‘You break it, you buy it’: GOP pays price for unpopular anti-abortion policies

Intro >> EARLIER THIS YEAR, NEW YORK MAGAZINE WRITER REBECCA TRAISTER WROTE THIS BECOMES A STORY ABOUT THE EMERGING POLITICS OF ABORTION, AFTER THE SUPREME COURT'S DECISION TO STRIKE DOWN ROE V. WADE. AT THE TIME, THERE'S STILL NO DEBATE BROWNED THE HYPOTHESIS THAT ABORTION WINS ELECTIONS FOR DEMOCRATS, WE'RE ENTERING, QUOTE, A NEW ERA A POSSIBILITY. NOW, PARTICULARLY AFTER WINS FOR ABORTION RIGHTS THAT WE SAW THIS WEEK, IT'S CLEAR, REBECCA TRAISTER WAS CORRECT. I THINK BOTH PARTIES UNDERSTAND THAT. JOINING ME NOW IS REBECCA TRAISTER. IT'S GOOD TO HAVE YOU ON THE PROGRAM. IT'S ALWAYS NICE TO WRITE SOMETHING AND THEN HAVE IT BORNE OUT BY SUBSEQUENT EVENTS. DID YOU ANTICIPATE THAT THINGS WOULD BE AS -- AT LEAST THE SENSE OF NOW, Abortion wins elections UNEQUIVOCAL POLITICALLY AS THEY HAVE PROVEN TO BE SO FAR? YAY >> NO, IN FACT, I WAS NERVOUS ABOUT THE BLUNT FORCE OF THE HEAD ON THAT STORY, WHICH SIMPLY IS THAT ABORTIONS WIN ELECTIONS. OF COURSE, I UNDERSTAND AS A VOTER, AS A POLITICAL WRITER, AS SOMEONE WHO HAS LOOKED AT THE HISTORY THAT THEY'RE VERY RARELY IS ANYTHING THAT IS SO UNEQUIVOCAL, AND THAT HASN'T REALLY WAS A BLUNT FORCE HEADLINE. OF COURSE, YOU NEVER KNOW ACTUALLY WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN ANY GIVEN ELECTION, BUT HERE WE ARE. THERE HAVE BEEN THE SEVEN REFERENDUM VOTES, IN ADDITION TO SUPREME COURT VOTES IN WISCONSIN, IN PENNSYLVANIA, THAT HAVE RELIED ON ABORTION. THERE'S BEEN DEVOTE IN OHIO ABOUT WHETHER ONE COULD VOTE IN THE REFERENDUM ON TUESDAY. THERE HAVE BEEN ALL THESE ELECTIONS, AND IN EVERY CASE, OVER THE PAST MONTHS SINCE I PUBLISHED THAT STORY, AND SINCE STOPS, IN ALMOST EVERY CONTESTS, ABORTION HAS ONE. BUT I HAVE TO SAY, THAT I THINK THAT THE BLUNT FORCE HEADLINE WAS NECESSARY TO GET THROUGH TO A DEMOCRATIC PARTY THAT OVER DECADES HAS NOT ALWAYS FELT COMFORTABLE RUNNING ON ABORTION RIGHTS, HAS TREATED IT AS A DIFFICULT AND CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE RATHER THAN A VERY POPULAR ISSUE, WHICH IS ONE OF ITS STRENGTHS. THE BLUNT FORCE HEAD ON, ABORTIONS WHEN ELECTIONS WAS MEANT TO GET AHEAD OF DEMOCRATS, AND AS HE POINTED OUT EARLIER, NOW WE HAVE ALL THIS EVIDENCE, AND IT'S VERY MUCH IN THE HEADS OF DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS, AND YOU DETAIL SOME OF THE CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR REPUBLICANS, HOW DO DAY, YOU BROKE IT, YOU BOUGHT IT PROBLEM FOR REPUBLICANS, WHICH IS THAT THEY GOT WHAT THEY WANTED, WHICH IS THE OVERTURN OF ROE, AND NOW THEY ARE PAYING FOR IT IN THE STUDY ELECTION LOSSES. WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO? ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT IS THE QUESTION OF WHAT DEMOCRATS ARE GOING TO DO, BECAUSE MAYBE THE BLUNTNESS OF THAT EQUATION IS GETTING THROUGH, BUT I THINK ESPECIALLY GOING INTO THE 2024 ELECTIONS, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY HAD TO THINK ABOUT IS, OKAY, ABORTION MAY WIN ELECTIONS, BUT YOU ACTUALLY HAD TO THINK ABOUT WHY IT'S WINNING. YOU CAN'T JUST SAY THE WORD ABORTION. IT TOOK A LONG TIME FOR A LOT OF DEMOCRATIC POLITICIANS TO BE ABLE TO UTTER THE WORD ABORTION, AND NOW, THEY'RE GOING TO GET BETTER AT, THAT BUT YOU CAN'T JUST SAY THE WORD OVER AND OVER AGAIN WITHOUT THINKING, WHAT IS IT HERE THAT IS DRIVING VOTERS TO THE POLLS IN THIS SORT OF, UNDENIABLE SURGE OF DEMOCRATIC SUPPORT. WHAT ARE VOTERS RESPONDING THROUGH HERE. AND ARE THEY THINK THAT THROUGH Ohio IN TERMS OF HOW THEY COMMUNICATE MOVING INTO THE NEXT YEAR AND INTO THE EARS THAT ARE TO COME. >> I THINK THAT'S A GOOD POINT, I THINK PART OF WHAT IS SO INTERESTING IF, YOU LOOK AT OHIO, FOR INSTANCE, IT'S VERY TANGIBLE AND CONCRETE. . SOMETIMES THINGS AND POLITICS ARE ANTENNAE WHAT YOU HOPE THAT IF YOU PUT THEM IN, THEY VOTE THE WAY THAT THEY WANT, AND MAYBE THE PASS THE TAX CUT AROUND. YOU'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET AN ABORTION IN OHIO OR NOT. THAT'S A VERY CLEAR. THE QUESTION ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL, WHICH COULD PLAY THIS OUT, REPUBLICANS CLEARLY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO. THEY ARE FIGHTING ON A NATIONAL LEVEL, BUT IT DOES SEEM TO CLEAR MESSAGE HERE IS FOR THE DEMOCRATS AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL IN A DEMOCRATIC ELECTION IS, WE WILL VOTE TO PROTECT ABORTION NATIONWIDE. THEY CODIFIED ROE, WHICH I THINK IS NOT A GREAT PHRASE. I THINK WE SHOULD GO ON SOMETHING ELSE. THAT SEEMS TO BE THE CLEAR Vote matters MESSAGE HERE IS WE WILL PROTECT ABORTION RIGHTS NATIONWIDE. >> RIGHT, AND I THINK THAT HAS TO BE -- THERE HAS TO BE AN EXCHANGE, AS YOU POINT OUT, THESE REFERENDA HAVE PUT VOTERS TO CLOSER TO ACTUAL POLICY MAKING THEN WE GET TO BE IN A LOT OF ELECTORAL INSTANCES. YOU GO AND KNOW THAT YOUR VOTE COUNTS TOWARDS PROTECTING A RIGHT TO PROTECT ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE. THAT IS AN INCREDIBLY POWERFUL MOTIVATING FEELING. TO YOUR POINT AS TO WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL, AND THE ARGUMENT, THE DEAL THAT THE POLITICIANS AT THE PUT OUT THERE FOR THE VOTERS, THAT THEY WANT TO COME VOTE FOR THEM A YEAR FOR NOW, IS, YOUR VOTE IS AGAIN GOING TO MATTER WHEN IT COMES TO THE REINSTATEMENT OR PROTECTION, AND PART OF WHAT MY STORY WAS ABOUT IN MARCH IS THAT THERE IS NOT A HISTORY OF POLITICIANS BEING ABLE TO DO THIS LEGISLATIVELY. THE SUPREME COURT DECISION IN ROE IN 1973 CAME AT JUST THE MOMENT THAT THERE WAS EVEN THE BEGINNING OF DISCUSSION ABOUT A FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE PROJECT TO PROTECT AND DECRIMINALIZE ABORTION. SO DEMOCRATIC POLITICIANS ON A FEDERAL LEVEL HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO RIGHT NOW TO THINK ABOUT HOW THEY ARE GOING TO MAKE THIS POLICY. >> THAT IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT POINT, A KEY POINT IN HOW YOU WILL MESSAGE AND THEN DELIVER, IF YOU WIN IN THE RUN UP TO THE ELECTION, HOW YOU MAKE THIS, BECAUSE IT WILL BE CENTRAL ON THE ELECTION. YOU CAN'T JUST TALK ABOUT IT. YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PLAN FOR PEOPLE. REBECCA TRAISTER, WHOSE PIE