Politico is confirming what most political analysts expected: while cheering the Supreme Court's odious Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, Republican politicians are privately nervous and upset that this will be an issue driving pro-choice advocates to the polls in 2022 and beyond:
"In Republican circles, a consensus has been forming for weeks that the court’s overturning of a significant — and highly popular — precedent on a deeply felt issue will be a liability for the party in the midterms and beyond, undercutting Republicans to at least some degree with moderates and suburban women. [snip]
The problem for Republicans with the Roe decision is that it’s giving Democrats something to grasp onto in an otherwise bleak year — the kind of issue that may animate some lower-propensity voters, including young Democrats, to turn out in November, and blunt the GOP’s appeals to independent voters, a majority of whom also support Roe, according to Gallup.
Republicans, said Sarah Longwell, a moderate Republican strategist who became a vocal supporter of Joe Biden in 2020, are now 'the dog that caught the car.'” (our emphasis)
The article notes that most analysts don't believe it will be enough to save the House for the Dems, but much can happen in the months between now and November. If the Dems press hard that this decision is just the beginning for the radical right-wing court -- see Clarence Thomas' concurring decision for proof -- they may convince enough voters of the wide-ranging, negative impact on their personal lives.
Despite public crowing that his three appointments to the Court tipped the balance to overturn Roe, the Malignant Loser is said to be anxious about the ruling's impact on his electoral chances if and when he runs. He's always been on thin ice with suburban Republican and independent women voters due to his manifest character issues and more, and his role in this debacle for women's rights should play prominently.
BONUS: Greg Sargent on what Democrats must do now --
... Democrats have to be ultra-clear about this fall’s elections. They need to tell voters: If you let us keep the House and deliver us two more Senate seats, we will end the filibuster, pass a bill nationally codifying abortion rights, and undertake far-reaching Supreme Court reform.
Of course, the court could strike down such a national abortion bill. But ... Democrats can tell voters that they would reform the court to prevent this, vowing: “We will declare war on the Supreme Court to keep that law viable.”
Make those Republican fears come true!
