November will be about abortion. Isn't it obvious?

[Skip Intro]

The SD abortion move will be before the Supreme Court before Nov. - its in the script.

I'm not saying ignore the scandal after scandal that has been errupting from cesspool bush for years now, but when the election comes, I just konw it, abortion will be thepivotal issue. The "gay marriage" of 06.

Its the last issue the bots have been trained to respond to - all bushco has left with which to manipulate the gullible and simple-minded.

The SD move isn't spontaneous, but more likely a key step in a bigger plan. Yes?

I'm sure its coming. The abortion debate.

"Democrats want to kill babies."

We sould be ready for it.

[DanCa]

1. October is Pro Life Month

So I buy your November deadline. I plead with everyone to put aside thier personal problems with the party and vote Democrat straight thru. We can't afford to let the religous right destroy the constitution any more than they allready have.

[waiting for hope]

2. Why can't this be an

issue that only women are allowed to vote on? It just pisses me off to no end that the main force driving this issue is a bunch of Fundie men who pine for the days of women being barefoot and pregnant. The majority of the country doesn't want to see Roe v Wade overturned...http://www.surveyusa.com/50State2005/50StateAbortion0805SortedbyState.htm

[Skip Intro]

4. that's the thing - its not what the majority of Americans want, its what

the majority of Americans who are motivated to vote on THAT day want.

nothing will motivate the right more in Nov, and rove knows that.

[waiting for hope]

15. Here's a thought.....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=229x3809

Would pushing this (ERA) to the forefront make it more difficult for any law that would discriminate against women be enacted?

[meow2u3]

22. The fundies used abortion to kill the ERA

The truth is that it's the cons who conflate abortion rights with women's rights--and liberals bought into this conservative con!

[DanCa]

6. Actually I miss the days when you needed a license to practice medicine.

I wonder how many people in the SD legislature have medical degrees.

[Charlie Brown]

3. That would be a record-breaking fast legal process

The "partial-birth" ban was passed in November, 2003, and it's only just now made it to the SC. Even if the SC takes the case early next fall, it will be months before they hear arguments and issue a decision.

I don't think it will be an issue this year.

[aquart]

5. Republicans want to kill WOMEN.

Since they can't get us to vote for them.

[DanCa]

8. Republicans are pro rape.

The person committing the rape crime now has more power than his victim. Morallity really is in the toillet now.

[aquart]

7. BTW, October will still be hurricane season.

Want to bet we have other issues?

[CatholicEdHead]

9. It will also be about gay marriage in Minnesota

if the GOP plan continues. :puke:

[IsItJustMe]

10. The Senate leader is to propose another bill to ban gay marriage in

the next couple of weeks so I believe that will be their game plan for the next election.

[kevinbgoode]

18. I think people are getting fed up with that ploy, too. . .

there are just too many more important issues than attempting to enshrine the wacky televangelistas agenda as public policy in every state. The public has already seen that they don't stop there. . .and they haven't been able to win any public opinion poll beyond the marriage ban for any of their pet hate-the-gays projects.

[tenshi816]

23. I believe you are right.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jay Bookman did a piece about this in the paper's December 15, 2005 edition, entitled Remember gay marriage? Issue disappears until it's time to go to the polls. It's in the AJC archives now and can only be viewed there after paying a fee, but I found it reprinted on the Smirking Chimp website at this link: http://smirkingchimp.com/print.php?sid=24035

Here's some snippets, but the entire article's a good read (I'm an unabashed Bookman fan):

Think back a little more than a year ago, to the political campaigns of 2004. One of the hottest issues in presidential debates and congressional campaigns was the threat to traditional marriage posed by gay people seeking the right to wed.

At the time, President Bush and others were warning that the threat could be averted only by the most serious step available under our political system, amending the U.S. Constitution to ban gay marriage outright.

<snip>

But a year later, it seems pertinent to ask: Have you heard or read a single word about a federal gay-marriage amendment since the election?

No, you have not, because this supposedly all-important issue has vanished from the political landscape. Judging from the available evidence, this dire threat to marriage and family, this looming peril to the very core of American society, has simply disappeared as a concern. Certainly, nobody's talking about it or trying to do anything about it any longer.

Bookman closes the article by saying that, according to Congressional Quarterly, "GOP leaders are expected to revive the marriage amendment and bring it to the floor for a vote next year, 'in advance of the midterm elections.'"

Manipulative bastards, showing their true colors.

[David Dunham]

11. Wrong. It will take until 2007 or 2008 for SD bill to reach Supreme Ct.

It's a 2008 election issue.

[tenshi816]

24. Yes, I still think 2006 will be more about gays.

I have nothing concrete to base this on, just a feeling that the Republicans want to milk the abortion and gay issues to death and might tackle them separately across two elections. It's an easier way to get the fundies to focus their hate on just one target at a time.

[HeeBGBz]

12. It's all they've got

Besides opposing gay marriage.

[Savannah Progressive]

13. It will be a multi faceted attack, not just Abortion

The Repugs will be using Abortion and Gay Marriage as wedge issues. I have been waiting for the Repugs to point out that Civil Unions are unconstitutional, but they haven't yet, and that is surprising. I am going to presume that there will be movement on that issue, knowing the Repugs as we all do.

On Abortion, with at least Five States moving to ban, the Repugs will be happy to make that an issue in those states, and others, promising more action on the issue, perhaps even at the Federal Level, although the Federal Level will probably wait for Alito and Roberts to swing the vote showing that it is perfectly fine to take a persons right to choose away.

