Look, when paving the way for the highest court in the land to overturn the federal right to an abortion becomes your legacy and then completely backfires during every election in the wake of said overturning — you’re in a tough spot!
But when you make the calculated risk of pissing off your greatest fans in hopes of picking up a few moderate Republican voters who are willing to look past your fascism, but not the pain extreme red state abortion bans have placed on women — your spot starts to look a bit tougher 🙁
When the all-Republican state Supreme Court, in a swing state no less, follows up your “leave-it-to-the-states” announcement less than two days later by upholding a 19th-century abortion ban that has been on the books in Arizona since before it even became a state — that’s just bad luck.
There is no making light of the devastatingly draconian place the Arizona Supreme Court just put Arizona residents in. The decision to resurrect the 1864 law — put on the books back when Arizona was still considered a territory — means in 14 days Arizona will have one of, if not the most, strict abortion bans in the nation. My colleague Kate Riga reported on the ruling here.
But for the decision to come down less than 48 hours after Donald Trump blew off evangelicals and hardline anti-abortionists — and attempted to secure support from the large swath of Republican voters who don’t support a federal abortion ban — it was an opportunity President Biden and his allies could not, and did not pass up Tuesday afternoon.
Just after the decision was announced, Biden campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa, posted on Twitter what would become the official team Biden response within minutes: making Donald Trump own this.
Soon thereafter Vice President Kamala Harris announced her plans to visit Arizona this week to highlight how to support abortion access in 2024 and the White House released a statement vowing to fight “for women in every state.” Per my colleague Kate Riga:
Meanwhile, Democrats pounced, with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre all making statements connecting the ruling to Donald Trump. In one statement, the campaign called it “Donald Trump’s Arizona ban.”
“Arizona just rolled back the clock to a time before women could vote — and, by his own admission, there’s one person responsible: Donald Trump,” Harris said in a campaign statement.
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Yesterday’s Most Read Story
Fibber Tim and the Suddenly Hilarious Montana Senate Race — Josh Marshall
What We Are Reading
Biden is building a behemoth of a campaign. Trump at this point seems to be playing catch-up. — NBC News
Cracking down on pandemic aid fraud, DOJ claws back $1.4 billion and charges 3,500 people — USA Today
Woman Sentenced to Month in Prison Over Theft of Ashley Biden’s Diary — New York Times
