One thing I’ve noticed in reviewing dozens of candidate websites is that almost no Democrats are listing anything about reproductive rights on their issues pages. From a research perspective, I consider this to be a pain in the ass because it makes it difficult for me to assess my degree of support for candidates. But the strategy that lies behind the phenomenon is another matter. And it is a strategy because it is new. In 2006 it was much more common to see candidates expressing their support for reproductive rights…sometimes front and center.
It’s just a hunch but I think abortion is receding as an issue that is motivating the electorate. Maybe a better way of putting it is that the issue isn’t polarizing the electorate as much as it used to. I think this is more a matter of priorities than any change in the electorate. In fact, I saw some polling not too long ago that said the electorate was moving to the left on basically every issue except abortion, which was moving in the other direction (if you know the poll I’m talking about, let me know and I’ll provide a link). So, I don’t think the Democrats are necessarily winning the battle over choice. And their collective decision to ignore the issue on their websites could be considered a sign of weakness…even capitulation. We’ve seen that on the issue of gun control (in my opinion, quite wisely) and we may be seeing it now on abortion. But that isn’t the only way to look at it. It could just be that our candidates are winning over Republicans and independents when they stick to other issues and reminding them of their pro-choice position simply stomps on their message and diminishes their effectiveness.
This reminds me of an old post by Armando called Defending Roe: Why It is Good Politics. That post focuses on the folly of abandoning Roe and letting it go to the states. A more timely question is this: are we in a political moment where it makes sense to soft-pedal the party’s pro-choice position? Or is there something fundamentally dangerous going on?
