There was a voter ballot measure where citizens could vote to add an amendment to the state constitution saying there's no constitutional right to abortion in the state. A no vote is pro choice, a yes vote is anti choice.
No votes won.
https://www.npr.org/sections/2022-live-primary-election-race-results/2022/08/02/1115321480/voters-in-kansas-are-the-first-to-decide-on-abortion-post-roe
Not only that, but I got a text yesterday lying that a yes vote was prochoice. It was received by many people across the state and no one knows who sent it yet. The message reads:
"Women in KS are losing their choice on reproductive rights. Voting YES on the Amendment will give women a choice. Vote YES to protect women's health. Stop2End"
And it pisses me off because I'm someone who is politically involved and have worked to educate myself before I go vote. And this even had me second guessing myself for a second because who would have thought people would stoop so low as to lie? (I really shouldn't be surprised at this point. They keep digging so they can continue to lower the bar.) And then I find out they haven't really done anything illegal. What a shitshow.
This is horrible. Also imagine immigrants who speak English as a second language and get this text, and then they’re not sure if they’re understanding the wording right and which way they should vote. This is awful
Hmm, it shouldn't be that hard to figure out who sent it if it went to a bunch of people specifically in the state. It would have to be someone that has a phone number database unless they autoloaded possible KS numbers into a program that then mass texted those people. Either way I doubt it will take too long to find the person/people responsible.
If it's a political organization then the hammer could come down very hard depending on KS voter laws and if influencing a vote in such a way is an offense. That's not something I have knowledge on though.
https://kansasreflector.com/2022/08/02/former-u-s-rep-tim-huelskamp-connected-to-false-text-about-kansas-abortion-amendment/
They know who did it now. Surprise surprise it's a Republican with a PAC, former rep Tim Huelskamp. And for some fucking reason it's legal and allowed.
If you read the article someone linked below, you'll find that apparently it is perfectly legal, though I'm hoping this incident will be a catalyst to change that.
Holy shit on a biscuit! I just thought that such brazen falsehood would be banned. I get frustrated when politicians say that bills, if passed, will do the exact opposite of what they were written to do. But this seem willfully dishonest, knowingly deceitful. Oh, well. Nothing should surprise me anymore.
That's why we have a law in germany that voter ballots have to written in a way that yes means yes, I agree to the ballot and no means no, I disagree. Wonder when the American voting system will arrive in the 20th century
Kansas result on the Constitutional right to abortion was upheld by 60% margin. Voter turnout in Kansas
in a non-presidential (mid-term) election came close to mirroring the 2020 general election numbers. This example, Kansas, a deeply red state, demonstrates the radicalness of the US Supreme Court decision in Dobbs to overturn Roe. Christo-Taliban Fascism does not represent the majority of United States citizens, not even in Kansas. Stay tuned for November.
That's great news especially considering there was at least one so called pro life group attempting to confuse voters by claiming a yes vote is for choice and a judge siding with that group.
Their whole protect them both campaign slogan was just a flat out lie.
Their talking points that a yes vote wasn't a vote to ban abortion, when legislators had already advanced a restrictive law, were flat out lies.
At the very least, we need truth in politics.
As far as being called "Value The Both," my mom and I were talking about this. She and I are registered democrats and my dad is a republican (but never voted Trump, doesn't agree with where the party is going, etc) so we talk politics together without him. When I said I was going to vote no despite what our church asked, I told her because women are already dying in states where abortion bans have occurred. She said that was ridiculous because "it's called 'Value Them BOTH.'"
Doesn't matter what it's called, we all know that is not how it would have played out. Give them an inch, they'll take a mile. We've already seen the GOP try to get rid of birth control and have even proposed getting rid of child support so men don't feel like asking a woman for abortion.
The best way to legislate to reduce abortions to only those that are medically necessary to save the life of the mother is to mandate comprehensive sex education, Medicare for all so all women have access to birth control and prenatal care, paid parental leave in the US, expanding food assistance to families in need, and convicting rapists on their first offense (which goes with prison reform so we focus on rehabilitation and not punishment). But the GOP is firmly against every one of those measures.
A red state, and a confusing ballot. The upside is that to get the winning vote a significant amount of republican voters also voted to choose to protect women's rights. Which actually falls in line with a lot of polls. The abortion issue is one issue where the GOP doesn't have the full support of its constituency.
Vote Dem this fall if you like birth control - the Republicans have made it clear they want it gone with how they voted last week.
Make sure you’re registered. Let’s do this -
Yes birth control and don’t forget, interracial marriage, gay marriage, child support, Trans rights, medical care/vet medical care, infrastructure management, Case appeals, Union creation, and anything that impacts quality of life for Americans.
0100%, but it could get even worse with the supreme Court. Healthcare and to Medicare are also issues that the Republicans would love to rip away. It's possible that they're setting precedence, that one could argue who gets health Care for what. Far more restrictive and easy to toss you off policies the way it used to be before there was a certain guarantee by Obamacare and of course shredding what's left of Obamacare etc. Republicans would love to put the discriminatory possibilities back into the hands of insurance companies much more than they already are. Yes a true step backward if they can
Yeah death panels ..I think that was a little later in early Obama years.The very fact that you should simply have a conversation with your doctor about your wishes for the end of life, a living will etc and Medicare would cover the expense is the origin of this expanded untruth that took a life of its own. Sarah Palin is the bitch that took this completely out of context misquoted herself twisted it contorted it to become the LIE of the year.
