. If men had babies, it would likely be different.
“I’m a member of the Evangelical right”
That explains it all. Also Catholics fighting Protestants, Shiites fighting Sunnis, all in the name “My Religion is right and YOUR religion is wrong.”
I suggest this should be an individual decision. Instead, people insist on cramming their religious beliefs down everyone’s throat.
How does this differ from actions in the Mideast?
Evangelicals view it in the same light as slavery, and the two are often compared in speeches and evangelical blogs. I’m not arguing anything by that statement, merely presenting how Evangelicals think and believe on this issue.
Slavery used to be an individual choice in certain states. However, the morality of it was so questionable that people fought to make it a public right to be free from slavery, as they should have. They banned slavery because there was a compelling moral reason to do so. I view abortion in the same light. It is less compelling for some because the issue is hidden from public view.
Abortion, as a moral issue for Evangelicals, is ultimately about the right to life, like slavery was the right to be free to choose for yourself. All laws on the books are ultimately about moral issues. Interestingly, the Evangelicals of the 1800’s (Southern Baptists) were the supporting slavery then but are a major force against abortion now. That is quite the switch. It’s not hypocritical because everyone alive today was not alive in the 1800’s and I’m personally against blaming the current generation for the ills done by forefathers.
An issue we would agree on personally, and why I have followed and recommended your blog for 10 years or so now, commenting occasionally, is that people should be economically free to make their own choices. I prefer a capitalistic government, like you. Like you, I lean Libertarian economically, but ultimately, my reasoning is moral, based on a moral value.
Where people differ on morality, they vote accordingly.
Forcing a woman to carry a baby to term is enslaving her to her fetus. Evangelicals really haven’t changed at all. As long as it isn’t white men being enslaved, they’re okay with it.
It’s granting rights to a person who has not yet been born.
The bad logic that white men don’t care as long as it doesnt’ affect them is a bad use of logic. It’s a fallacy. I care about the rights of everyone and the rights of a woman and a baby should be equally valid.
One can be against slavery and against abortion and be consistent.
One cannot be against slavery and be for abortion and be consistent. Equal rights for all humanity are equal rights for all, especially when ultrasounds show that even at very early stages, babies are sentient beings, well before 12 weeks.
“I care about the rights of everyone and the rights of a woman and a baby should be equally valid.”
Why do you get to decide if they are equally valid? Especially when you face no consequences.
This article is likely why TPTB allowed the Supreme Court to overturn Roe V. Wade. Other than absurdities like 9th month or even post birth abortions, the issue needs to be largely removed from the political discussion- at least for the foreseeable future. 50 years of corrupting the morals and character of Americans, tens of millions of women having abortions, where now even a large portion of Americans have been deluded into utterly perverse views on Transgenderism, sexual grooming and corruption of children– it now appears we have lost the abortion issue and it will be turned against us to further control the political makeup of our congress and legislatures.
If we want to eventually prevail on Right to Life, the character and morality of America and Americans needs to be rebuilt from the ground level. Preachers need to start preaching morals and values. Tens of millions of Christian Zionists need to stop their worship of Israel and endless wars for Israel as their main priority. The Catholic Church needs to stop paying lip service to abortion and other moral issues, and start putting the Gospels and moral issues at the top of their agenda-not a political agenda, but personal and religious. Try teaching it in the schools. The catholic Church is no longer the bulwark against the onslaught of hedonism and sexual perversity that it used to be.
It starts with the kids. Gen Z appears lost and if the next generation of youth has the same results, it’s lights out for America as we once knew it. Too many Christians have rolled over to the PC culture for fear of offending anyone. The sanctity of Life needs to include not only abortion but the lives of millions killed, maimed, financially ruined, made refugees in immoral wars, as well as traditional Christian family values and the nuclear family. We can’t have any more Globalist Popes. The billion plus Catholics have largely been neutralized as an effective group against the onslaught from the Demonic Left.
The republican party needs to stand for something, and not just token opposition and eventual capitulation on every issue from gutless, immoral politicians. Citizens United needs to be overturned. Wicked Corporations controlled by Larry Fink of BlackRock, and their allies Vanguard and State Street, etc. need to be reined in and their powerful influence destroyed. Endless, uncontrolled immigration, both legal and illegal, needs to be stopped. Enormous damage has been done. It may be too late.
Will it take a major calamity/catastrophe for Americans to wake up and take back our Country? It appears so. Get ready for the Storm.
Do you mean storming the capitol again ?
So Trump is going to be your moral standard bearer? This is madness.
Hell no. Trump fooled me in 2016. Never again. Is Biden going to be yours?
I don’t think it explains the Middle East at all. Before the Zionist arrived Muslims, christians and Jews lived in peace. There is something about the mass murder of your relatives, being pushed off your land, and living your life in an internment camp that does a much better job of explaining things.
Satan is alive and well at Planned Parenthood abortion clinics as the fetal tissue industry waits happily in the wings. Satan is also in total control of Hamas.
Satan is a fairy tale and the Bible is nonsensical and discredited in virtually every regard.
Abortion is a disgusting, shameful practice. It should not be tolerated by anyone, including people who don’t look to ancient middle-east nonsense for their morality.