School Prayer, another issue we have to be ready for, and expect much discussion on.

The biggest is going to be budget and defense. Expect that we are labeled as soft on defense when we object to cuts in the Federal Budget domestic issues. With the Economic Numbers they are cooking to show a great economy, we won't have much traction there.

The port issue may give us a little traction, but here is the rub, we won't be able to keep it up for the rest of the year, and that is going to hurt. If we bring it up again in November, and they have some five billion page report to point to, which of course indicates that the port sale is just fine, thanks, we had better have something other than a connect the dot conspiracy to point to. While you and I may see the truth clearly, the average sheeple won't, they haven't yet.

I don't care about the polls, while they may be encouraging, I clearly remember all the times it's been wrong, and the results on election day were very different than what was "polled". Like you, I see them, and find them interesting, but frankly, I don't trust them.

We have been waiting for a Democratic Contract with the Nation, but it's not coming and I don't think it will be anytime soon. Heck, the Washington State Governor wouldn't allow himself to be photographed with Howard Dean. We can't win with that kind of infighting going on publicly. He has to know we love Howard Dean, (a perfect example of the polling problem and RW media in our midst) yet he is afraid of being linked to Dean in the photos.

[DemGirl7]

14. I agree it's part of their whole Republican party's election plan but...

It will take at least 1 1/2 to 2 years to get to the Supreme Court. Cases take time to come before the Supreme Court, unless there is a real urgent need for the case to be resolved. The Republicans will probably just use it along with gay marriage to get the fundies to come out and vote. But by the time it does get to the Supreme Court however, Justice Stevens, who is turning 86 this year, would probably have retired(there are tons of rumors right now as speak about his retirement, and it will happen soon) and Roe will probably be overturned because * would replace Stevens with some sort of Scalia/Thomas clone the republicans has waiting in the wings as we speak.

[UTUSN]

16. That, and the assaul on "Illegal Immigration" -

If there is any REASON left, the anti-CHOICE law should be ruled unconstitutional by the first court it lands in, then again if this is appealed, all the way up the road to the SCotUS, which should then refuse to hear the case, and end of story. If SCotUS rules it as O.K. on the grounds of the individual state's right, then it will trigger a state-by-state deal, meaning that some states will pass anti-CHOICE laws and some states will pass pro-CHOICE laws. The thought has gone around for years that this should have been the strategy from the beginning instead of relying on SCotUS.

Otoh, the wingnut RACISTS--O'REILLY, MALKIN, TANCREDO, the Minutemen/GILCHRIST--have been framing their racism against the Southern border as a matter of "illegal immigration" and "national security" despite O'REILLY's saying that it is CANADA that has "Al Quaeda running around all over". These pigs was to MILITARIZE the border and build walls, and the Democratic Party is going to be caught flat footed AGAIN.

[kevinbgoode]

17. If it is, the Republicans will be in for a very rude awakening

their fear-and-smear stuff without any substance is falling on an increasing number of deaf but quiet ears. When the masses are quiet, that usually means they are counting the days to vote the corrupt, religious-flunky buffoons out of office en masse.

[SoCalDem]

19. They have plenty of time to gin up their other pet issues

It will be the usual G.A.G.G. election

guns
abortion
gays
god

These are their bread n butter issues.. They never want to "solve" them because then they would have NOTHING to run on..

The sad thing is that their gullible fans can't understand that.. The repubes have had the power to enact ALL of these issues for at least 5 years, and have not..

[Savannah Progressive]

21. I wonder how long it's going to take us to realize the truth?

The Repugniks aren't using this as an election year issue, they are moving forward. Just like they did for Bankruptcy reform, they just did it. They have the power in the courts, and have a ton of fundie lawyers who want to see their God given his due. They pass law after law, redistrict us out of existence, and each new threat we stop and say "They would never do this, they need the issue too badly".

They ARE doing this, South Dakota is one, Georgia is pushing another challenge. South Dakota readily admits that the law was written expressly to challenge Roe V. Wade, and we stand here and say "They would never do this" pfui. I suggest respectfully that you pull your head out of the sand and take a long look at what is going on. We said they would never nominate a fundie for the court, and when Bush put his good friend and crony up, we figured we had a chance. Harriet Myers was at least an unknown, possible right winger, possible moderate in the mold of O'Connor. Instead the Fundies launched an all out attack, and less than two weeks later, Myers is withdrawn, and we actually smiled and said "This time, he has to give us someone we can support". I shuddered, and told folks here to get ready, because they were full speed ahead, and we got Alito.

We can stop him we cried, and raised our voices in chorus demanding the withdrawal of Alito, and got Justice Alito of the Supreme Court.

We got Bankruptcy Reform, where the average person has 1/10th of the protection a business has. We got the Patriot Act, and now our leaders are backpedaling on the Domestic Spying on Civilians by the NSA. Now, the leaders of the Democratic Party want to figure out a way to make it legal under FISA instead of stopping it.

They would never has been our battle cry for a very long time, and we have been wrong on every one of those cries. They would never has always been followed by "I can't believe they did that, well we'll get them in November, perhaps in 2008, or maybe 2012. We will win eventually, you will see."

They WILL do it, they WILL push for an overturn of Roe V. Wade, this has been their dream for how long? Sorry, they ARE doing it, and our denial serves us not at all.

[spanone]

20. South Dakota is just the beginning. Lawsuit after lawsuit will ensue.

They are completely emboldened by the likes of Roberts and Alito added to the bench. They're frothing.