Happens to be my home state, where--or so it seems from afar--things are as rent asunder as they are anywhere in the nation. Wisconsin's problems are not at the heart of what prompted the NY Times to include this photograph as one of its most telling of the 2023. It concerns abortion, as issue which, since Roe v Wade, has rent asunder American culture like no other. Others come and go, but abortion's advocates--both pro-life and pro-choice--shall not be moved. Hence, the battles. Hence the war.
What happened in 2023 no one would have predicted. President Trump got a rare blessing when three Supreme Court judges left open seats, allowing him to restock the already existing conservative majority, his then-friend Mitch McConnell aiding and abetting. Trump, in a rare moment of being true to his word, chose candidates for the high court who came in as sworn enemies of Roe v Wade, bringing something almost unheard of to the Supremes--a "super majority."
It looked--honestly--as if SCOTUS would actually overthrow that 1973 ruling, reversing a law half a century old. And the newly Trumpified SCOTUS did just that. It took apart Roe v Wade not by reversing its substance but by determining the states should determine its legality, not the federal government.
Just exactly what those court conservatives thought would happen isn't clear, but for most of the country, what did happen was totally unforeseen. Already in August of 2022, the state of Kansas, right there in America's bread basket, a conservative stronghold, shocked the nation by tossing out anti-abortion legislation. Wasn't even close, a complete surprise to the nation. More such rejections followed in other states otherwise determined to be conservative.
The great analogy, used generously by talking heads, was that pro-lifers were somehow like the proverbial mutt who chases cars but wouldn't want to know what to do if he ran one down. Pro-lifers stood strong, but they were and are clearly a struggling minority, as some Republicans, including the Donald, realized the anti-abortion drum had created a death song for conservatives.
Speaking of the Donald, you got to love those hats in the picture. They're little cat hats, triangular across the forehead, and they're pink, of course. Millions of them exist; they're everywhere women fight for choice.
How does Trump have anything to do with those hats, you ask? They're called pussyhats, a reminder of that specific place on the female anatomy Donald J. Trump so brazenly claimed he'd brazenly grabbed on any women he pleased. Remember that taped conversation? Maybe not. There's so much to forget about the man.
In 2023, the decision millions of pro-life activists had worked for 50 years got was accomplished. Hallelujah, some said, an answer to prayer. The tribe of Trumpsters had beaten the baby-killers.
Only to lose.
An amazing turn of events.
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| By the way, this is what the MAGA folks call "woke." |
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