I am tired of people forcing their morality on others.
It’s why protestants fight Catholics, Hindus fight Muslims, and Shiites fight Sunnis.
Killing in the name of religion.
And in the name of religion, idiots call dividing cells killing babies.
There is some reasonable point after which one should make up their minds. something like 20 weeks seem reasonable. 6 weeks is not.
Psalms-139-13-18 You made all the delicate inner parts of my body, and knit them together in my mother’s womb.Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous -and how well I know it. You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion! You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book! How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly! I can’t even count how many times a day your thoughts turn towards me. And when I waken in the morning, you are still thinking about me!
You have any scientific proof?
Not every truth is scientifically provable. And given our politicized science isn’t always trustworthy.
16
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
If a fetus is aborted, it was already written in His book.
How do you feel about Santa Claus?
Francis and Cupich preach about climate change.
mideast is more geographic battle. empires have controlled israel area for 10,000 years. nut job amerikan christians are just standard human primate dumb fuckery to control dumbfucks. anthropology 101
Both groups grabbed a “Loser” issue that the other side could beat on them for, the demonRats took gun control, and the rePukes took abortion and birth control…..don’t worry though, they both obey the zionists.
I believe government should watch the high, help the low and leave the middle alone. So far, its 0 for 3 on so many levels.
I will believe it’s about life when ALL the babies and children and teenagers are out of foster homes and adopted. If it’s really about the children those places should be empty.
Until then, you can make abortion illegal, but you can’t stop it any more than you can totally stop other illegal activities, like drugs and prostitution.
Unsafe, illegal, yes. Stop, no
The big issue isn’t abortion per se (as Mish himself alludes to in comments below). The big issue is: why is “the government” micro managing and back seat driving every single aspect of our lives?
Who is this all knowing, all seeing “the government”??? It used to be “we the people” (see Declaration of Independence, Constitution, etc). Now its a nameless, faceless, uncaring bureaucracy hell bent on expanding itself.
Is there any reason to think the most politically extreme or most lazy members of society (collectively “the government”) are actually smarter than everyone else?!?!? Throw in some very corrupt politicians, and now we have the smarts.
Why are “they” deciding “we” need to kill everyone in Ukraine? Why are “they” deciding “we” need to kill everyone in Gaza? Why are “they” deciding when or if a couple can have an abortion? Weren’t “they” supposed to be representing “us”???
Why did Fauci fund gain of function research, after DARPA said it was too dangerous? Why was this one bureaucrat allowed to decide humanity’s fate, even against the advice of other bureaucrats? He was allowed to threaten independent academic researchers and doctors with having their research grants cut off if they didn’t obey his edicts. Research grants funded by OUR tax dollars, not his. Who decided this freak should rule over everyone?
Where in the Constitution does it say the most corrupt and most lazy among us shall decide every little thing about everyone?
Here is where: the 10th amendment “All powers not expressly called for herein are reserved to the States or to the people” Most of the 50 states have similar clauses in their Constitutions.
The bureaucrats are not supposed to be in charge of anything except for what is expressly called for in the Constitution. period. That’s a tiny, tiny, tiny fraction of what they want to be in charge of. And a tiny fraction of the federal budget.
Anyway, it no longer matters. The US government is as financially bankrupt as it is morally bankrupt.
And Mish… maybe try to tone down the anti-republicanism? Maybe try to see the bigger picture? Otherwise, you are going to be accused (rightfully so) of playing into the divide and conquer strategy of the political class.
IF MEN GOT PREGNANT ABORTION WOULD BE A HOLY SACRAMENT. HAT TIP YOU KNOW WHO.
Oh knock that off, men aren’t the ones controlling policy these days…it’s a feminized nation and agenda.
This is a brilliant play for Republicans. Once states pass such amendments, they would have stripped Dems of this lightning rod. Republicans will vehemently “oppose” such ballot measures but it is in their interest (bigly) to have them passed.
This way they will strip Dems of a major elections in the 2024 elections and beyond.
I really believe Rs have no interest in passing abortion legislation either at state or federal level. They just want to use it as raw meat for their votes. Now they can say, we want to do it but an amendment was approved into the state constitution so we can’t do anything. Brilliant play.
Regardless of what we think is “right”, a baby is totally at the mercy of its mom. If the mom doesn’t want to carry the child you can once again write all the laws you want to and nobody’s heart will change as a result. The child will be aborted or abused, probably. What we don’t need are more laws and rules; we need to return to being a decent society and as many laws as we already have I don’t see more laws solving much of anything. Everybody is not the same; live differently! It is free people and free markets that allow a society to thrive. Absolute morality is not achievable anyway! Republicans could dominate, I think, if they would moderate some on abortion and gay marriages, etc. Isn’t it better to have some input than not be elected at all? Democrats aren’t moving right, that’s for sure, and they are still winning many elections. Maybe, it is primarily because of abortion and women wanting the “right” to control their own body so badly that they will vote for all kinds of other things they don’t really believe in just because they want that right. I contend it’s a natural “right” because the mom is in control whether we like it or not! I think abortion sucks, generally, but I’ll just live differently, not force anything on you. Furthermore I don’t expect you to be perfect either and I can still get along with you fine. Oh well. The prisons aren’t big enough to hold us all.
