Liberals Ready to Abandon Abortion as an Issue

[Frodo]

It is a shift long overdue....

Liberals ready to abandon US right to abortion

Gaby Wood in New York
Sunday July 3, 2005
The Observer

Last autumn, in the midst of a presidential election, America's Democrats were fighting furiously to protect what they described as a constitutional right - to have an abortion.

But in an extraordinary turn of events, some argue that it is the single issue standing in the way of their election prospects. They are daring to say what once was regarded as heresy - that it is time to let the argument go.

Abortion may still be the most divisive issue in the US, but in a move indicative of creeping conservatism, Democrats now seem happy to amend - even relinquish - their position on it.

link

[A18]

Tell that to any Democrat on this board.

[Frodo]

Tell that to any Democrat on this board.

Since when has this forum ever been representative of the American people at large?  There is a world beyond this forum, in case you haven't noticed.  I am willing to put stock into the article's claims that Democrats in general are turning away from abortion as a wedge issue, even if some here continue to insist on defining themselves by it.

[A18]

It hasn't. It's been representative of the bases of the two parties. And the Democratic base is not letting go of this issue.

[TheresNoMoney]

The majority of Americans do not want Roe v. Wade overturned. They want some restrictions in place, but that's it.

I think the Democrats may de-emphasize the issue, but they won't all of a sudden push for Roe v. Wade to be overturned. Why would they??

[TheresNoMoney]

I am willing to put stock into the article's claims that Democrats in general are turning away from abortion as a wedge issue

The Republicans are the ones who have made it a wedge issue. They make all social issues wedge issues. Their economic policies suck, so they have to rely on divisive social wedge issues.

[??????????]

The majority of Americans do not want Roe v. Wade overturned. They want some restrictions in place, but that's it.

I think the Democrats may de-emphasize the issue, but they won't all of a sudden push for Roe v. Wade to be overturned. Why would they??

Show me where the constitution allows a bunk decision like Roe V Wade to stand?

[A18]

The left's interpretation of the Constitution can be summed up in a few short phrases. If they support it, it falls under the interstate commerce clause. If they oppose it, it's banned under substantive due process.

[TheresNoMoney]

You Republicans are ridiculous. The majority of Americans do not want Roe v. Wade overturned.

If you want to argue constitutional law, go talk to a lawyer.

[??????????]

You Republicans are ridiculous. The majority of Americans do not want Roe v. Wade overturned.

If you want to argue constitutional law, go talk to a lawyer.

When arguing the meaning of the constitution the idea "what the majority want" is assinine.

Secondly, I'm not a Republican.

[TheresNoMoney]

Why do you assume that you understand constitutional law?

No one on this board is a lawyer. Republicans give their opinions and pretend they're fact.

[A18]

The Constitution is not a code word for majority rule.

You don't need to be a lawyer to know that due process is procedural. Go look up Magna Carta.

[??????????]

Why do you assume that you understand constitutional law?

Ask Robert Bork or any originalist if Roe V Wade has any constitutional grounds. And this is a political debate forum, political debate is what it's about here. Not just telling everyone "No one here is a lawyer".

[Inmate Trump]

I'm anti-abortion and I do feel this is probably the biggest issue standing between Democrats and the White House.

That said, come 2008, and depending on the candidates, I feel about 80-90% sure I'll vote for the Democrat.

[TeePee4Prez]

I have supported anti-abortion Democrats in the past, hell I have a few in my sig, but I will never abandon my position on choice.

[Blue Rectangle]

If you look at some of the recent, high-profile rulings by the Supreme Court this term, you'll see several cases (medical mj, eminent domain, etc.) where the liberals on the Court voted against the wishes of the average liberal voter.  I read posts on DU complaining about "what happened to states' rights?" and "what happened to property rights?", where the poster is completely blind to the fact that justices like Thomas support these rights and justices like Ginsberg attack them.

