The Republican hierarchy has no intention of overturning Roe v. Wade

[Zynx]

For all the fear that the Roberts nomination would tip the balance of the court closer towards an anti-Roe majority, the simple fact is that the Republican leadership has no intention of ever doing anything that would cause that to happen. The leadership of the Republican Party is comprised of wealthy business interests, not relgious kooks, and they are more interested in maintaining majorities in Congress to pass deregulation and tax cuts to further their aims than with any hard core right wing social agenda. They know, as does every political analyst who is worth his pay, that if the Republicans overturn Roe, there will be the most devastating political fight on the state level we have seen since before the Civil War and it will leave the Republicans in the minority and split their part between the religious conservatives and the wealthy businessmen who are libertarians for the most part. Make no mistake, they want Roe to be there. It helps them keep their twisted coalition together.

[KitchenWitch]

1. Exactly

It is a way to galvanize their supporters.

[jonnyblitz]

2. that seems to make sense but I still don't feel comfortable

letting our guard down on this issue.

[mduffy31]

3. It...

...is one of the biggest issues by the "morals and values" crowd. No way do they give that up.

[KitchenWitch]

10. Welcome to DU!

[mduffy31]

28. Thank You

[DistressedAmerican]

4. I Remember A Time Quite Recently Where I Didn't Think They'd Be Torturing

people either. I was wrong abut that and I suspect you are wrong on this assertion.

Logic does not apply to these power hungry freaks...

[Zynx]

6. I would have never put torture past the Republicans.

You call them power hungry, which actually feeds into my argument. If they overturn Roe, they will be out of power.

[DistressedAmerican]

8. Again You Assert That. I Do Not Think Your Assertion Is Correct At All

These fucks have never bothered to worry about how they will be perceived. Public opinion is irrelevant to them.

They just cram it on through and American just sucks it up over and over again. The war? Sucked it up. Patriot Act? Sucked it up. Outing a CIA Agent? Sucking it right up.


See my point? They have a conservative social agenda and they know that their chance to establish it in law is very short lived. They will be out in short order and they know it. They want as much change in that time as they can cram down out throats, actual consequences and public reaction be dammed!

I sort of see why you'd think this.

But, that was OLD repug thinking. This new variety cares little or at all about public opinion. They care agbout decades long change to the social order. You should internalize that and keep fighting everything they do or you will look up and we will be sucking this up too...

[SoCalDem]

9. They learned their lesson with Poppy.. he thought he would have a 2nd term

and probably had a lot of stuff planned, but he never got a chance to do them..Junior is "working" at breakneck speed to ram every odious plan he can through ...

He knows that once enacted, it's harder to UNdo..

[DistressedAmerican]

14. Exactly My Thinking. The Bridge Is Burning. They Know It.

This is their day in the "Son". The culmination of decades of slowly placing neocons and bible bangers into positions in all three branches of the governemnt. It was ALL FOR THIS DAY.

Anyone that argues they will act with restraint has not paid any attention to the past several years. There IS no restrains wherwe these assholes are concerned.

Abortion is the BIG FEATHER in their cap. The kind that will keep their fundie base sending them money for decades.

They will kill Roe and it will take us another 40 years to get enough justices back to UNdo it...

[SoCalDem]

16. BUT..I think they will nibble at the edges to "show" their people

they are "workin' on it"..but they have to "fail" a littler bit so they can still have the "evil liberals" to blame for not being able to go all the way.. If they ever truly got evenrthing they wanted, they would lose their most rabid wackos.. Doe you think that the upper crusty repubes would "freep" a book signing to get on the news:evilgrin:

[blm]

23. You know how many billion$ birth control pills bring in to the pharmas?

If they were to regress to a completely pro-life position, like Scalia and Thomas, then even birth control pills would be illegal.

And when it comes right down to it, the REAL powermen know that oil and water will be scarce sooner than they'd like and the population cannot be sustained.

They have no desire to have abortion as anything but a political wedge issue to ensure the working class has some issue to vote with the corporate elite rulers.

[SoCalDem]

5. They will never "retire" their bloody shirt issues

They just put them on a shelf until the next election and then dust them off and start baiting their lesser minions..

abortion
immigration
god
guns

they never want these issues "resolved".. Once resolved, their party-faithful would get lazy..

[Zynx]

7. Exactly. Just like how dictators always say there is a state of emergency.

[MarianJack]

12. Normally, I'd Be Inclined To Agree With You...

...and the original post. The tried and true rethuglican tactic is to never do anything about what they bitch about so they can still have it to run against in the next election.

This crew, however, thinks that they're on a mission from God to make the world in the religious right's image. They also own the voting machines in enough places to discount a great deal of public opinion, as well as a compliant news media who will just go along and say "GEE WHIZ! All of our exit polls were wrong AGAIN! Glory be to the father, and to the son, and to the little brother governor of Florida. As it has been since '88 (except for 8 years), is now and ever shall be, dynasty without end, Amen!"

