This is no time to let up
In case my earlier post on the Kansas referendum landslide in support of women’s rights was too cautionary (it won’t stop Republicans from working to bring about the Republic of Gilead), let’s let Josh Marshall explain what Democrats need to do next:
Vote counting slowed down overnight with abt 95% reporting. No (abortion rights) is steady at around 59% support vs 41%. It seems unlikely to tick down more than one or two percent at most. This was considered a too close to call race with an advantage to Yes.
2/ When a result is this lopsided & this unexpected for most political observers it’s not only a political earthquake but a sign many political professionals have seriously mistaken the political terrain. When there’s a political backlash as strong as the one against Dobbs …
3/ and one party is as firmly tied to it as Republicans are here, clearly the opposing party needs to grab on to it with both hands. Abortion rights will be central to numerous races this fall. But Democrats need to make the connection as explicit and tangible as possible.
4/ The way to do that is to make a firm pledge that if Democrats hold the House and add two Senate seats they will make Roe into federal law in January 2023. They are at present kinda sorta suggesting something like that, maybe. But clarity is everything. Give us this …
5/ specific result and this is specifically what we will do. Kansans didn’t turn out in these lopsided numbers to make a statement about Dobbs or Roe. They did so because they knew that the outcome of this one vote would immediately and dramatically effect the right …
6/ to a safe and legal abortion in the state. Democrats need to approximate the same clarity at the federal level, both to undo Dobbs and also to secure their hold on Congress. The way to do that is to get all 48 (non-Sinema/Manchin) senators to make a firm pledge that …
7/ if the House is held and two Democratic senators added they will vote for a Roe law in January 2023 AND suspend the filibuster rules to guarantee that bill gets an old fashioned up or down majority vote. So far 31 Senate Democrats have said they’ll do that (though not …
8/ yet on the specific date). All but two of the 17 are basically there but still refuse to say it clearly. There are two potential hold outs. Angus King of Maine and Mark Warner of Virginia. They will all certainly fall in line quickly if constituents apply pressure now.
9/ In fact here’s a handy list of where every Democratic senator stands on this key question. Can you use this list to pinpoint where pressure needs to be applied. Pick up the phone. Old school. It gets results.
10/ The political power of Roe and Reform has been clear to many people for months. Kansas removes all doubt. Voters can get the remaining senators to fall in line quickly enough by making their views clear to the remaining senators. And if they do the midterm can take …
11/ the dynamics – the clarity and this for that nature of the vote – of last nights referendum in Kansas.
Josh’s list won’t be much help here in North Carolina until Cheri Beasley wins a Senate seat in November. But the rest of you faithful readers should take Josh’s advice and make sure Democrats in the Senate hear loud and clear that Roe and Reform are at the top of voters’ list of concerns.
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