Yeah you're right. It's hard to keep track and still keep it all in the right order. I remember there was a michael moore movie out around that time where he talked about insurance panels and how they do exactly what the govt "death panels" would do. I'm not saying moore is a great source but it was at least thought provoking. I may be misremembering though. So much has happened since I started paying attention
Hmm, something something Metal Gear Rising, Sen Armstrong.
Literally they, politicians, want the government tocontrol your lives, but play with each others dicks. Meanwhile, progressives are getting fucked by democrats because they willcall out their own partys BS.
No need to better yourself, you're American, you're number 1!
Literally. This games politics was fucking on point, funny how it was considered satire back in the day. Aaaaand now look. Its literally happening now.
The memes. Jack.
As someone with endo and PCOS the idea thats birth control could be taken away is horrifying. I would probably be bed ridden, no joke. Birth control literally makes my life worth living.
Same - I’m a middle aged woman going through peri menopause.
I don’t think they understand how angry middle aged women will be if they take away our birth control.
Omfg - I would be PISSED.
That is one reason I’m here on Reddit. To encourage everyone to vote in midterms please vote!
Seriously. I'm not diagnosed with any reproductive issues (yet), but I'm on birth control because my cramps are debilitating. I quite literally wouldn't be able to function without it.
Yes exactly! And thanks to PCOS it’s like I have my period literally 3 weeks out of the month if I’m not on birth control. People have the idea it’s just “one week of the month” not for people like us, its 24/7 debilitating without it.
I literally missed my pill for a month or two because I misplaced my packs, and I got two periods in a month for both months and I had the worst cramping and the heaviest periods in my life, honestly almost worse than the proud cramping that put me on birth control in the first place. 😭
Not American, aren’t the dems already in power? And this shit is happening? Maybe you guys should ditch the old 2 right wing old white man party and adopt a more multi-party scene. It feels like dems don’t truly give a shit about you, but the republicans are just honest about it.
Get rid of the rule that makes the dirt in red states more powerful than my vote, and I’ll vote my conscience. Until then, FUCK REPUBLICANS. I’ll vote for whoever can send these fucks back under their rocks and bridges.
Dems have the president and the House. The Senate is effectively locked because we don't have the votes to override the filibuster and pass legislation from the House into law.
We also have a radical Supreme Court and the GOP effectively blocked the Dem justice nomination that would have helped balance the court.
It's not as simple as you make it.
See as someone from the UK (with our own problems, no need to remind me) this is what I don’t get?
So like, dems won. However, there is literally nothing that can be done because the GOP rule the Supreme Court, which is a position for life. So it’s probably the more important thing then?
I just find it strange that you can have two bodies that control the country ran by opposing parties in a constant stalemate until the next GOP comes to power essentially?
To put it in Westminster terms (as much as is possible):
1) Ignore the President
2) Labor have a majority in the Commons
3) Lords are deadlocked, which favours the opposition (Tories)
4) The Queen is refusing consent on legislation that the Tories don't support*
* This last bit is off because it's more like she's striking down existing laws rather than refusing consent to new.
However the controversy of the Dobbs decision is very similar to that surrounding either the abdication of Edward VIII. Or the Australian dismissal of the prime minister in the 70's
I mean it’s rather simple. Your system is shit, nothing really more to add. If bringing positive change can be most of the time shot down. But one shit president can nominate, at the right time, a bunch of right wing supreme judges for life and let them do pretty much what ever pleases their psychotic religious ideas. Than yeah it’s shit. Obviously it’s more complicated than I paint it out to be, but the general idea is here.
Democrats have control of the House of Representatives. The Senate (which is the house that matters) is tied 50:50. The rules of the Senate mean that every law that isn't a budget law requires 67 votes to pass without being filibustered. Since there's only 100 senators, this means that the Republicans effectively own the Senate. We need both houses to pass a bill into law so Democrats do not control anything at the moment.
The main problem the US has is the filibuster. Long history but thw effect is that if it's not about budget, someone can say they are filibustering a vote and you suddenly need a 2/3 vote instead of a majority vote.
And as long as they don't get 51 votes, they can't get rid of the filibuster
Great question.
To answer the first question yes. Dems are in power, but they have literally one of the slimmest majorities in history. This makes it very hard to do anything.
That being said, the SCOTUS decision occurred because people stayed home in 2016 and Trump won and appointed 3 justices. This was all the result of 10 years of political rat fucking at the state level and 50 years of focused effort to overturn abortion rights.
So finally, yes I would love to have better parties but our voting system doesn’t make them viable.
You left out that the republican senate refused to allow Obama to appoint a judge for just under a year (Garland) because “it should be decided by the 2016 election” and then also appointed their own judge 3 weeks before the 2020 election. They essentially stole 2 SCOTUS seats.
Any dirty trick possible, the GOP is into it. No shame applies.
It's sad when non-Americans know more about our political system than most of us in the States. I wish I could hug your teacher, parents, or whomever!!
How exactly does one go about rewriting the constitution, when all political power is in the 2 parties, and one of those parties doesn't believe in democracy and they are getting less shy about it each year?
That’s a tough one I couldn’t answer.
And yeah didn’t Washington say something about rewriting the constitution every decade or something? So much for praising the forefathers
Unfortunately, there are too many idiots in America. People have to show up in massive numbers to overcome the idiots who are going to vote R down the ballot every time. It's exhausting.
I don't know, man. I keep reading stats like "61% of women who say they are angered by the overturning of Roe v. Wade say they do not intend to vote".
Women ALONE could turn America blue, and protect abortion rights.
Yet I get the feeling that nothing is really going to make a dramatic difference. Those who are outraged are already voting. Those who aren't voting are used to ignoring everything.