May I suggest reading Senator J. D. Vance’s speech on abortion.
Just did – Thanks
He sounds like an out of touch fool.
Then again, pick the issue. They all do about something.
Very few of us want to mind our own business.
Let’s stop pretending there are two parties, shall we? At best there are a handful of representatives who truly represent their constituents. The rest serve themselves and the deep state above all else.
Republicans keep trying hard to lose elections, and they are doing it, even in deep Republican states.
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This is exactly why I said it sort of doesn’t matter who the Democratic nominee is for President. They are going to win. Yesterday was a prelude to election day 2024. I wouldn’t be even be shocked if the winner of the 2024 Democratic nomination is Clinton/Harris and they win in a landslide in November 2024.
Keep killing your children. We’ll see how you fare before God.
Good luck (spoiler: it won’t save you).
>> This issues nearly cost Republicans the House in the last midterms.
So clear so simple.
Republicans has to make choices or will keep loosing.
Appealed to SCOTUS did a disservice to republicans.
Enjoy your ephemeral victories in this world.
Your ugly, pathetic soul will pay later.
I live in the rural South. I sit in a pulpit and listen to a seemingly unhinged pastor preach that Democratic Party politicians and supporters sacrifice babies and drink their blood. He preaches to a congregation who eats up every word. Every problem from abortion, gays, transgender, crime, interracial marriage, teen pregnancy, etc etc are all the Dems fault. He preaches that Dems are going to hell and if you vote for a Dems you are too and you should repent or get the hell out of his Church. Then I see this pastor working the polls on election day as a tactic to influence his flock. Yes this is true and he also preached that Trump was sent by God and it’s ok he has moral flaws as those don’t prevent God from using him. I have stopped attending and while not every Church in rural areas are this blatant most are full of these sheep who feel in line with this pastor and his teachings and vote accordingly. These folks want to win but they consider abortion murder at conception and try convincing one them it isn’t. There is NO middle ground for these folks, win or lose.
You’ve chosen your fate. Free will is real. Hope you enjoy the fire.
“Hell” is an Anglo-Saxon word for the base of Yggdrasil, the world tree where the worms live and those who betray their people will spend eternity as a worm in Nordic pagan culture. Tartarus is the Greek pagan term that Hell has become to mean. Tartarus is where the Greeks and Romans believed all people went upon death. It had multiple layers, and the worst went to the bottom, a place of fire and torture. The Jews, then and now, believe in Sheol, the grave where we all go upon death. There is no fire in your grave. You’re a pagan Tim, and you don’t even know it. But it doesn’t matter because there is no eternal torture.
This is amazing in 2023
Single issue voters. While the world collapses around them. Having babies(wanted or not) is the least of peoples worries now. Birthrate is collapsing in Western Countries because there is no reason to have kids, except as ego trip. The system doesn’t help at all, its expensive, there are not a ton of future opportunities, the global system is collapsing and why be a slave breeder? The US can kiss my rear end, you don’t deserve any more kids
Please don’t breed. No one wants more of you.
Republicans will need to start “meeting half way” on the abortion issue and develop talking points that thread this needle. A Republican candidate needs to be able to say: “I firmly support protecting all unborn babies from harm because of my religious convictions and also because I think it is just the way a humane society should be. But I am willing to meet half way on this issue and support legislation that offers exemptions for very early pregnancies, medical emergencies, and cases of rape. I would prefer to protect all unborn babies, but realistically, some protections are better than none and if we do not compromise on this issue then we may get very weak protection for the unborn.”
That’s a tough needle to thread.
But abortion isn’t really about saving babies. It is about punishing women for having sex outside of Christian marriage. It’s about a world-view about the proper relationship of men and women, and their roles in the church and family. There can be no compromise on this issue. It is far more important that this world-view be forced on all Americans through legislation than the United States to remain a republic.
I told you Youngkin would fail. Virginia hasn’t been purple in a decade. The population growth in the DC suburbs have flipped the state blue. The story of Youngkin winning election is a story of the world’s luckiest politician. He was losing by 12 points, same deficit trump had the year before, when his opponent made one of the most enormous gaffs in political history.
Youngkin was the latest wet dream for Republicans. They woke up this morning to a massively wet bed.
Republicans should abandon the abortion issues. As the Jolly Heretic says, “who cares if spiteful mutants abort future spiteful mutants.” It appears to be a win win!
Why am I not concerned about the abortion issue, the debt, potential for continuing wars, election fraud, etc, etc? I’ve given up on all of it and when I see the divisions caused by the constant screaming and fighting over something that I have no control or influence over, it just reinforces my faith in the continuing decline of the country. A country that those of us who are 40+ years old (I’m 79) cannot recognize any more. A country with no borders. A country where the government has to print $Trillions to be able to hand $Billions to every despot in the world.
When the occupants of this country, and apparently the world, celebrate the slaughter of civilians at the hands of animalistic barbarism, you know that it’s over with being a peaceful existence now. And when you hear the screams of “Allah Akbar” being directed at the nation’s capital, it is reinforced that our days as a country with “In God We Trust” inscribed on what takes the form of “money” are truly behind us.
