"Abortion, guns and covid," was how Mr. Todd phrased it. We can not help thinking that the 'stars' are aligning for Republicans to get all that they want on 'abortion, guns and covid.' And more... Through extreme gerrymandering in the states, of which a majority are completely controlled by Republicans and the disproportionate influence that smaller states have in the U.S. Senate they will accomplish their goals without the majority support of the American people. And if in 2022, Republican-controlled state legislatures nullify any votes because of new laws giving the legislature authority over the Secretary of State to certify elections then minority rule will be solidified.
Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) did not feel comfortable talking about abortion and Roe v. Wade in the slightest, that's for sure. Because now that the dog (or the elephant in this case) has caught the car so to speak, it will become a very tenuous situation for Republicans. Senator Braun said it is a decision that should be left to the states because it's too divisive on a federal level. Seriously?
If the Supreme Court strikes down Roe v. Wade, it would instaneously divide the country even further. Simply for the fact that there are a number of states that have trigger laws that make abortion instantly illegal if the law is struck down. How does that logic not divide this country on a deeper level which is locally. In a state like Wisconsin where state-wide there is a Democratic majority, but the state is gerrymandered in a way that gives Republicans control of the state legislature. Once again, the majority will not have a voice.
Dispatch founder Stephan Hayes explained that in the Virginia gubernatorial race, abortion wasn't an issue for the electorate that Terry McAuliffe had made it out to be spending millions on television ads. But Errin Haines of the 19th gave the 'why' which is because people took it for granted, specifically women. Come the Court's decision next spring, they may not be able to take it for granted anymore because over half the states in the United States will make abortion illegal, meaning that when it comes to a woman's pregnancy, the state has a say in what you can do with your body. They legislated it.
Mr. Hayes also mentioned the rise of libertarianism with Ron and Rand Paul, but frankly libertarianism is dead in this country. If you consider yourself to be a true libertarian that you do not believe in the legislating of an individual's body in any circumstance, with no respect to religion.
Oh and by the way, if abortion is illegal and that law is broken then who are we locking up? The women? The doctors? The building owners where the prodecure took place? The Uber driver? All of the above? Senator Braun didn't want to get anywhere close to an answer on that one when Mr. Todd asked him. Again, he reverted to throwing it back to the states, knowing full well that a federal law like the Womens' Health Protection Act that Senator Amy Klobachar (D-MN) discussed will never pass, never get 10 Republican votes in the Senate. (Because the two North Dakota senators who represent 770,000 people have the same amount of influence as two California senators who represent 40 million people...just saying... This also doesn't account for the comic gullibilty of one Sentor Susan Collins (R-ME).)
The sanctity of life, protecting it, we get it... But Republicans sure do not.
If they were truly protective of it, then they would do something, anything, to try and stop a 15 year-old with negligent parents from going into a local high school with a semi-automatic pistol and kill four people, wounding a score of others. But no... you can not ignore that. Nor can one ignore that fact that over 780,000 Americans have died of Covid-19 and taking vaccines has been politicized.
Republicans blame President Biden for not ending the pandemic while they subvert the Administration's effort at every turn locally and federally for political gain, while their constituents continue to die.
Back to guns...
Should the parents be held accountable in this particular case? Hell yes. Is this rare case of the parents being charged with manslaughter for their negligence despite their son's obvious behavior is going to impact any change? Oh, hell no.
With all that said, we agree with the panel that the vast majority of gun owners are responsible guns owners, where they continued to put their emphasis during the discussion.
Despite the vast majority being responsible, we as a society certainly have not been.
Panel: Ashley Parker, The Washington Post; Errin Haines, the 19th; Eugene Daniels, Politico; Stephan Hayes, The Dispatch
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