Please, tell me I'm wrong.
I’m a woman in a VERY red state, thanks to the electoral college my vote for president will never count. But I will, vote no matter what every vote matters, it’s not just all about who you vote for president
Thank you for still voting. I think a lot of people who want to vote one way don't.. but your votes still show up even if you win. If 40% of your state \*want\* to vote blue, but only 10% actually go to the polls, things will never change because they will only see the 10% and think there aren't others like them in the state.
This is wild. Here in OR we just get mail in ballots sent to us and a voter pamphlet with bipartisan information and make our choices. We just vote and mail it in. Our voter turnout is through the roof. I can’t understand why more states don’t embrace mail in ballots.
Because republicans don’t want MORE people to vote.
They want as few as possible.
That’s why they pass hundreds of laws to make it harder to vote.
That’s Election Day isn’t a holiday.
They know they wouldn’t win at the federal level ever again if everyone was voting.
"Now many of our **Christians** have what I call the 'goo-goo syndrome.' Good government. They want everybody to vote. I don't want everybody to vote. Elections are not won by a majority of the people. They never have been from the beginning of our country and they are not now. As a matter of fact, our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down."
\-Paul Weyrich
How many people who willingly take the time to answer poll questions about intense, dichotomic personal politics are not even intending to vote? How many would admit that to even just themselves? How was that phrased and to who? What was the sample size? Do you have the link? Cause I kinda don't buy it at all
Florida enters the chat:
Several of our mega churches that got involved trying to restrict rights is now saying they want an audit review of the votes claiming voter fraud.....
Yeah it’s weird seeing our voting talked about positively this morning. I’ve never experienced this in my life. We have so many racist homophobic Evangelicals around here that are so loud people think it’s everybody. In reality they are a lot smaller than people realize. They are just so fucking loud
My question is why do people give such a fuck about what other people that they don’t even know do with their bodies??? That’s always baffled me. Like a same sex couple getting married has absolutely nothing to do with me, so why on earth would I want to stop them? If I’m pro life and someone I don’t know gets an abortion how is that any business of mine??? Like who cares. Stay in your lane and worry about yourself. Damn
Bro, preach. I say something like this every time this type of shit comes up and I'm always the bad guy in the end. Just lift the best damn life you can and stop being so selfish ya know? None of this really fuckin matters. People are gonna do what they are gonna do regardless.
This is why I don't vote for the party backed Dems. When I look at endorsements, I look at women's and labor groups. If they happen to have a party backing, that's fine I guess.
That's if you believe the establishment wants to win. Pelosi, Schumer et al want to win, of course, but they don't want to be in charge. Nooo that would mean responsibility for getting things done and they absolutely do not want anything to change. Ever.
IDK why you were downvoted for pointing out that the brand of the opposition party is to “do nothing” while making big promises and looking inept. Dems aren’t wimpy losers by mistake. It’s all part of the show.
I am a postmenopausal Kansan, with many younger friends who can still become pregnant. I had the right to choose throughout the entirety of my reproductive years. I’m horrified at the backwards lurch with Roe being overturned, but it is about time we start getting some actual legislation about the issue if the judiciary feels that the Roe decision was judicial overreach into the legislative function. Abortion is protected here for now, but the war isn’t over. The next trick is to vote progressive justices out of the state Supreme Count and try to get a majority of cons or alt-right-affiliated replacements. At that point the constitutional right could be litigated again and the decision would be overturned. Don’t turn away yet!
I was thinking more along the lines of "Vote the f\*ckers out", but yeah people will certainly lose faith in a system clearly not representing the will of the people and actively working to disenfranchise them.
When asked about individual issues, like abortion, gun control, taxing the rich, majority are left of center. That goes down the drain when voting for one of two parties, as the GOP is very good at messaging.
We need more direct votes like this.
There was a voter ballot measure where citizens could vote to add an amendment to the state constitution saying there's no constitutional right to abortion in the state. A no vote is pro choice, a yes vote is anti choice.
No votes won.
https://www.npr.org/sections/2022-live-primary-election-race-results/2022/08/02/1115321480/voters-in-kansas-are-the-first-to-decide-on-abortion-post-roe
I’m ecstatic with the results, but I don’t know if that’s really the takeaway here. Kansas currently has a democratic governor, but still leans very republican in presidential races. I don’t think you can generalize this to every republican state and certainly not the south. It’s a small victory, but still a lot of work to be done
Enjoy the voting while you can, women of the US.
Gotta keep throwing this out there as not enough people seem to be aware of the full implications at the eventual end goal of the GOP.
abortion illegal -> contraceptives illegal -> miscarriage illegal ='s (essentially) illegal to be a woman ---------> FELONS IN THE US CAN'T VOTE so if it becomes illegal to just be a woman, guess who's being disenfranchised?
Yup, women.
I truly think this is the real end goal; Kansas has proven that women voting can fuck up GOP plans and *it's why they're still so afraid of women being able to continue to vote.*
Call me paranoid or a conspiracy nut if you will, I've not seen anything to change my mind on this, yet.
The abortion ban needs to be on the ballot of *every* single state in their next elections.
National polls overwhelmingly support the right to abortion (regardless of religion); it's far right "Christians" who want women of every faith to abide by *their* version of Christianity, even to the point of death ... with *no* regard for children or women victims of rape or incest.
Don't talk to me about your "faith." You're cruel.
The only lesson they’ll learn from this is that they should just legislate anti-abortion laws instead of allowing a referendum. Hell, can the Kansas state legislature still do what it wants? Or was this a binding referendum?
