With full apologies due to my fellow Democrats in deep red states, I must nevertheless admit that I really love the idea of overturning Roe v. Wade.
Not because it's the best idea by any means. A national right to choose would be the best idea. Not because tens of thousands of real Americans won't die, tens of thousands of children won't suffer, in states with morally bankrupt legislators. They will.
But it would do wonders to completely reframe the entire debate over abortion in general by allowing, at long last, those states with Randian ideological pedigrees to truly "go Galt", in a head to head test of ideologies to see who comes out ahead and why. If we play our cards right, it might just be the ticket to Democratic victories in the South. And it might be, over the long run, the best avenue toward real reproductive freedom for everyone.
And if you can't tell this is snark, you need to recalibrate your political radar.
The state opt out of a healthcare public option is a terrible idea:
• Healthcare is a right. Like any other right, it cannot be traded away simply because one happens to live in a state the majority of whose voters want to abrogate it.
• This wouldn't turn Red states Blue. If Red state voters cast their ballots based on economic self-interest, there wouldn't be any Red states. Politics simply doesn't work the way the state-option supporters think.
• Red state voters won't even be able to vote to get our states to opt in. Our Democratic parties don't currently support the public option and won't after it's available.As on so many other issues, we simply won't have a choice.
• Wingnuts in Red States already feel that Democratic voters and politicians hold us Red Staters in contempt. This law would help convince Red State progressives that this is the case. Not a great way to build a national political party.
• Remember this?
The pundits, the pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them, too. We worship an "awesome God" in the Blue States, and we don’t like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and yes, we’ve got some gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.
• If you're going to spitefully punish states whose Senators oppose real reform, you need to include such Blue ones as Connecticut, Maine, Delaware, Florida, and North Carolina.