[wli]

26. there's also gays and blacks to keep them frothing at the mouth

There really is no lack of issues to keep the religious reich coming back for more. It's a long way between banning abortion and totalitarian televangelist theocracy, the fundies' ultimate goal, which will be paid lip service, but only ever implemented to the extent it doesn't threaten the corporate fascists' interests.

[pointblank]

11. I think you have hit the nail on the head here

The whole morality issue is their 'ace in the hole' so to speak. The repubs have exploited morality and turned many states that used to be blue, democratic strong unionized states into red Bush voting lackeys...how? Karl Rove and co. realized the power of morality and did a hell of a job convincing people that that is what they stand for.

Bullshit, does anyone REALLY believe that Bush, Rove, Cheney, Rumsfeld or half these so called moralists that we have running around peaching the word of god and then flippin the bird, calling people 'fucking assholes'...all the while bombing the shit out of brown people for oil?

I don't, and neither does anyone with half a brain IMO.

[bowens43]

13. It doesn't matter what the Republican hierarchy wants.

This is entirely in the hands of the SCOTUS.

[kevsand]

18. Exactly.

And the fundies will push it all the way there, regardless of what the party wants. These people are on a mission from God, and if the party or the Bush White House gets in their way, they'll run right over them.

[Melynn]

15. I've thought the same thing

The power structure of this country doesn't want Roe v. Wade overturned because it would start the mother of all culture wars in this country.

[davepc]

17. Our failing is letting a court decision decide womens reproductive rights

Where there should be a CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.

[Walt Starr]

19. Of course they won't dump Roe in a single fell swoop

They intend to chip away at it until there is nothing left.

[VelmaD]

20. Don't take this personally...

because it isn't just about you...but I'm really tired of men telling me this. It's easier for you all to think "oh they'll never actually do it" because it doesn't affect you quite so intimately.

[CTLawGuy]

21. I dont' think it matters whether you are a man or not

but I tend to agree with you Velma. The rich republicans don't care whether abortion is banned. If their daughters get pregnant, they can fly them to Canada or Europe for abortions. They don't care about people of lesser means of course.

And if they DO get rid of Roe, they can still run on "Democrats are trying to bring Roe back!"

The fundies are an amusing nuisance to the Reaganites. Fortunately for them, the fundie leaders are closer to the reaganites than to the average foot soldier fundie. Just look at those diamond mines pat robertson owns in south africa. The fundie leaders will make sure the fundies continue to support harmful economic policies in the name of Jesus.

[salin]

22. Or perhaps it is a genie out of the bottle thing...

the issue has been used to froth the "troops" up for so long... and more and more politicians have come to office on this issue alone... who really believe the radicalreligious stuff... and they feel emboldened.

Still not really sure where Roberts would go - it could be that the rush to pull headlines away from Rove and Bolton - rushed the WH to move too quickly and this one may or may not be the radical Scaliaesque one. But if he isn't - likely the next one will be.

I don't know that those who push the campaigns and exploit the "issue" (eg get the troops frothy at the mouth but motivated to vote) - can really put the genie back in the bottle so easily. I, for one, would not view the threat so cavialierly.

[Crowdance]

24. Roe is only the beginning. They have a lot of other issues to

feed to the troops. Of course they'll kill Roe, first chance they get.

When we train ignorant animals, we can't withold the reward forever. Eventually, the dumb animal will figure out that the tasty morsel is never coming, and stop performing the desired behavior. There must be treats along the way to keep 'em coming. So, yes, Roe will go, to be replaced by the next red herring: gays, contraception, immigrants. They can feed the animals for decades on these follow-up issues. And by the time they're done with those, I'm sure others will arise to take their place.

Arguing that Roe is safe, IMHO, is over-thinking the issue. Roe is as good as dead, and so are many American women and girls.

[Lorien]

25. I've always thought of it as their carrot for the evangelicals

studies have shown that the religious right generally won't come out to vote unless an issue like abortion or gay marriage compels them to. My mom is one of these people now, and she has little interest in the troubles of the "physical world" (war, famine, health care crisis, unemployment, etc.), but abortion is, to her, an issue of the "spiritual world", therefore it's important. I imagine that most fundies think this way. They're a huge demographic for the RW, so if Roe v. Wade was overturned I imagine the fear from corporate RWers would be that the fundies would-from that point on-feel content to stay home on election day.

There are other reasons to oppose pro-corporation, anti-environment and civil rights Roberts.

[linazelle]

27. I believe that...it's a red herring. I also believe Bush is pro life

but also pro women's rights--he and his father have had their dalliances and I know they both might have second families were it not for Roe v. Wade.