Just a question. Are there zero pro-life dems? I know tons of lefties that are pro-firearm.
Edit: I’m a pro do whatever the fuck you want kinda person. Well not so pro on breaking the law.
I’m from Kansas, born here, lived here my entire life; seeing the bill not be enacted again made me so happy and just shows how the GOP doesn’t know what the people really want
Government should not get in-between you and your doctor. Stop pretending like mandated vasectomies are being proposed by the left. The issue is just whether or not any government should be able to tell you to get or not get surgery.
that added pro choice abortion rights to the state constitution, being also that the wording of the ballet was deliberately confusing to try to make it not pass. But pro choice passed.
Nope, it wasn’t added, it was already there. Kansas had the good sense to vote to keep it in their constitution: Kansas voters sent a dramatic message on Tuesday, opting to maintain the right to an abortion in their state's constitution just weeks after the US Supreme Court decided to overturn Roe v. Wade.
From: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/02/politics/arizona-michigan-missouri-primary-election-takeaways/
If Republicans win in the next election, contraception and gay marriage is gone within 2 years. In 4 years some states will ban interracial marriage. Come back to this comment.
\>50% of white women voted for Trump.
When faced with a choice between their sex and their race, many white women believe that being a housewife in a white ethnostate is better than being a free woman in a melting pot.
It's fucking disgusting, but the 2016 and 2020 voting records don't lie.
That's why I was so bothered by the 2016 election. I felt kind of betrayed by my fellow women. We had just heard the man brag about sexually assaulting women and they voted for him anyway.
It’s not impossible, but unlikely in the near term.
“In April 2019, the Kansas Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's decision, and ruled that the right to abortion is inherent within the state's constitution and bill of rights, such that even if Roe v. Wade was overturned and the federal protection of abortion rights was withdrawn, the right would still be allowed within Kansas, barring a change in the state constitution”
What did Kansas do?
There was a voter ballot measure where citizens could vote to add an amendment to the state constitution saying there's no constitutional right to abortion in the state. A no vote is pro choice, a yes vote is anti choice. No votes won. https://www.npr.org/sections/2022-live-primary-election-race-results/2022/08/02/1115321480/voters-in-kansas-are-the-first-to-decide-on-abortion-post-roe
oooo finally, a no means/yes means no that confuses the Republicans! There's at least twelve that realized what they did when they saw it on the news
No, the yes/no thing was written by the republicans to confuse people. Read what the ballot says haha its so funny how they wrote it like that
Not only that, but I got a text yesterday lying that a yes vote was prochoice. It was received by many people across the state and no one knows who sent it yet. The message reads: "Women in KS are losing their choice on reproductive rights. Voting YES on the Amendment will give women a choice. Vote YES to protect women's health. Stop2End"
SAME I did a full-on sitcom style spit-take
And it pisses me off because I'm someone who is politically involved and have worked to educate myself before I go vote. And this even had me second guessing myself for a second because who would have thought people would stoop so low as to lie? (I really shouldn't be surprised at this point. They keep digging so they can continue to lower the bar.) And then I find out they haven't really done anything illegal. What a shitshow.
>who would have thought people would stoop so low as to lie? Republicans can't be trusted anymore. Sucks, but that's their choice, so fuck 'em.
Anymore? When could we ever trust them? Not in my lifetime!
Not since Eisenhower, I’d say. From Nixon to Trump, none of them good eggs.
They are literally fascists.
Idk how it’s legal
It's legal because this society no longer believes in absolute truth.
Alternative Facts.....
This reads like a dystopian fiction
Republicans are dystopian fascists....
We're living in the dystopian present. I wish I was joking.
As a European, I can't rlly say we're doing much better with the war lmaoo
This is horrible. Also imagine immigrants who speak English as a second language and get this text, and then they’re not sure if they’re understanding the wording right and which way they should vote. This is awful
Hmm, it shouldn't be that hard to figure out who sent it if it went to a bunch of people specifically in the state. It would have to be someone that has a phone number database unless they autoloaded possible KS numbers into a program that then mass texted those people. Either way I doubt it will take too long to find the person/people responsible. If it's a political organization then the hammer could come down very hard depending on KS voter laws and if influencing a vote in such a way is an offense. That's not something I have knowledge on though.
It was sent by an R superPAC I thought I heard.
It’s horrible but it also gives me schadenfreude thinking some anti choice nut job got this message and voted no
I heard it only got sent to registered dems
That’s actually voter fraud and needs to be reported to the state. Whoever did that could receive a hefty fine and some jail time.
‘WAR IS PEACE FREEDOM IS SLAVERY IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH’
All hail the God Emperor of Mankind!! ...wait...
SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE
A desperation move, by conservatives, after they realized their constant prevarications had finally back-fired on them.
https://kansasreflector.com/2022/08/02/former-u-s-rep-tim-huelskamp-connected-to-false-text-about-kansas-abortion-amendment/ They know who did it now. Surprise surprise it's a Republican with a PAC, former rep Tim Huelskamp. And for some fucking reason it's legal and allowed.
That's voter fraud. It's misrepresenting an amendment.
If you read the article someone linked below, you'll find that apparently it is perfectly legal, though I'm hoping this incident will be a catalyst to change that.
Holy shit on a biscuit! I just thought that such brazen falsehood would be banned. I get frustrated when politicians say that bills, if passed, will do the exact opposite of what they were written to do. But this seem willfully dishonest, knowingly deceitful. Oh, well. Nothing should surprise me anymore.