What started as a grand experiment 247 years ago has ended as a world laughing stock.
So this is your fault, jerk-face. Thanks for nothing.
That is correct! America is finished.
The US has borders and border control. The country prints trillions because people think low taxes are worth it, and the government doesn’t hand billions to every despot in the world. A few occupants of the country scream all the time about stupid stuff. They do now, and always have in the past. The US is not a laughing stock to anyone. For God’s sake, Man. Turn off the idiotic news you’re watching. The USA is thriving and life is great here.
It’s sad to see so many preventable deaths in Ukraine, Gaza, Israel and The Womb.
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Lame. You should work for. Newsom.
I hate the guy.
That is true
Apparently , not murdering Jews is also a ‘losing issue’. Does that make killing them ‘right’.
Hope we don’t make decisions based upon your sick calculus, Mike.
Insulting people doesn’t normally convince them.
While I agree that there are issues that are right or wrong regardless of whether it scores political points (like abortion, slavery or killing people in general) insulting someone who takes another view doesn’t normally help your argument.
Abortion is about life. It’s always wrong to enslave people. It’s always wrong to take an innocent life when there are other choices to avoid taking that life.
These things are moral choices and should not be matters of political expediency.
Abortion is not “about life”, imbecile. And I couldn’t care less about convincing you to vote this way or that. Your self-absorbed lunacy will lead you to hell, no matter which stupid party you support.
I think you are confused about who is killing who? It’s the IDF that is really good at killing innocent civilians. They did it Oct 7 and since this time they have killed over 10,000 Palestinians. But I guess they are not Jews, so according to your selctive moral compass, they don’t count.
That’s because you’re both a moron & a liar. Hamas targets women for rape and children for murder. Israel does neither of those, but you’re too stupid to see the difference. Hamas puts women & children in front of themselves, hoping Israel will strike. Your retarded attempt at moral equivalency is shameful, but here you are.
Tim, you’re a rocket scientist and scholar! Nay, just kidding! I’m sorry facts upset you. It must be difficult for someone with a low IQ and a world view formed by hours in front of the boob tube. So you go right on repeating “Israel good, Palestinian evil”. God forbid the mass murder of 10,000 people upset your fragile little mind. After all it’s the Jews! God’s chosen! How could they do anything wrong?
You should understand that Alex supports Russia, Iran and Hamas.
I distinctly remember the last post Mish made on this topic, a handful of right wingers angrily insisted that abortion wasn’t an issue and women didn’t care that much.
Well, they do care, a lot.
I’m with Mish on the “personal choice” mantra, while I personally don’t care about abortion, woke or other social issues, it concerns me when a single party goes as far as to manipulate SCOTUS judges to impose their own version of what a person should do with their body, or what religious doctrine to adhere to, not to mention fiscal policies that are proving to be erroneous after 40 years.
It concerns me that maybe in a few more years I’ll be forced to make personal, health or financial decisions based on a minority group of political campaign donors belief system or their personal wealth goals.
The latter already being true as household debt has doubled in 40 years, gov debt has tripled and the right wants those who have seen diminishing wealth over that time to pay for it.
They want the working class to now subsidize failed “job creating” tax cuts of 40 years, rather than confront reality that trickle-down is a failure.
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I once considered myself Libertarian, until the Koch’s took over the party, debt and indenturement to the wealthy is NOT personal freedom.
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You are already forced to make personal decisions based on minority elected donors beliefs programs. You don’t need to wait more years for that to happen. It’s been like this since probably the 1960’s if not before (for example you must buy health insurance now or pay a fine).
The SCOTUS did the right thing in returning the choice to the individual states where it belongs. Why should a person in Georgia have to ask Nancy Pelosi in California for permission to have to do something (or not do something). A few articles ago Mish lauded Virginia for not adopting Californias emission standards and EV mandates. Would you want California mandating that at the federal level? I hope not and so you also don’t want California mandating abortion or anything else either.
That’s my point, but to a far more insidious and bigger picture.
When Roe V Wade was decided, it wasn’t a Federal choice, nor was it a state choice, it was a personal choice.
“Green Mountain” above makes a great point, for a party that obsessively rants about “Big Government” interfering in “personal freedom”, the GOP has done huge things to crush personal freedom.
This is why I mention the 40 year effects of Reaganomics Trickle-down “job creating tax cuts” that has caused government and personal debt to explode.
Debt indenturement is not “personal freedom”, we’re all now at the mercy of the FED to cut rates and determine our net worth at their discretion.
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It’s funny how women get so concerned about this issue when most will never have one. It’s a stupid irrelevant wedge issue complete with horror stories designed to get the rubes attacking each other.
It’s not about abortion alone, it’s about freedom of personal choice, separation of church & state.
The whole argument resides in one sides belief that a fetus has a soul at inception, a religious belief.
To me, it makes no difference at all, but that I wonder where the line is.
Does Government now decide what’s morally correct based on religious ideology?
Maybe I’m required to attend church now that religious belief becomes law.
What church am I required to join? Which religion?
…What’s the sentence if I refuse?
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Frilton is on a roll here.
Thanks
“Maybe I’m required to attend church now that religious belief becomes law.
What church am I required to join? Which religion?”