The way the liberal wing of the Court got this way is by the Democrats making abortion the only issue in Court picks.  This obsession with supporting the extreme pro-abortion wing is not just hurting the Dems in elections, but is negatively affecting them in other ways.

[Rob]

Democrats, get ready to kiss your suburban voters goodbye.

[Cashcow]

This is unfortunate. I like having a major party that stands up for abortion rights.

[opebo]

The majority of Americans do not want Roe v. Wade overturned. They want some restrictions in place, but that's it.

I think the Democrats may de-emphasize the issue, but they won't all of a sudden push for Roe v. Wade to be overturned. Why would they??

Show me where the constitution allows a bunk decision like Roe V Wade to stand?

The right to privacy, you statist.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

65% of Americans want Roe vs. Wade to stand (technically it's not the law of the land and the weaker Planned Parenthood vs. Casey is). Why should liberals abandon that 65%?

[opebo]

65% of Americans want Roe vs. Wade to stand (technically it's not the law of the land and the weaker Planned Parenthood vs. Casey is). Why should liberals abandon that 65%?

Well, the people who run the Democratic party are largely not liberals, and they seem to think it important to try to win the votes of the intolerants.  Doomed to fail of course.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

What you have to remember is that any decision like this is made out of some pretty cold electoral calculation. If the Democrats drop abortion as an issue they obvious reckon that there's more votes to be gained (sorry, regained) out of it than votes that'd be lost due to it.
Political geography plays a role too; a vote in (say) Southeast Ohio is worth more than a vote in (say) suburban New York.

[Smash255]

What you have to remember is that any decision like this is made out of some pretty cold electoral calculation. If the Democrats drop abortion as an issue they obvious reckon that there's more votes to be gained (sorry, regained) out of it than votes that'd be lost due to it.
Political geography plays a role too; a vote in (say) Southeast Ohio is worth more than a vote in (say) suburban New York.

It gets quite quirky because virtually every poll shows that between 55-60% believe abortion should be always or mostly legal, and 65% or so believe roe vs wade should not be overturned.  However as you do point out more votes could be gained by them dropping the issue.  Thos e in suburban NY (me for example) may not like the fact they are dropping the abortion issue, but in the end of the day will still vote Dem, meanwhile somone in Southern Ohio dropping abortion may get that  vote.

However I still think the Dems should keep the issue.  It is something most of the country agrees with the Democrats on

[Bono]

If you look at some of the recent, high-profile rulings by the Supreme Court this term, you'll see several cases (medical mj, eminent domain, etc.) where the liberals on the Court voted against the wishes of the average liberal voter.  I read posts on DU complaining about "what happened to states' rights?" and "what happened to property rights?", where the poster is completely blind to the fact that justices like Thomas support these rights and justices like Ginsberg attack them.

The way the liberal wing of the Court got this way is by the Democrats making abortion the only issue in Court picks.  This obsession with supporting the extreme pro-abortion wing is not just hurting the Dems in elections, but is negatively affecting them in other ways.

They voted against interests of liberal voters, but they followed a liberal doctrine.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

It gets quite quirky because virtually every poll shows that between 55-60% believe abortion should be always or mostly legal,

There's a big, big differance between "always legal" and "mostly legal"

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Insofar as Roe v Wade is understood by the bulk of the population to mean that "abortion isn't illegal" then that's certainly true and that if it were to be overturned then all abortions would be illegal, then that's almost certainly true.

Mind you, letting Roe v Wade get overturned could produce a backlash against the court, the Republican party etc. something that would be benificial to the Democratic party.

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By and large I guess that'd be true... although there'd be less ticket splitting Republicans. Mind you that's lopping at most 1 to 2 points of the Democratic Presidential vote in New York, something that isn't worth losing sleep over.

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But I think most of the country would rather that the issue cooled off or died away. This is the problem when Judges legislate from the Bench... if an abortion law had been passed by Congress making it legal for (lets say) 25 weeks or something like that, it wouldn't be such a bile filled issue.