I just have never understood the hard-line pro-lifers. If they don't want to have an abortion, they don't have to have one. But why they think they have the right to tell any woman what she can or can't do with her body just blows my mind. It's not like they care about the baby once it's been born anyway.
But the pro-lifers want to ensure that saving the lives of untold future workers to offer a bulwark in preventing having to bring in migrant workers for jobs unaborted Americans won't take.
But at least the pro-lifers are holding their own ensuring that criminals are ensured the death penalty and innocents only die by random shootings because the Second Amendment holds greater sanctity than the 5th Commandment of "Thou Shalt Not Kill".
They're not "pro-lifers", they're "forced birthers". As long as the birth takes place and the lives are ruined, they couldn't care less if the "child" died the next day.
I like your article. It makes a lot of sense. I disagree with the last sentence though. Texas and other states that ban abortion are terrorizing women and girls. We are supposed to be a democracy, but republican politicians have made women second class citizens. Women will NOT allow that in upcoming elections.
I know that polls consistently show that over 60% of citizens want abortion to be legal. Maybe women in Texas are so browbeaten that they feel no hope. Stay tuned.
Abortion is just the most glaring example of the GOP’s lack of respect for privacy rights and personal freedom and all that they always claim to have just because they want to allow any American to have access to an assault rifle no matter how much that individual should not be within a hundred yards of one.
Nikki Haley was just the best of the worst on abortion in the debate. She is a craven flipflopper who will say anything and support anyone or anything in the pursuit of the Presidency. I appreciate Mike Murphy’s anti-Trump stand, but he still refers to the Republican Party as ”us”…does he not understand that the Party is Trump and that, by extension, they are him?
Haley didn't really say she wouldn't support a Federal abortion ban. She said that there was no way that it would get passed. Those are not the same things.
Calling out the subtle try at both sidesism on the abortion issue. Give me numbers, laws, or confirmed accounts of on demand “late term” abortions before Dobbs.
Yeah, I caught that too. More than 90% of all abortions occur within the first trimester. Any ones after that are usually the result of serious complications in the pregnancy. Mike Murphy is still echoing Republican talking points.
You totally miss the right-wing wish to end “the administrative state”. This phrase has nothing to do with small government or lower taxes. It is a code word for “destroy democracy”.
It embodies an Orwellian desire for authoritarian government and one-party rule. Please wake up and defend our democracy. Stop pretending this is just a partisan issue.
Abortion has become an albatross on the Republicans neck as someone said. I don't see how they can shake it off. Trump used the repelling of abortion as a litmus test in selecting his supreme court judges. There is no way he can dance back to pro choice platform on this. The Democrats will certainly not let him do that anyway
Mr. Murphy's comment "...Joe Biden's bad numbers on economic issues..." ?? I missed the memo on the bad economic numbers. Everything I've read lately is the economy is doing great, in part due to some of Biden's bottom up / middle out policies. But this news gets sidetracked by "He's Too Old" yada yada in most media. And as to the whole abortion debate, thanks to Mike Johnson it will remain a front and center talking point through 2024.
Great piece and thanks for bringing another viewpoint to the conversation. I liked the comments about GOP being stuck deep in the red areas and not understanding the purple. I think Dems have a similar problem being stuck in deep blue urban centers on the two coasts. Would love to see a future post on how Dems are weak on certain topics or parts of the country (including some key swing states).
Most glaring example, the "mostly peaceful protests" that were burning buildings down. The left supported that BS because they were too cravenly cowardly to call it what it was. When you have to support that because you're afraid to counter it, your argument is underwater.
Excellent points with you and Mike discussing the political scene in 2016.
I'm a cultural Catholic, with Catholic grammar schooling from Dominican Nuns and Franciscan Brothers, then time off for bad behavior to public school before back in the intellectual "warmth" of a Catholic University with mandatory theology and philosophy courses regardless of major. (Oh so, 20th century)
I'm being presumptuous, but I suspect both you and Mike are familiar with the Catholic tradition and using the Priest vs. Mathematician posits was brilliant.
But, for those reading not in the Catholic intellectual clique, I offer that the division between those two entities are not as digital as presented.
In my experience I had clerics who taught me statistics and trigonometry and lay persons who taught my theology and philosophy classes.
My point is that most priests in an intellectual environment are not as dogmatic as their counterparts in parish environments (or among the U.S. Council of Bishops), and those secular mathematicians are not unacquainted with the philosophical aspects of their art.
I just have never understood the hard-line pro-lifers. If they don't want to have an abortion, they don't have to have one. But why they think they have the right to tell any woman what she can or can't do with her body just blows my mind. It's not like they care about the baby once it's been born anyway.
But the pro-lifers want to ensure that saving the lives of untold future workers to offer a bulwark in preventing having to bring in migrant workers for jobs unaborted Americans won't take.
But at least the pro-lifers are holding their own ensuring that criminals are ensured the death penalty and innocents only die by random shootings because the Second Amendment holds greater sanctity than the 5th Commandment of "Thou Shalt Not Kill".
They're not "pro-lifers", they're "forced birthers". As long as the birth takes place and the lives are ruined, they couldn't care less if the "child" died the next day.