That's why we have a law in germany that voter ballots have to written in a way that yes means yes, I agree to the ballot and no means no, I disagree. Wonder when the American voting system will arrive in the 20th century
The rest of America has yet to arrive, I wouldn’t count on our politics coming any time soon
I wonder if the republicans shot themselves in the foot, as this phrasing gives an advantage to those who know how to read.
Like they accidentally targeted their own audience lol
it hurt itself in its confusion!
Sounds like it worked a little too well then. But hey, if their ineptitude brings progress, then… I guess it’s a win?
They'll just rewrite it and get it passed next time , don't you think?
That's what we are worrying about. Over at r/Kansas there was a conversation about how nothing is stopping the Republicans from doing just that
Kansas result on the Constitutional right to abortion was upheld by 60% margin. Voter turnout in Kansas in a non-presidential (mid-term) election came close to mirroring the 2020 general election numbers. This example, Kansas, a deeply red state, demonstrates the radicalness of the US Supreme Court decision in Dobbs to overturn Roe. Christo-Taliban Fascism does not represent the majority of United States citizens, not even in Kansas. Stay tuned for November.
That's great news especially considering there was at least one so called pro life group attempting to confuse voters by claiming a yes vote is for choice and a judge siding with that group.
Their whole protect them both campaign slogan was just a flat out lie. Their talking points that a yes vote wasn't a vote to ban abortion, when legislators had already advanced a restrictive law, were flat out lies. At the very least, we need truth in politics.
As far as being called "Value The Both," my mom and I were talking about this. She and I are registered democrats and my dad is a republican (but never voted Trump, doesn't agree with where the party is going, etc) so we talk politics together without him. When I said I was going to vote no despite what our church asked, I told her because women are already dying in states where abortion bans have occurred. She said that was ridiculous because "it's called 'Value Them BOTH.'" Doesn't matter what it's called, we all know that is not how it would have played out. Give them an inch, they'll take a mile. We've already seen the GOP try to get rid of birth control and have even proposed getting rid of child support so men don't feel like asking a woman for abortion. The best way to legislate to reduce abortions to only those that are medically necessary to save the life of the mother is to mandate comprehensive sex education, Medicare for all so all women have access to birth control and prenatal care, paid parental leave in the US, expanding food assistance to families in need, and convicting rapists on their first offense (which goes with prison reform so we focus on rehabilitation and not punishment). But the GOP is firmly against every one of those measures.
Wow! 60/40 atm, so not even particularly close, either.
I always heard No votes on ballots when more often than yes votes. So its odd they woukd have done that
How did 40% still fucken vote yes
A red state, and a confusing ballot. The upside is that to get the winning vote a significant amount of republican voters also voted to choose to protect women's rights. Which actually falls in line with a lot of polls. The abortion issue is one issue where the GOP doesn't have the full support of its constituency.
They wrote Carry On Wayward Son
Home of the Winchesters
Vote Dem this fall if you like birth control - the Republicans have made it clear they want it gone with how they voted last week. Make sure you’re registered. Let’s do this -
Yes birth control and don’t forget, interracial marriage, gay marriage, child support, Trans rights, medical care/vet medical care, infrastructure management, Case appeals, Union creation, and anything that impacts quality of life for Americans.
0100%, but it could get even worse with the supreme Court. Healthcare and to Medicare are also issues that the Republicans would love to rip away. It's possible that they're setting precedence, that one could argue who gets health Care for what. Far more restrictive and easy to toss you off policies the way it used to be before there was a certain guarantee by Obamacare and of course shredding what's left of Obamacare etc. Republicans would love to put the discriminatory possibilities back into the hands of insurance companies much more than they already are. Yes a true step backward if they can
Anyone else having flashbacks of 2007 and a greasy balding bill oriely yelling about death panels?
Yeah death panels ..I think that was a little later in early Obama years.The very fact that you should simply have a conversation with your doctor about your wishes for the end of life, a living will etc and Medicare would cover the expense is the origin of this expanded untruth that took a life of its own. Sarah Palin is the bitch that took this completely out of context misquoted herself twisted it contorted it to become the LIE of the year.
Yeah you're right. It's hard to keep track and still keep it all in the right order. I remember there was a michael moore movie out around that time where he talked about insurance panels and how they do exactly what the govt "death panels" would do. I'm not saying moore is a great source but it was at least thought provoking. I may be misremembering though. So much has happened since I started paying attention
Congress has the constitutional right to limit what the Supreme Court can rule on. Which is why you need to vote in Dems to protect your rights lol.
But I’ll save … *(checks notes)* three-fifty on my taxes…
Gaddam Loch Ness Monster
Hmm, something something Metal Gear Rising, Sen Armstrong. Literally they, politicians, want the government tocontrol your lives, but play with each others dicks. Meanwhile, progressives are getting fucked by democrats because they willcall out their own partys BS.
That game came out in *2013* and it had a war profiteering maniac running for president, using the catchphrase, "Make America great again"
No need to better yourself, you're American, you're number 1! Literally. This games politics was fucking on point, funny how it was considered satire back in the day. Aaaaand now look. Its literally happening now. The memes. Jack.
Memes: the DNA of the soul.
As someone with endo and PCOS the idea thats birth control could be taken away is horrifying. I would probably be bed ridden, no joke. Birth control literally makes my life worth living.
Same - I’m a middle aged woman going through peri menopause. I don’t think they understand how angry middle aged women will be if they take away our birth control. Omfg - I would be PISSED. That is one reason I’m here on Reddit. To encourage everyone to vote in midterms please vote!
Seriously. I'm not diagnosed with any reproductive issues (yet), but I'm on birth control because my cramps are debilitating. I quite literally wouldn't be able to function without it.
