Repealing freedom is not a political winner

By overthrowing our expectation of a right to abortion, Republicans have put their radicalism front and center in the upcoming midterm election.

And smart Democrats are running hard against the cruel extremism of state abortion bans. Here's a powerful ad out of Texas.

Democratic messaging guru Dan Pfeiffer explains why abortion rights are so potent.

The sweet spot in political messaging are issues that unite your base and divide your opponent’s. The aftermath of the Dobbs decision created irreconcilable tension within the Republican coalition. The Far Right, having waited for years to overturn Roe, feels empowered to push extremist policies opposed by 70 to 80 percent of the electorate.  

This extremism pushes out the more moderate Republicans who voted for Joe Biden in 2020 out of antipathy for Trump but were considering voting for a Republican this fall. Repealing freedoms and inserting politicians and the government into people’s health care decisions also causes distress for the admittedly shrinking but still substantial Libertarian wing of the party. 

... By keeping the heat on Republicans for their extremist views on abortion, we are bringing fears of Right Wing extremism to the forefront and hoping these fears overtake concern about inflation as the main issue for a swath of voters. And that could be the difference.

A Democrat, Patrick Ryan, won a New York State special election on Tuesday in a Congressional district that prognosticators rank as strictly a toss up. He ran strong for women's rights. That's not what we expect in a midterm election with inflation running high and folks still post-pandemic pissy.

Democrats, take heed.