Why do you pretend to ignore that they believe it's murder?
Why would anyone think they "believe" it's murder?
I like your article. It makes a lot of sense. I disagree with the last sentence though. Texas and other states that ban abortion are terrorizing women and girls. We are supposed to be a democracy, but republican politicians have made women second class citizens. Women will NOT allow that in upcoming elections.
You do realize that many of the women in texas vote for those policies, right?
I know that polls consistently show that over 60% of citizens want abortion to be legal. Maybe women in Texas are so browbeaten that they feel no hope. Stay tuned.
Abortion is just the most glaring example of the GOP’s lack of respect for privacy rights and personal freedom and all that they always claim to have just because they want to allow any American to have access to an assault rifle no matter how much that individual should not be within a hundred yards of one.
I think JVL's realization (a year or more ago) that it really always was about controlling women.
And I think that remains the case.
Nikki Haley was just the best of the worst on abortion in the debate. She is a craven flipflopper who will say anything and support anyone or anything in the pursuit of the Presidency. I appreciate Mike Murphy’s anti-Trump stand, but he still refers to the Republican Party as ”us”…does he not understand that the Party is Trump and that, by extension, they are him?
Haley didn't really say she wouldn't support a Federal abortion ban. She said that there was no way that it would get passed. Those are not the same things.
The only way out is to end the primary process. Replace with ranked choice voting for something similiar.
Calling out the subtle try at both sidesism on the abortion issue. Give me numbers, laws, or confirmed accounts of on demand “late term” abortions before Dobbs.
Yeah, I caught that too. More than 90% of all abortions occur within the first trimester. Any ones after that are usually the result of serious complications in the pregnancy. Mike Murphy is still echoing Republican talking points.
Chris...
You totally miss the right-wing wish to end “the administrative state”. This phrase has nothing to do with small government or lower taxes. It is a code word for “destroy democracy”.
It embodies an Orwellian desire for authoritarian government and one-party rule. Please wake up and defend our democracy. Stop pretending this is just a partisan issue.
We are all in this together.
It's amazing you are willing to put on display how little you know about politics or the conservatives.
I've seen three of your comments now. Your ignorance is what's amazing.
Abortion has become an albatross on the Republicans neck as someone said. I don't see how they can shake it off. Trump used the repelling of abortion as a litmus test in selecting his supreme court judges. There is no way he can dance back to pro choice platform on this. The Democrats will certainly not let him do that anyway
Mr. Murphy's comment "...Joe Biden's bad numbers on economic issues..." ?? I missed the memo on the bad economic numbers. Everything I've read lately is the economy is doing great, in part due to some of Biden's bottom up / middle out policies. But this news gets sidetracked by "He's Too Old" yada yada in most media. And as to the whole abortion debate, thanks to Mike Johnson it will remain a front and center talking point through 2024.
You have to wilfully and blindly ignore what they did to inflation. To make the comments you made.
Who is “they”?
Wow. You really have no idea how economics works -- a true Trump cultist.
Great piece and thanks for bringing another viewpoint to the conversation. I liked the comments about GOP being stuck deep in the red areas and not understanding the purple. I think Dems have a similar problem being stuck in deep blue urban centers on the two coasts. Would love to see a future post on how Dems are weak on certain topics or parts of the country (including some key swing states).
Absolutely Hal. Thanks for reading.
Here in Illinois. Never been on either coast. Nixon survivor, long memory, and left since 1970. But tell me of how “blue” views are as bad as MAGAt.
Most glaring example, the "mostly peaceful protests" that were burning buildings down. The left supported that BS because they were too cravenly cowardly to call it what it was. When you have to support that because you're afraid to counter it, your argument is underwater.
May want to check on the prosecutions on the most notorious examples of those: umbrella man in MPLS, another place with bugaloos, and Portland.
Chris,
Excellent points with you and Mike discussing the political scene in 2016.
I'm a cultural Catholic, with Catholic grammar schooling from Dominican Nuns and Franciscan Brothers, then time off for bad behavior to public school before back in the intellectual "warmth" of a Catholic University with mandatory theology and philosophy courses regardless of major. (Oh so, 20th century)
I'm being presumptuous, but I suspect both you and Mike are familiar with the Catholic tradition and using the Priest vs. Mathematician posits was brilliant.
But, for those reading not in the Catholic intellectual clique, I offer that the division between those two entities are not as digital as presented.
In my experience I had clerics who taught me statistics and trigonometry and lay persons who taught my theology and philosophy classes.
My point is that most priests in an intellectual environment are not as dogmatic as their counterparts in parish environments (or among the U.S. Council of Bishops), and those secular mathematicians are not unacquainted with the philosophical aspects of their art.
Just food for thought.
He sounds like a pragmatist...............which puts him very much out of step with the MAGA base, I fear.
I thought Chris Christie gave an excellent answer, talking about what it means to be pro-life.
If I'm Biden, I look at my flagging poll numbers and try to run on abortion as much as I can
If the GOP adjusted their position slightly on abortion and immigration, I think they'd be in the majority for 20 years