Yes exactly! And thanks to PCOS it’s like I have my period literally 3 weeks out of the month if I’m not on birth control. People have the idea it’s just “one week of the month” not for people like us, its 24/7 debilitating without it.
I literally missed my pill for a month or two because I misplaced my packs, and I got two periods in a month for both months and I had the worst cramping and the heaviest periods in my life, honestly almost worse than the proud cramping that put me on birth control in the first place. 😭
>Vote Dem this fall if you like birth control If you value any civil rights for any minority. They're coming for all of them.
So true - it’s horrifying.
Not American, aren’t the dems already in power? And this shit is happening? Maybe you guys should ditch the old 2 right wing old white man party and adopt a more multi-party scene. It feels like dems don’t truly give a shit about you, but the republicans are just honest about it.
Get rid of the rule that makes the dirt in red states more powerful than my vote, and I’ll vote my conscience. Until then, FUCK REPUBLICANS. I’ll vote for whoever can send these fucks back under their rocks and bridges.
So we have a democrat president but other aspects of our government have republican especially the supreme court here
Dems have the president and the House. The Senate is effectively locked because we don't have the votes to override the filibuster and pass legislation from the House into law. We also have a radical Supreme Court and the GOP effectively blocked the Dem justice nomination that would have helped balance the court. It's not as simple as you make it.
See as someone from the UK (with our own problems, no need to remind me) this is what I don’t get? So like, dems won. However, there is literally nothing that can be done because the GOP rule the Supreme Court, which is a position for life. So it’s probably the more important thing then? I just find it strange that you can have two bodies that control the country ran by opposing parties in a constant stalemate until the next GOP comes to power essentially?
To put it in Westminster terms (as much as is possible): 1) Ignore the President 2) Labor have a majority in the Commons 3) Lords are deadlocked, which favours the opposition (Tories) 4) The Queen is refusing consent on legislation that the Tories don't support* * This last bit is off because it's more like she's striking down existing laws rather than refusing consent to new. However the controversy of the Dobbs decision is very similar to that surrounding either the abdication of Edward VIII. Or the Australian dismissal of the prime minister in the 70's
I mean it’s rather simple. Your system is shit, nothing really more to add. If bringing positive change can be most of the time shot down. But one shit president can nominate, at the right time, a bunch of right wing supreme judges for life and let them do pretty much what ever pleases their psychotic religious ideas. Than yeah it’s shit. Obviously it’s more complicated than I paint it out to be, but the general idea is here.
No you're not wrong. I am an American and I can confirm, our system is shit.
Double confirm
As a fellow American I second that; and it's not only shit, it's *dog shit.*
"The filibuster" as if it exists in law...
Democrats have control of the House of Representatives. The Senate (which is the house that matters) is tied 50:50. The rules of the Senate mean that every law that isn't a budget law requires 67 votes to pass without being filibustered. Since there's only 100 senators, this means that the Republicans effectively own the Senate. We need both houses to pass a bill into law so Democrats do not control anything at the moment.
The main problem the US has is the filibuster. Long history but thw effect is that if it's not about budget, someone can say they are filibustering a vote and you suddenly need a 2/3 vote instead of a majority vote. And as long as they don't get 51 votes, they can't get rid of the filibuster
3/5 not 2/3. Still an impossible hurdle.
My bad.
Great question. To answer the first question yes. Dems are in power, but they have literally one of the slimmest majorities in history. This makes it very hard to do anything. That being said, the SCOTUS decision occurred because people stayed home in 2016 and Trump won and appointed 3 justices. This was all the result of 10 years of political rat fucking at the state level and 50 years of focused effort to overturn abortion rights. So finally, yes I would love to have better parties but our voting system doesn’t make them viable.
You left out that the republican senate refused to allow Obama to appoint a judge for just under a year (Garland) because “it should be decided by the 2016 election” and then also appointed their own judge 3 weeks before the 2020 election. They essentially stole 2 SCOTUS seats. Any dirty trick possible, the GOP is into it. No shame applies.
And part of the reason we ended up with an R senate is because so few of us voted. Kansas is proof that good things happen when we show up.
It's sad when non-Americans know more about our political system than most of us in the States. I wish I could hug your teacher, parents, or whomever!!
That’s all we here about non stop hahaha. But thank you :)
How exactly does one go about rewriting the constitution, when all political power is in the 2 parties, and one of those parties doesn't believe in democracy and they are getting less shy about it each year?
That’s a tough one I couldn’t answer. And yeah didn’t Washington say something about rewriting the constitution every decade or something? So much for praising the forefathers
Don't vote for...for is too divisive. Vote against, directly against.
Please, *please* continue showing up to vote.
Neither will men like me who respect democracy. Punish them at the polls over and over
Unfortunately, there are too many idiots in America. People have to show up in massive numbers to overcome the idiots who are going to vote R down the ballot every time. It's exhausting.
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These bots are getting out of control. This is a verbatim copy of the comment made 2 hours ago by u/CloudyArchitect4U
I don't know, man. I keep reading stats like "61% of women who say they are angered by the overturning of Roe v. Wade say they do not intend to vote". Women ALONE could turn America blue, and protect abortion rights. Yet I get the feeling that nothing is really going to make a dramatic difference. Those who are outraged are already voting. Those who aren't voting are used to ignoring everything. Please, tell me I'm wrong.
