Was the leaked Supreme Court abortion draft opinion what the Democrats needed to galvanize voters for the upcoming midterm elections? The short answer is, maybe, but the long answer is much more nuanced.
Given that 2022 is not 1973, abortions have been on the decline for decades, and plenty of states like New York, California, and Colorado will maintain themselves as “abortion sanctuaries,” will the outcry over an eventual overturning of Roe v. Wade really drive voters to vote Democrat?
While polling maintains that abortion is roughly a 50/50 issue, with varying degrees of limitations on each side, anecdotally it may not be as driving a force as Democrats hope it will:
Wilson, 61, is pro-choice, voted for Democratic President Joe Biden, and knew all about the news last week that the U.S. Supreme Court is likely poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision giving women the right to an abortion.
Yet Wilson said she is undecided about who she will vote for this November, and abortion rights are not a priority for her.
“It’s the economy and jobs,” Wilson said. She said she was disappointed in Biden, because of high inflation and “too many homeless people on the streets.”
“It’s the economy and jobs.” That’s been a common theme for quite a while now with inflation eating any gains workers are making with rising wages. Crime and public safety are also top issues that Democrats, both federally and locally, have continued to downplay and ignore. What good is a right to an abortion if you get mugged and stabbed on your way to the clinic? It’s not quite that simple, but the issue is less likely to be front and center right now the way it could have been even just a few years ago.
Some of the driving force comes from much of the voting public simply being misinformed or uninformed. After all, 1973 is a long time ago, and many people, especially younger voters, think that the original Roe v. Wade ruling undid some kind of previous national abortion ban, or if it’s overturned will end up banning the practice nationwide. That’s incorrect, of course, but as a good portion of the population born after 1973 can attest, when something is just “there,” you have to work a little harder to find out where it came from in the first place. In this case, abortion was regulated by states before Roe v. Wade, and would once again be regulated by the states if the ruling is repealed.
From the small voter sampling Reuters did in suburban Phoenix, it would seem Democrats were hoping for more outrage than this:
Maria Alvarez, 46, a mother and a realtor, said she is pro-choice, but “I really don’t have a strong opinion on it.” She wants politicians who will take care of pocketbook issues. She had just completed a grocery shop that cost her $400, twice what she used to pay a year ago.
Of the 21 women interviewed by Reuters, five said they were pro-life and Republican, while 16 said they were pro-choice. Just two of the 16 said the issue was the top priority for them when voting this November, while half of the 16 were undecided about who to vote for in the Senate race because of concerns about the economy. The other half said they would likely vote Democrat.
Granted, it could become more of an issue if the actual ruling comes down from SCOTUS and Roe v. Wade is truly overturned, which could happen in June, but for now, the economy is still front and center.
Pro-abortion extremist groups protesting in front of the residence of Supreme Court justices probably won’t help the pro-abortion image for the upcoming midterms, either.
That could just as well be a liberal justice with protestors outside their home, and it’s up to the Biden administration and Democrats everywhere to condemn this kind of action in the strongest terms and start arresting those violating the various laws against intimidating judges and protesting outside a private residence.
It's a federal crime to protest at the home of a justice w/ intent to intimidate
Now the Leftist mobs have run Alito & his family out of their home
Where is the law enforcement crackdown? https://t.co/vnhx4SAnQs
— Jim Hanson (@JimHansonDC) May 9, 2022
Americans are tired of chaos and mob rule from leftist agitators. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, watch for another summer of left-wing violence and property damage fueled by the rhetoric of the Democratic Party. They will take this issue too far, once again.
Much of this agitation, done in the name of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, would likely anger the late justice given the strong rapport she formed with her colleagues on the bench, especially the conservative justices. She would be appalled to see a fellow justice being pushed from their home over safety concerns due to a legal ruling.
