Losing Roe

» NYT: Why Pro-Choice Is a Bad Choice for Democrats (Melinda Henneberger)

Why would that be, given that Roe v. Wade was decided almost 35 years ago? Opponents of abortion rights saw 2004 as the chance of a lifetime to overturn Roe, with a movement favorite already in the Oval Office and several spots on the Supreme Court likely to open up. A handful of Catholic bishops spoke out more plainly than in any previous election season and moved the Catholic swing vote that Al Gore had won in 2000 to Mr. Bush.

The standard response from Democratic leaders has been that anyone lost to them over this issue is not coming back - and that regrettable as that might be, there is nothing to be done. But that is not what I heard from these voters.

Many of them, Catholic women in particular, are liberal, deep-in-their-heart Democrats who support social spending, who opposed the war from the start and who cross their arms over their chests reflexively when they say the word “Republican.” Some could fairly be described as desperate to find a way home. And if the party they’d prefer doesn’t send a car for them, with a really polite driver, it will have only itself to blame.

I was fortunate enough to get a review copy of Melinda's book, "If They Only Listened to Us" , which I regretfully inform one and all that I've lacked the time to give it the attentive review it deserves. She writes not from the point of view of one who is decided on the issue, but as one who seeks to cast as true a light on the views of both sides.

Of primary interest in the book is the chapter spent on our own Barbara Ann Radnofsky in her uphill race for the Senate. But what struck me the most upon reading was the chapter on Bill Ritter's race for Governor in Colorado. Ritter, who is pro-life, is seen in a room full of pro-choice activists. It's a scene full of conflict and it's left not cleanly resolved, though Ritter would go on to win. As one who can relate a bit to Ritter - that of a pro-life male not infrequently badgered by the pro-choice majority around me at party events - it's the most captivating chapter of the entire book. But there are other moments where Henneberger captures what she refers to as a dissonance of values that lead to the type of women she describes in her op-ed voting Republican. A seriously great read that goes beyond just how women view politics, but also shows how the rest of the world - that which abides neither perfectly nor cleanly by partisan platforms and agendas - decides at the polling place.

UPDATE: Melinda also make Atrios' "Wanker of the Day" ... I'm not sure that does anything but increase the value I place in her work now.