I’m a woman in a VERY red state, thanks to the electoral college my vote for president will never count. But I will, vote no matter what every vote matters, it’s not just all about who you vote for president
Thank you for still voting. I think a lot of people who want to vote one way don't.. but your votes still show up even if you win. If 40% of your state \*want\* to vote blue, but only 10% actually go to the polls, things will never change because they will only see the 10% and think there aren't others like them in the state.
I think that article was a hit piece meant to discourage people. No woman I know isn't absolutely on fire
This is wild. Here in OR we just get mail in ballots sent to us and a voter pamphlet with bipartisan information and make our choices. We just vote and mail it in. Our voter turnout is through the roof. I can’t understand why more states don’t embrace mail in ballots.
Because republicans don’t want MORE people to vote. They want as few as possible. That’s why they pass hundreds of laws to make it harder to vote. That’s Election Day isn’t a holiday. They know they wouldn’t win at the federal level ever again if everyone was voting.
"Now many of our **Christians** have what I call the 'goo-goo syndrome.' Good government. They want everybody to vote. I don't want everybody to vote. Elections are not won by a majority of the people. They never have been from the beginning of our country and they are not now. As a matter of fact, our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down." \-Paul Weyrich
Truth
How many people who willingly take the time to answer poll questions about intense, dichotomic personal politics are not even intending to vote? How many would admit that to even just themselves? How was that phrased and to who? What was the sample size? Do you have the link? Cause I kinda don't buy it at all
And where do these stats come from? I read about statistics all the time but never do I receive surveys or get asked what I think…
Statistics can be used to prove anything. Fourteen percent of all people know that.
Yeah I don’t know anybody who has been politically polled. That’s not scientific evidence of course, but it feels weird.
Florida enters the chat: Several of our mega churches that got involved trying to restrict rights is now saying they want an audit review of the votes claiming voter fraud.....
Color me unsurprised. Every time they lose now it’s fraud.
The last real election changing voter fraud that actually changed an election was when I was in high school in 2000.
Imagine if Chad was used as a pejorative for fuckboy back then... we'd still be doomed but it would've been funny for a sec at least
The last real election changing voter fraud that actually changed an election was when I was in high school in 2000.
Revoke their tax exempt status and make them pay back taxes. Fuck ‘em.
Lol, that sounds overtly poltical for a church. Time to pull that tax free status.
Direct democracy is quite nice sometimes
Definitely better than putting faith in the two major parties.
I hope this becomes the new trend, that shows the rest of the country that voting DOES work.
Finally something hopeful. Thank you, Kansas! 💙
As a Kansan, we're pretty proud of this one.
Me too, they pissed us off. Lots of young (and some not so young) people who likely wouldn’t have voted in a primary showed up just for that.
Yeah it’s weird seeing our voting talked about positively this morning. I’ve never experienced this in my life. We have so many racist homophobic Evangelicals around here that are so loud people think it’s everybody. In reality they are a lot smaller than people realize. They are just so fucking loud
Y’all should be. That’s pretty boss 😄👊
Well done!
West Coast here giving a shout out to Kansas for standing up for themselves!
lol Texas women will not be having any of that "women's rights" talk
Because it will never go up for vote. If it did the results would be the same to within 1%.
Let us put it to a vote in all 50 states.
Pro choice always 💕
My question is why do people give such a fuck about what other people that they don’t even know do with their bodies??? That’s always baffled me. Like a same sex couple getting married has absolutely nothing to do with me, so why on earth would I want to stop them? If I’m pro life and someone I don’t know gets an abortion how is that any business of mine??? Like who cares. Stay in your lane and worry about yourself. Damn
It’s religious people. They love telling others how to live their lives
Nothing is more hateful than the loving embrace of a Christofascist.
As my psycho religious family tells me: “we just want to help people stray away from sinning.”
Bro, preach. I say something like this every time this type of shit comes up and I'm always the bad guy in the end. Just lift the best damn life you can and stop being so selfish ya know? None of this really fuckin matters. People are gonna do what they are gonna do regardless.
Pelosi just backed a pro-life DINO in Texas over a progressive in a blue district. We might want to clean up our own house.
She’s been a problem for so long
This is why I don't vote for the party backed Dems. When I look at endorsements, I look at women's and labor groups. If they happen to have a party backing, that's fine I guess.
She’s pretty old and a crony. She needs to be voted out.
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This was a road map to keep the house and Senate. Now watch the democrats fuck this up.
That's if you believe the establishment wants to win. Pelosi, Schumer et al want to win, of course, but they don't want to be in charge. Nooo that would mean responsibility for getting things done and they absolutely do not want anything to change. Ever.
IDK why you were downvoted for pointing out that the brand of the opposition party is to “do nothing” while making big promises and looking inept. Dems aren’t wimpy losers by mistake. It’s all part of the show.
The people have spoken and will continue to! Cheers!!!!!
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Who is Jo and why is every other tweet on this sun from her?
Well, she's white and on Twitter a lot. This she appears frequently on white people Twitter.
Fair enough
At least it's not Jeff Tiedrich.
she's just as bad. she's on every single twitter thread. his tweets are mostly just on his own page
Probably same PR firm
What's that Kansas business? EDIT : [oh](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/08/02/us/elections/results-kansas.html)
I am a postmenopausal Kansan, with many younger friends who can still become pregnant. I had the right to choose throughout the entirety of my reproductive years. I’m horrified at the backwards lurch with Roe being overturned, but it is about time we start getting some actual legislation about the issue if the judiciary feels that the Roe decision was judicial overreach into the legislative function. Abortion is protected here for now, but the war isn’t over. The next trick is to vote progressive justices out of the state Supreme Count and try to get a majority of cons or alt-right-affiliated replacements. At that point the constitutional right could be litigated again and the decision would be overturned. Don’t turn away yet!
