Do House Republicans risk being branded as extremist and out of touch by bringing abortion back into the national spotlight, at a time when the economy is supposedly all Americans care about?

Last Thursday, Republicans brought to a vote in the House a bill introduced by Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., that would have criminalized abortions performed because of the baby’s sex. Although the bill received healthy support, 246-168, including 20 Democrats that voted for it, it was not enough to pass. The floor rule under which the bill was considered required a two-thirds vote for passage, and it fell short of that.