I know that a lot of people, myself included, felt that yesterday was a very dark day. But I also know that there were a lot of people who felt the opposite. I like to call myself a "pragmatic idealist." Waking up this morning and reading about yesterday's decision, which the L.A. Times correctly noted to be 5-4 (Roberts did not actually vote to overturn Roe v. Wade), I'm struck most by the polarization in our country.
If we are to move past this polarization, becoming more polarized doesn't seem to be the answer. I think it's important to maintain a coherent and rational approach to what is likely to happen in our individual states. I for one will not partake in rhetoric. California will not be criminalizing abortion. Texas will. My reading of the ruling makes it pretty clear that the Supreme Court is, in fact, going to leave abortion law to the states (with the clear exception of Thomas, and the possible exceptions of Comey Barrett and Alito). Kavanaugh has already come out and said that women can travel to another state to get an abortion. I don't see other rights being taken away (again with the exception of Thomas).What does this mean? It means two things. We must figure out how to keep Democrats in control of the Senate and the White House (we can't allow a further shift of the Supreme Court). We must help our friends in Red states stand up for their rights, and shine a brighter light on the true intentions of the Republican party as it is now constituted. True Libertarians should not find a home in the Republican party.
What concerns me, however, is the rhetoric. If we've learned one thing from donald trump and the trump republican party, is that lies are dangerous, rhetoric is dangerous. In this regard, I will always agree with Michelle Obama, we must take the high road. Let's stick to the facts and the truth. Let's tell the story of Lady Ruby over and over again to remind the public what we are dealing with. If 60% of Americans believe that women have a right to choose, let's make sure that ALL of them vote, in both blue and red states.
I do believe that we are at a crossroad. But I am also confident in the demographic trends of this country. We can not let the loudest people control the narrative. We do have to keep our eye on the prize. We must avoid taking extreme positions that stretch the truth in order to make a point, because doing so weakens the high ground that I believe we stand on. Stick to the facts. Stick to the truth. Keep engaging in thoughtful discussions with those who are willing to listen.
One final comment. There is one observation that gives me some solace. It is not uncommon for conservative Supreme Court justices to become more liberal over time (Blackmun, Souter, O'Conner, Kennedy to name a few), while it is less likely for a liberal justice to become conservative. I believe that there is a reason for this.
The grand experiment in the United States that began 250 years ago (with slavery and without women having the right to vote, I might add), is being tested right now. Let's take the high ground and do the work that's needed to get us back in the right direction. However, I do not believe that taking the playbook from the extreme right (or the far left as well at times), which includes lying and stretching the truth, is the answer. We have a lot of work to do, let's get started.
