Great tactical move by Senate Dems

[wyldwolf]

You may or may not agree that women's reproductive freedom should be used as a pawn in the proverbial political chess match, but Dems knew this birth control bill wouldn't pass. And now they have each Republican on the record as being against it.

Kudos to Susan Collins (R-ME), Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) who voted with nearly all Democrats in favor of cloture. They either genuinely feel as we do or were too smart to fall into the trap that will likely hurt their party in elections to come.

[Savannahmann]

1. OK, how exactly will this help the Dems in November?

I only wonder because for some reason, Abortion barely shows up on important issues according to polling.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/1675/most-important-problem.aspx

Now, you notice that more people polled think that economic issues are the most important. Behind that the biggest single thing is dissatisfaction with the Government. You have to go way down the list to get to gay issues, abortion, guns, and all of that.

So while the Republicans are vowing to fight the Job Killing Daylight Savings time (They read the polls and know that economic issues rank higher with the voting public) we can go out and show that most of the rethugs are against birth control. Well, that will cement us in November, or something. That 1% for whom this is a huge issue will certainly run to the polls and bring us within spitting distance of keeping control of the Senate.

If you want to break the back of the Rethugs, don't go after issues that poll so low in the list. Go for issues that more people care about. Offer economic stimulus packages if you want something voted down. Put up a tax reform bill that you get Democrats to talk about every chance they get. Do this instead of trying to make sure that the people who will go out and vote Democrat know that they should go vote Democrat.

To quote someone, and I can't remember who. It's the economy stupid.

[bigtree]

4. because it's not just about abortion. Remember, the right-wing and the Court lied

. . . and claimed some contraceptive choices were about abortion and the Court directed lower courts to review all contraceptive challenges.

Women, rightly, view this effort as republicans trying to dictate all choices they make regarding reproduction and contraception - and whatever else they get away with.

[Savannahmann]

6. Really?

Because polling doesn't show a majority thinking this is a big issue. Reuters came up with 53% of respondents who disagree with the Hobby Lobby decision. How many of them will still vote Rethug? History shows that this issue alone won't drive the people to vote that much differently. I say that because I have been told that every single election was vital to a Woman's right to choose right back to my first Presidential Election. My guy lost, and Bush 41 won. Every single election was going to be the deciding factor in a womans right to choose, and none of them have been.

So most people figure that this issue is one that politicians use to scare people to the polls, people who worry about this particular issue.

They don't see the womans right to choose riding on this election man. The political activist set might, but the rest, not so much. For them, the most important issue is economy. If they don't have a job, and 92 million people are not in the workforce, then you don't give a shit what somebody with a job doesn't have covered by their insurance. If you are living in a homeless camp, the thing that matters to you is your next meal, not if a few thousand women have to pay for their IUD.

When you are struggling to put food on the table, and you're working two jobs to put shoes on your children. You don't give a shit what someone has cut from their insurance. All you care about is getting coverage for your kids.

Most people just don't care my friend. Because they have bigger problems. So taking an issue that polls very low in the important list o shit to consider, and claiming this is going to push us over the top, is delusional. Because if we lose the Senate in November, a distinct possibility, then does that mean that people support the right of companies to limit birth control choices? Will we pretend that was the issue that sent us down in flames? Will we pretend that it was immigration that killed us? Immigration is the most important issue to 4% of the people.

My point is always the same. Focus on the issues that a vast majority of the people care about if you want to win elections. Because if you're working to make their jobs, their futures, more economically secure, they'll vote for you. If you're focusing on issues they think are minutiae, especially while they are drowning in debt, they're not going to turn out and vote for you.

According to this thread, if the Republicans win this November, it shows that most people don't care about Birth Control choices for women. I don't think that's going to be the issue that sinks us.

Let me repeat. It's the economy.

[tularetom]

2. "…nearly all Democrats…", WTF?

What I want to know is who are the Democrats who voted against cloture?

[wyldwolf]

5. Harry Reid

My voting no he can now bring the bill up again in the near future. A not too uncommon procedural move.

[fredamae]

7. Roll Call: S.2578

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=113&session=2&vote=00228
Sen Reid, as maj leader has to vote "NO" as procedure requires, in order for him to bring it back up again....

[bigtree]

3. we're already fundraising over it

The Democrats @TheDemocrats · 2h

RT to tell Senate Republicans what you think of their vote to block the Democrats' bill to reverse #HobbyLobby.