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Republicans are celebrating (if they are die-hard evangelicals) or wringing their hands (if they are die-hard politicians) over last week’s Arizona Supreme Court decision on abortion, which brought back the The state has a Civil War-era law that virtually prohibits this procedure. , even in cases of rape or incest.
There is a small exception for the mother’s life, but as we have seen in other states, these exceptions are becoming very difficult to exploit at the moment. Doctors, who themselves now face prison time if they perform the procedure incorrectly, have been reluctant to act quickly to provide abortions, even in life-threatening situations, leading to women’s deaths or loss of ability to abort. all future children.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ campaign just released a hot ad featuring one of those women in Texas, Amanda Zurawski, and her husband Josh. They lost their baby Willow when Amanda’s water broke at 18 weeks. Amanda almost died from an infection because the hospital wouldn’t perform an abortion after the miscarriage, so she might never get pregnant again. The video ends with a simple statement: Donald Trump did this. This is one of the most moving and effective political ads I have ever seen. Watch it here.
The video highlights the fact that most women, and indeed most Americans, simply do not support these kinds of draconian abortion laws. Fifty-seven percent of suburban women who will be key voters in crucial states believe Trump’s abortion policies are too restrictive, according to a Wall Street Journal poll. Meanwhile, only 20% say Biden’s policies are not restrictive enough. Abortion has just become, by far, the number one problem for female soccer players in the suburbs of swing states. Forget kitchen table economics. Mothers, daughters, sisters and friends in these states don’t want abortions on the kitchen table.
The FT’s Washington bureau chief, James Politi, and I discussed the issue and its political implications for both sides on the Swamp Notes podcast this week. We both think this could be a real turning point in the election, which is so close that if Republicans lose a small number of voters in states like Arizona and Georgia (both of which have laws more restrictive on abortion), this could well mean defeat.
You can see Trump’s anxiety about this issue in the way he kicked off his speech after the Arizona decision, saying the issue should be left to the states, while desperately trying to compare his own position on abortion to that of Ronald Reagan, which were for many less restrictive measures. This is obviously entirely opportunistic, given that he has already declared himself “the most pro-life president” in American history.
I bet abortion could be Trump’s Waterloo. Peter, you’re from Arizona. What do you think of the political impact of this decision, in your home state and nationally?
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As if we needed further proof that America’s tech titans represent their own interests rather than any national interest, see this Wired article on how former Google CEO Eric Schmidt a big believer in the “national champions” argument, sought personal contact. his ties to Chinese AI companies even as he publicly advocated against them.
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And for more on the bad behavior of tech barons, check out this Wall Street Journal excerpt/adaptation of Dana Mattioli’s new book, The War of Everything: Amazon’s Ruthless Quest to Take Over the World and Remake Corporate Power. Doesn’t Jeff Bezos look like Dr. Evil in this second page?
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Media insiders (and probably many outsiders) will be fascinated by this front-page Wall Street Journal article about the New York Times editorial rebellion, which reflects the country’s broader political culture clash. The WSJ certainly likes to make hay with this.
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Whoever wins this year’s U.S. election will influence everything from the future of NATO to global trade and efforts to stop damaging climate change. The FT wants to know how the race for the White House will affect you and your country. Click here to give your opinion.
Peter Spiegel responds
Rana, Arizona has always been something of a Republican stronghold, but its voters tend to align more with the libertarian and liberal side of the American conservative movement than with the cultural or religious right. His two most famous political sons, Barry Goldwater and John McCain, certainly fall into this category.
Goldwater in particular expressed disgust with the party’s doctrinaire anti-abortion stance that developed during the 1980s. His wife Peggy founded Planned Parenthood of Central and Northern Arizona in the 1930s, and Goldwater himself, considered the godfather of modern American conservatism and a Republican presidential candidate in 1964, pledged in 1981 to fight the rise of the religious right “every step of the way.” This would not be the case if they tried to dictate their moral beliefs to all Americans in the name of conservatism.”
So yes, I agree with you, Rana: a law passed before Arizona even became a virtually banning abortion state will undoubtedly energize Democrats and the libertarian wing of the Arizona Republican Party in November – especially in Maricopa County, home to Phoenix and its residents. Republican-leaning suburbs that have turned against Trump and other Republican candidates in statewide elections since 2016.
Although other battleground states, like Georgia and Pennsylvania, have a different political history than Arizona, they share suburban districts outside of its largest cities – Montgomery County bordering Philadelphia and Cobb County near Atlanta – which have become critical to winning statewide. These are the kinds of places where Republican women, in particular, will cross the aisle to support Democrats if the election comes down to abortion.
As you say, Rana, this issue is a loser for the Republicans and Trump knows it. His efforts to protect himself from the justices he appointed to overturn Roe v Wade have so far been clumsy and ineffective. With liberal Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor approaching 70 and in failing health, Democratic activists themselves have the perfect opportunity to energize their base this November.
Your reactions
We would like to hear from you. You can email the team at [email protected]contact Pierre at [email protected] and Rana on [email protected]and follow them on @RanaForoohar And @SpiegelPeter. We may present an excerpt of your response in the next newsletter
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