Once it becomes law, we’ll decide by the barrel of a gun, as it has always been done. Protestants have a lot more guns than Catholics. And Baptists have a lot more guns than Methodists. Let God’s Hand rule through the slaughter of the false believers! It is His Way!
“I distinctly remember the last post Mish made on this topic, a handful of right wingers angrily insisted that abortion wasn’t an issue and women didn’t care that much.”
Correct – and thanks for that observation
Good analysis. Abortion is and forever will be a hopelessly divisive issue. Statewide or national candidates will need to understand what their constituent voters want and will accept (which is mainly what pols are supposed to do on such issues), and then communicate effectively some reasonable position/compromise. And they cannot just run away from the issue, which lets the other side control the narrative. Rather need to express a fair position that most will understand and accept, and then redirect to more important issues of good governance (like the economy, war, crime, taxes, etc.).
Why do national candidates need to understand anything about abortion? It’s clearly a state level issue and that’s where it’s going to remain (which is incidentally where it belongs).
They shouldn’t, good point. But some of their opponents will surely continue to try and make it a national issue and narrative, and many of their constituents will expect that, too. So even national candidates will need to take some position on it — even if that position includes reminding voters about the importance of constitutionally reserved powers, that it really should be up to each state’s voters to decide for themselves, without interference from DC.
But remember: ‘Not my concern’ really will NOT cut it with most voters. So they probably still need to express a position…maybe that they would be happy to see a reasonable compromise in their state, that would reduce abortions, while providing some protections for both women and the unborn. And importantly, then redirect to the federal issues that need fixing in DC.
Why do the jackasses in Texas want to prohibit women from going to another state to have an abortions.
It’s hard to believe it, but overturning Roe v Wade seems to have had one of the most unintended outcomes of any conservative “victory” ever. Will we say the same thing about Trump’s 2016 election one day, perhaps as soon as mid-November 2024? If you’re conservative and not at least considering the possibility, I urge you to tune out through next November.
It’s a good constitutional victory, whatever your sickness. Abortion is not a federal issue. That’s ‘good for you’ (and your aborted grandchildren). As for your daughter, she’ll answer to God for what she did.
Lie to yourselves all you want. You won’t fool God.
But there is no God
“It’s hard to believe it, but overturning Roe v Wade seems to have had one of the most unintended outcomes of any conservative “victory” ever. “
That is a correct observation. And deserving of like because it is an accurate assessment. Whether you support or are against abortion, the comment rings true. Yet, I had to give it a thumbs up just to get the score to zero.
The Republican coalition of today started with Nixon’s “Southern Strategy” which capitalized on the Civil Rights-inspired disaffected Southern Democrats. Next came capitalizing on the evangelical outrage over the early 70’s Roe v Wade decision. Reagan consolidated the small government and neocon vote while coddling the evangelicals. Then came the election of Bill Clinton, a moderate Southern Democrat who was a fiscal conservative and strong on defense. Republicans weaponized their evangelical base and decided the best strategy was to go after Clinton’s personal vices in the name of “family values.” The impeachment of Clinton and the election of George W. Bush, a self-proscribed evangelical, solidified the importance of the evangelicals to Republicans. Bush’s overreaction to 9/11 and the disastrous Iraq and Afghanistan wars began to turn the Republican base against the neocons. This led to the struggles that John McCain had running against Obama and ultimately led to the mainstreaming of the anti-government, evangelical pandering, hardnosed, “no-nothing” politician represented by Sarah Palin. Neocons out, Tea Party in. Romney’s failed Presidential run against Obama put a stake through the heart of classic Conservatism, leaving a Republican base driven by White Nationalism (remnants of the Southern Strategy), Evangelicals, and grievance-driven “no-nothings.” The bottom line is that if the GOP does not pander to evangelicals, the party, already demographically a minority party, becomes just a loud fringe party.
Excellent historic breakdown.
Demography is destiny. R’s are hated by women, voters under 50 and the college educated. And their voters are busy shuffling off this mortal coil by millions each year. You’d think R’s would drop the losing culture war issues and focus on bread and butter concerns, but it will take a few more electoral wipeouts before that happens.
There’s still time for them to triple and quadruple down on failed family values campaigns. And they will. Meanwhile, keep bussing more reliable dem voters deep into the USA instead of sending them back to where they came from.
Agree with your assessment, baffled with Trump’s polling.
Morons are often baffled. Progressive women (mostly democraps) don’t have children – they have abortions. They get angry, and fill this trailers with cats.
Conservative women have lots of children, raising them with similar values.
Demographics is destiny, Enjoy irrelevance.
Trump’s polling easily explainable. Biden is wrecking the economy enough to counter the fact that Trump is an arrogant narcissist.
Mish, remember the Looney Tunes “Ballot Box Bunny” with Yosemite Sam and Bugs battling politically? Sam said “Babies, I love Babies, Give Me Babies” (to kiss). To win an election today? “Babies…I HATE Babies, Give me Babies…let’s kill the Babies!!”. You’re right, it’s a losing political issue but how sad that the culture has decayed to this point. A culture which places very little value on humans likely doesn’t place much importance on protecting people’s overall liberty and property from the bloodthirsty rapacious state. A nation of childless crazy cat people?? /sarc
Yes and as Elon Musk has pointed out the human species is more fragile than we are willing to admit. An abortion dominated society may lead to extinction!
