Even with a 50-50 Senate and staring down a red wave in the 2022 midterm elections, Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer wants to take up yet another bill that is doomed to fail.
This time, he wants to pander to the abortion obsession of the left-wing activists that make up the Democratic base.
Schumer is planning to bring the Women’s Health Protection Act to a vote in the Senate. The bill would eliminate nearly all restrictions on abortion, legalizing it up to the moment of birth and eliminating conscience exemptions — for example, the right of medical professionals not to kill babies. Even pro-abortion rights Sen. Susan Collins of Maine opposes the bill. West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin isn’t on board either, and that mathematically means that it’s not going to pass.
The bill represents the pinnacle of Democratic abortion fanaticism. Schumer, however, wants to put swing state Democrats on the record ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. Republicans ought to send the guy a gift basket for his efforts at undermining his own party majority.
Aside from the grotesque reality — the most important issue for Schumer is to kill unborn children in the womb up until birth — this is a true political own goal for a majority leader who thinks he can legislate for the entire country as if it were his home state of New York.
Nationwide, only 17% favor the elimination of all abortion restrictions. That includes just 31% of Democrats. According to a Marist poll, 71% support more restrictive abortion laws than the nation has currently.
Democratic senators facing voters in 2022, including Georgia’s Raphael Warnock and Arizona’s Mark Kelly, will have to put themselves on the record on a bill that is well outside the mainstream view on abortion. The stigma of abortion fanaticism will also extend to 2024, with Democrats, including Montana Sen. Jon Tester, facing additional competitive Senate races in states that are not exactly bastions of support for unlimited, unfettered abortion.
Democratic senators have already gone on the record about the filibuster. This means they are just a couple of senators away from being able to pass extreme proposals like this bill. Schumer is letting everyone know exactly how far to the left the Democratic Party wants to drag the country. Given the national mood, he is essentially daring voters to end his short stint as majority leader. They should take him up on that.