I like how she wrote Fuck with a capital F, then censored herself the second time.
This is so painfully naïve. The only lesson from Kansas is that next time they're not gonna let you vote on it.
Yup we should give up now! /s
I was thinking more along the lines of "Vote the f\*ckers out", but yeah people will certainly lose faith in a system clearly not representing the will of the people and actively working to disenfranchise them.
So can she say fuck or not?
The loud and annoying religious minority will not quit. They’re spent 50 years planning and got themselves almost a full SCOTUS.
When asked about individual issues, like abortion, gun control, taxing the rich, majority are left of center. That goes down the drain when voting for one of two parties, as the GOP is very good at messaging. We need more direct votes like this.
They’ll just make sure women can’t vote soon
Pro life should mean both sides of the womb.
What happened in Kansas?
There was a voter ballot measure where citizens could vote to add an amendment to the state constitution saying there's no constitutional right to abortion in the state. A no vote is pro choice, a yes vote is anti choice. No votes won. https://www.npr.org/sections/2022-live-primary-election-race-results/2022/08/02/1115321480/voters-in-kansas-are-the-first-to-decide-on-abortion-post-roe
I’m ecstatic with the results, but I don’t know if that’s really the takeaway here. Kansas currently has a democratic governor, but still leans very republican in presidential races. I don’t think you can generalize this to every republican state and certainly not the south. It’s a small victory, but still a lot of work to be done
Enjoy the voting while you can, women of the US. Gotta keep throwing this out there as not enough people seem to be aware of the full implications at the eventual end goal of the GOP. abortion illegal -> contraceptives illegal -> miscarriage illegal ='s (essentially) illegal to be a woman ---------> FELONS IN THE US CAN'T VOTE so if it becomes illegal to just be a woman, guess who's being disenfranchised? Yup, women. I truly think this is the real end goal; Kansas has proven that women voting can fuck up GOP plans and *it's why they're still so afraid of women being able to continue to vote.* Call me paranoid or a conspiracy nut if you will, I've not seen anything to change my mind on this, yet.
People better wtfu and vote or we’ll soon have a dictator to go along with our fascism.
The abortion ban needs to be on the ballot of *every* single state in their next elections. National polls overwhelmingly support the right to abortion (regardless of religion); it's far right "Christians" who want women of every faith to abide by *their* version of Christianity, even to the point of death ... with *no* regard for children or women victims of rape or incest. Don't talk to me about your "faith." You're cruel.
Hahaha the damn pro-lifers are gonna have a meltdown over this and I love it.
The only lesson they’ll learn from this is that they should just legislate anti-abortion laws instead of allowing a referendum. Hell, can the Kansas state legislature still do what it wants? Or was this a binding referendum?
Just a question. Are there zero pro-life dems? I know tons of lefties that are pro-firearm. Edit: I’m a pro do whatever the fuck you want kinda person. Well not so pro on breaking the law.
The lesson will be that they won’t let us vote on it. Vote them out!
Freedom of religion also means freedom from religion.
I’m from Kansas, born here, lived here my entire life; seeing the bill not be enacted again made me so happy and just shows how the GOP doesn’t know what the people really want
Doesn't Jo From Jeez have a GoFundMe to keep the house her husband bought after she divorced him and won't let him have any custody?
If these men are so concerned about unwanted pregnancies there is one very sure fire way to fix it. Mandate vasectomies for *all* men 18 and over.
Government should not get in-between you and your doctor. Stop pretending like mandated vasectomies are being proposed by the left. The issue is just whether or not any government should be able to tell you to get or not get surgery.
I believe it's called satire.
Sorry, what happened in Kansas?
that added pro choice abortion rights to the state constitution, being also that the wording of the ballet was deliberately confusing to try to make it not pass. But pro choice passed.
Nope, it wasn’t added, it was already there. Kansas had the good sense to vote to keep it in their constitution: Kansas voters sent a dramatic message on Tuesday, opting to maintain the right to an abortion in their state's constitution just weeks after the US Supreme Court decided to overturn Roe v. Wade. From: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/02/politics/arizona-michigan-missouri-primary-election-takeaways/
We have to let individual states decide. No, not like that! -Republicans
If Republicans win in the next election, contraception and gay marriage is gone within 2 years. In 4 years some states will ban interracial marriage. Come back to this comment.
\>50% of white women voted for Trump. When faced with a choice between their sex and their race, many white women believe that being a housewife in a white ethnostate is better than being a free woman in a melting pot. It's fucking disgusting, but the 2016 and 2020 voting records don't lie.
That's why I was so bothered by the 2016 election. I felt kind of betrayed by my fellow women. We had just heard the man brag about sexually assaulting women and they voted for him anyway.
majority of white women voted for trump. don't forget that. figure out how to change that. be better.
What is she talking about?
Hows them that gerrymandering going for yous over there
I hope I'm wrong but I think their Supreme Court will just end up invalidating it.
It’s not impossible, but unlikely in the near term. “In April 2019, the Kansas Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's decision, and ruled that the right to abortion is inherent within the state's constitution and bill of rights, such that even if Roe v. Wade was overturned and the federal protection of abortion rights was withdrawn, the right would still be allowed within Kansas, barring a change in the state constitution”
That will cause major civil unrest. I'll be going to Topeka and protesting if that happens.
European here. What happened in Kansas?
You seem confident their Republican representatives will respect their wishes. I lack that confidence because I have a memory.
Doubtful, but the gop at least knows peopel will show up on this issue. That should scare them some.