Musk’s vision is what Iain Banks wrote about in his science fiction series. In the books the galaxy is dominated by “The Culture” where robots do all the work and all the thinking. People live for hundreds of years and can change sex, size and looks at will and only work if they feel like it. It’s an interesting society and just might come true if technological progress continues and not short-circuited by fundamentalist religions.
Don’t be stupid
Truth is a losing issue for Republicans.
You know, starting with things like telling the electorate that we’re out of money. That the benefits and services will be cut, that the taxes will go up and that the quality of life will worsen. And that there’s nothing anyone can do to prevent that, for a generation or more.
Or telling them that the law breakers are here to stay and that, due to their sheer numbers, there’s nothing that can be done about it. And that they’ll suck up the dwindling resources at the worst possible time, while no one can stop it. See above for details.
And so on.
If you think Democrats are purveyors of “Truth” you have more than a bit of sand in your gears.
He made no mention of Democrats.
Insulting your readers is a sure sign you’re winning the debate.
Nope, I didn’t say anything about the Democrats. How could I? Just look at them.
My post employed something called sarcasm.
If ‘winning’ is more important to you than doing what’s right, go to hell, where you belong.
It is so obvious isn’t it
A nation of heartless murderers.
Do you support our military, or is that your complaint? 😉
Your lazy ass has never supported anything in your pathetic life. Find a hole & crawl into it.
I think we would all be better served if each office was filled by a random number generator using a population of all taxpayers. Most people don’t want to hurt people, tell them what to do, or steal their property. Only the psychopaths who run for office do.
Well, I live in Kentucky and registered with no party affiliation, so I don’t have to play the video, I’ve seen it on TV. I agree 100% with your opinion that total abortion bans are a losing issue for Republicans, but they’ll never see it. At least the people who should see it won’t. I’m in touch with a lot of very conservative Republicans (most of them strong Christians), and they agree with the total abortion ban. I don’t share their religiosity and subsequently don’t agree with them on the ban. But try to discuss it with them and advocate for at least some give-and-take, like legalize it for rape/incest/whatever or ban it after so many weeks (heartbeat at 6 weeks or 13-15 weeks as in Europe), and you meet stiff resistance. They won’t give an inch. But the same people also think the state is more conservative than it really is. Last year the ballot measure on abortion went down to defeat (from a conservative point of view) and last night the governorship did the same. But they won’t learn from it. Instead, they try to blame election fraud or something. Not that there isn’t election fraud, there very well may be, but that’s a whole other issue unrelated to what we saw with these results.
Thanks for chiming in.
Mish
Let’s count the total pieces of evidence submitted in a court of law supporting the prosecution’s claims of systemic or meaningful election fraud. Ready, go. Ok We finished. Anything? Nope? How is that possible to never find evidence of it, if there is election fraud? The rabbit holes are good for jumping into headlong.
A persons beliefs are their beliefs. It’s next to impossible to change them and we all know that.
It’s not Republicans in general who favor abortion bans, but rather hard core religious people. For them, it’s a literal sin that can send them to hell so of course it’s the hill they are willing to die on because it’s eternal damnation.
Luckily most people these days don’t fall into that category of being hard core religious anymore.
I disagree. Hard core religious beliefs are everywhere and they’ve infected just about everything. I’m speaking about politics of course. People’s political beliefs have taken on all of the traits of a religion IMHO. Most can’t see it or don’t want to admit it.
Personally, I see it as the necessary end result of people (primarily Americans and to some extent all western peoples) jettisoning the traditional religions. Thats not an endorsement of the traditional religions either. Humans will always gravitate towards a belief system that helps them make sense of the world.
In these modern and enlightened times religions of any kind are not necessary
Radicals like you support a ban on rape, don’t you? How do you presume to know what some women want? Maybe they like being raped, but you support banning it. How arrogant & presumptuous of you. You must be some kind of religious extremist.
Election fraud is still the thing Republicans blame when they can’t win on issues. They are so far out of touch with reality they blame election fraud for everything.
Yeah, that’s what Hillary said
True
Thought I would add a woman’s voice. I do not care if you are pro or anti abortion. I for one would love to have no abortions. But it is simply not the government’s job to monitor my body. It is my body and my choices. Hands off. For a party that toutes individual freedom, R’s sure have a lot of interest in things that are quite frankly none of your business. And finally – make it easy to birth control. Unless you really believe you are going to stop people from having sexual relations.
I agree no abortions is the vast preference event. It is NOT your body. It is the separate body of another human being. Abortion is not about stopping sexual relations. It is about the murder of unborn persons. Somethings are more important than winning an election.
What about the murder of born persons? What about the murder of born, non-American persons?
WTF are you talking about?
However it’s the Mother that has to deal with the consequences of the unwanted child whilst the equally responsible, or probably more responsible Father, walks away Scott free. Otherwise I’m sure they’d be no abortion ban.
Pretty sure the baby of an abortionist bears the consequences of her decision. Ask someone who has survived an attempted abortion (me).
