On Tuesday, in an attempt to rally leftists to the polls, President Biden announced that his main priority if Democrats expand their control of Congress in the November midterms will be to enact legislation to “once again make Roe the law of the land.”
Biden, at a Democratic National Committee event, said he’s looking to sign the bill early next year to codify Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that robbed states of their jurisdiction over abortion, until it was overturned in June. This would require Democrats to not only hold onto control of the House, but also expand their slim 51–50 majority in the Senate.
“The final say does not rest in the court now, it does not rest with extremist Republicans in Congress … it rests with you,” Biden said Tuesday. “And if you do your part and vote, Democratic leaders in Congress, I promise you, will do our part, I’ll do my part,” Forbes reported.
Even Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was on the same page with the president, stating in an interview on MSNBC that, based on her observations from “visiting five states a week” since Congress recessed at the end of September, abortion is one of the top issues in the midterm elections. “I can tell you that women’s concerns about their freedom are very, very much still very significant in terms of how they will vote,” she said.
However, the New York Post reported on a new poll by The New York Times/Siena College that “the economy and inflation were the most important issues to a combined 44% of likely voters.” The poll showed “abortion was the top issue to just 5% of likely voters … and only 8% of likely voters who identified as Democrats.” This is in stark contrast to Biden and Pelosi’s belief that their “pro-choice” position on abortion will sway people to vote and keep Democrats in control of Congress.
Then, coming as no shock to the real world and the reporters at Tuesday’s press briefing, the very first question for White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s after she led with Biden’s promise of signing abortion legislation wasn’t about abortion, but about the elephant in the room — oil supplies and gas prices.
It wasn’t until later in the briefing that an abortion question was asked, and it was one that showed Biden’s obvious weakness in campaign skills. “Why did the President decide to give today’s abortion speech in Washington, D.C., instead of a state like Michigan, where abortion is on the ballot, or in a state — Georgia, Ohio, or Pennsylvania — with a Senate candidate that’s locked in a very tight race?”
Jean-Pierre fumbled around in response before she went back to the point of the briefing, stating, “The first bill, as I just mentioned, that the President will send to Congress is going to be to codify Roe. And he will sign that around the anniver- — the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. He is committed to that. He is committed to making sure that we protect the rights of women.”
It will be quite hard to envision Biden even having the opportunity to sign an abortion bill into law, as it appears that a red wave will wipe out any chance of that happening. Especially with high inflation and a reported near-100-percent chance of a serious recession in 2023.
MSN reported Tuesday that Washington Examiner’s Kaylee McGhee White predicted a “red wave” in the November midterm elections, citing Biden’s high disapproval rating:
“Now, if half the country, basically, disapproves of the president and his party, that is not a political environment where any Democrat is going to have an easy time surviving,” White told Dagen McDowell on Fox Business Tonight. “I mean, it’s just disastrous for Democrats.”
In less than three weeks, the nation will undoubtedly vote their conscience, and abortion most likely will not make a difference in the election-night results. Biden is a fool to think otherwise. The Democrats should know better, as inflation is impeding on everyday life, not the abortion issue, and as campaign strategist James Carville once said, “It’s the economy, stupid.”
