Republican strategists are exploring a shift away from “pro-life” messaging on abortion after consistent Election Day losses for the GOP when reproductive rights were on the ballot.
At a closed-door meeting of Senate Republicans this week, the head of a super PAC closely aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., presented poll results that suggested voters are reacting differently to commonly used terms like “pro-life” and “pro-choice” in the wake of last year’s Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, said several senators who were in the room.
The polling, which NBC News has not independently reviewed, was made available to senators Wednesday by former McConnell aide Steven Law and showed that “pro-life” no longer resonated with voters.
“What intrigued me the most about the results was that ‘pro-choice’ and ‘pro-life’ means something different now, that people see being pro-life as being against all abortions … at all levels,” Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said in an interview Thursday.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said the polling made it clear to him that more specificity is needed in talking about abortion.
“Many voters think [‘pro-life’] means you’re for no exceptions in favor of abortion ever, ever, and ‘pro-choice’ now can mean any number of things. So the conversation was mostly oriented around how voters think of those labels, that they’ve shifted. So if you’re going to talk about the issue, you need to be specific,” Hawley said Thursday.
The first rule of pursuing abhorrent policies for performative reasons is, they need to stay performative. The GOP used to understand this, and carefully pursue anti-abortion policies while carefully not achieving them. But now there’s too high a proportion of people who are such nutcases that they genuinely don’t understand or don’t care that this will lose them elections, and the strategic Republicans are struggling more and more to keep control of their party.
It used to be the same with “anti-immigration” policies that were surgically careful to preserve the vulnerable workforce while making the right type of performative gestures, until DeSantis came in being enough of a true believer that he’s willing to damage Florida’s economy pretty significantly as long as it lets him be cruel to spanish people.
The safeties are getting disabled, basically.
“Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the party, and they’re sure trying to do so, it’s going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can’t and won’t compromise. I know, I’ve tried to deal with them.” -Barry Goldwater
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I’m a Republican and Ill be voting against anyone that is pro-life, and pro-religion i politics. Neither has a place in governing.
So you’re a Republican who refuses to vote Republican?
Are you one of them fancy “centrists”?
He’s just an idiot. He voted for this and now he doesn’t like it. Probably just wanted lower taxes without all the “policies”.
Even though under Republicans, anyone that isn’t super rich or a mega Corp has a higher tax burden overall.
And they get less for it. Democracy!
Voting for Democrats is like being forced to eat poorly cooked vegetables, because they’re healthy.
Voting for Republicans is like being paid to eat expired food from the back of the refrigerator. And only rich people get paid.
I did vote for this, i voted Biden. lol
And you’ve never voted for anyone else in your life before or since right? …
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So you’re a Republican like Jews for Hitler were Nazis?
I hate to break this to you but if you believe those things you’re playing for the wrong team. You’re like a player that’s perpetually benched, cheering on the opposing team. They’re never going to let you play or give you the ball.