“It is NOT your body. It is the separate body of another human being.”
This is your personal belief about someone else’s body.
.
No it isn’t dummy. Every human being has a right to their own life. You are not God. A mother is not God. You kill a child, you are a murderer.
Do you even know how babies survive the first 18-20 weeks of pregnancy ?
I am a moderate on this. You are extreme, because your ‘my body my choice’ denies any acknowledgement the interests of the father, the fetus/baby, or society. Please find your way to a more moderate position.
“Extremist” means nothing where killing children is involved. Ask hamas.
Unfortunately even free birth control won’t help as long as a certain leader of a major religion who resides in Rome tells his flock that birth control is verboten.
‘Birth control’ is not hard, genius. Stop feigning oppression. Also, please stop killing your own children.
All Republican men should be castrated
It is good that these elections have shown that abortion access is favored by the majority of the population. The Supreme Court did the right thing in sending this thorny problem back to where it belongs to the States where the citizens can vote on it. Republicans will have to take into account that this issue can make or break the election and they have to adjust. For those candidates who refuse to compromise on this issue, it is better for them to leave now.
Conservatives have children. Progressives abort & sexually mutilate them. Demographics is our destiny. Where do you think this will lead?
Those people who want to have children will populate the Earth. It has always been this way.
Perfect answer.
And people who abort their children will fall to obscurity. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Voter fraud is rampant around my parts and is the primary losing issue for Republicans. It’s always the machines in red areas here going haywire. Never the blue areas. My wife and I finally stopped voting. Until that is fixed it’s pointless.
Easiest way to fix it is make voting records public. They make donations public. People are fine with that but want to keep their vote private for some reason. Nonsense. Make it public so it can be audited and the cheating stops. Damn near impossible to cheat being able to audit 100% of the votes.
Voting fraud is only rampant when you lose right ?
As an aside, there are several things I believe that Republicans can do that will make them more electable, and also keep their anti-abortion platform:
Aside from the life of the mother (which is a legitimate reason for an abortion, IMHO), there is never a financial reason to abort once adoption is streamlined, and nearly all abortions are about financial reasons.
Women abortion behind the curve. There are more important issues and will decide who will win the Nov 2024 election.
It decided the Midterms, It decided these 4 key elections, and 100% certain it will influence (not necessarily decide) the 2024 national elections.
The tilt (not the decision) is certain to be Democratic.
Disagree entirely on 2024. How can it matter when the issue has already been sent back to the State level by the Supreme Court?
If I was Trump (or whomever the Rep candidate is) and I was asked about abortion, I’d just reply ‘Please let me hear the Democratic plans for a Federal abortion law’. I expect the reply will be crickets because they don’t want to talk about passing an official law at the Federal level (because if they did, they’d already be pushing it now).
I posted it yesterday. Biden is going to win the election next year and it isn’t going to be close. It will all look ugly for him until the late spring to early summer.
Ha! Ha! Ha! Some good dope you smokin’ grrl-boss;-)
There are no winners with abortion. I try to hold to the idea that it should be seen as solely a practical issue. A lady who doesnt want a kid and cannot afford a kid .. a child who grows up in that kind of environment will very likely grow up unhappy and likely drift into crime .. there are lots of kids who for health reasons just shouldnt be born. Look at it too deeply and you just get into trouble.
No winners is correct.
Polls suggest the middle ground. I think something like 20 weeks with other exceptions seems reasonable.
Totally reasonable.
What is wrong with 15 weeks
He didn’t say there is anything wrong with 15, did he? There is a direct correlation between an earlier cutoff date and which way votes are cast. There’s your answer, it’s not based in medicine but in voting.
Same thing that’s wrong with 43 weeks.
The American political system has this awful habit of ending up with corner solutions. Almost every country in the world has settled somewhere in the 12-20 weeks range. In the US, it’s either zero or 36 weeks. Some stupidity happens with gun control.
Slavery used to be a losing proposition for southern states but it was still the right moral platform to uphold.
Abortion is a moral issue, and those who are opposed to it, like myself, do so for moral reasons, not political. Of course, our moral beliefs determine our voting records as well, but those who hold anti-abortion beliefs don’t care about the political outcome, since we believe abortion to be morally wrong.
I’m a member of the Evangelical right, and probably am a good representative of others like me who cannot in good conscience vote for a person who upholds abortion, even if that means we lose the election. Abortion is more important to me personally than any economic point and I’d rather live in a completely anti-capitalist society that banned abortion than a completely free capitalist one that supported it.
It’s a huge issue for Evangelicals. Politically, yes, I agree it seems to be a losing issue. It will cost us seats and the highest office occasionally or even often in the future. Losing doesn’t change my viewpoint and how I will end up voting because this is a moral point.
Would you be willing to see everything destroyed as long as abortion is forbidden?
No. There are limits and there are many moral issues. Each issue must be weighed and a tradeoff must be weighed carefully. Different people have differing weighing mechanisms and ultimately these things are decided in a democratic way.
My point was that I care more about the moral reasoning behind decisions than I do about the decision itself.
For a bill to be passed through Congress, the Senate, and signed by the President and upheld by the Supreme court, there must be compromise of some sort in a democratic environment. No one will get everything they want but everyone usually gets something they want.
As a trade off, I’d accept, for example, a cut to the military so that adoption credits could be increased to reduce abortion. I’d accept an increase in taxes to fund anti-abortion programs that would increase funding above and beyond the need to fund these programs. To me, economics trumps the right of a child to be born.
I would not accept the tradeoff of allowing slavery to occur again but get what I want, a full Constitutional amendment forbidding abortion. Such a tradeoff is a moral hazard, and ruins one group of people at the expense of another, something anathema to a free people. I might accept a tradeoff of maintaining what I deem to be useless government giveaway programs in exchange for an anti-abortion tradeoff.
Republicans are horrible at negotiating, and Trump was the absolute worst at it. Trump wasted the COVID emergency and gave the Democrats everything on their wish list. I’ll be voting 3rd party this election.
You are proposing only those compromises that aren’t compromises at all since they further what you what to the detriment of what others want. The Soviets used the same tactic. What is mine is mine and what is yours is negotiable. That stance locks you in a corner and locks the Republican Party into the same corner because there is no negotiation possible with someone who will not budge. It is a recipe for Democrat domination as far out as I can see and will guarantee the killing of many more fetuses than if you able to compromise.
I do not view abortion as something to negotiate just as slavery should never be something that is negotiated.
I will negotiate what is less valuable for what is more valuable.
Do dogs and cats have souls too or are souls reserved to only humans? They are slaves by any measure so even if you are kind to them you own them.
If every man uses his own moral compass then there is no basis in morality.
This is the realm of religion. If God exists, then his moral viewpoint matters. If God doesn’t exist, then there can be no moral compass that can claim more authority than anyone elses.
Some people would indeed argue that animals should have as many rights as people do. They argue that it’s murder to kill and eat them. Without an authoritative moral compass behind me, who am I to tell them that they are wrong? The best I could do with no moral authority behind me is to tell them that it’s silly to believe that…which is not actually an argument of any kind.
As an Evangelical, I believe in God, and the basis of my morality is what he has said on the matter….which is that life should be precious and that no person, even a mother, has the right to take the life of anyone. No person is more important than another. Abortion arguments nearly universally claim that one life is more important than another, therefore I am against it, except in those cases where death for one of the two parties is certain, then, a choice to preserve life must be made, and freedom should be granted for a private decision to be made.
You didn’t answer the question. Since you tied abortion to slavery I asked what YOU think. What does your moral compass say if animals have souls or not and if yes then can they be enslaved?
No, according to Scripture, only humanity have souls. Animals do not. Scripture does speak against abuse of an animal.
Even Jesus ate lamb and fish.
I use Scripture as the basis of my moral compass. Everyone uses something, even if they haven’t thought about it.
What about chimpanzees and gorillas? If they do not have souls then we can eat them and make slaves of them although doing either one is abusing them.
I know the Scriptures very well too and there are contradictions.
Yes, genius. Enslaved gorillas is a big problem, isn’t it? This is what intellectual infants do for fun.
How are pets enslaved, two-year-old? Does your cat change to oil in your prius? Does your dog replace empty toilet paper rolls & take out the trash? No wonder you’re alone.
God knows. You don’t. Get o er it.
Be more clear. What don’t I have to get over?
Which God, there are lots.
“I do not view abortion as something to negotiate just as slavery should never be something that is negotiated.”
I don’t view someone else’s choices as negotiable for me.
Feel free to negotiate your own abortions, let others make their own choices.
FYI, I couldn’t car less about the topic, but that one small group wants to make everyone’s decisions based on theocratic beliefs.
“I don’t view someone else’s choices as negotiable for me”
But you aren’t consistent in that belief if you are against, say, robbery. If you minded your own business you won’t care how many times a store gets robbed. Why shouldn’t robbery be legal? Shouldn’t I mind my own business?
But you do care about stopping abuses of other humans. You almost certainly care about making laws to prevent slavery, child molestation, child abuse of all kinds, robbery, murder etc.
You do intervene all the time in the choices of others when those choices result in an unfair treatment of another human.
An unborn child is absolutely a human, just unborn. Some may disagree at what point it becomes a human and that is where the gray area occurs.
Your logic that one should not care about the choices of others is completely illogical, since you cannot make that statement and be consistent in your life.
Pick and choose a moral compass but at least be consistent.
“To me, economics trumps the right of a child to be born.”
I said that backwards…I meant “To me, the right of a child to be born is more important than economics, generally.
Are you willing to forfeit your soul just for the privilege to kill your own children, doug?
“Slavery used to be a losing proposition for southern states but it was still the right moral platform to uphold.”
I’m sorry, that appears as if you’re saying slavery is morally correct.
.
Sorry, I can see how it can be taken that way.
How’s this to clarify “Even anti-slavery used to be a losing proposition for southern states…”
Yes, I am definitely against slavery. I’m not against forced labor (litter pickup crews involving prisoners are OK by me and solve multiple issues).
Slavery was a losing problem for democrats, dummy. Just as dropping nuclear weapons on civilians, creating the kkk, Jim Crow laws, and the Vietnam war were losing issues for demkcraps.
You should blame election fraud when you lose.
Yes, Hillary.
Well said!