Earlier this month, I reported that abortion was going to play a major role in the upcoming election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Today, the Wisconsin GOP has officially hit panic mode about it.
The winner of the state supreme court will decide if the majority of the court leans towards the law and human decency or towards fascism. On one side, there is Judge Janet Protosiewicz, who has left no doubt that her values are that reproductive health care is up to a woman and her doctor. On the other side is Dan Kelly, a Christofascist who once wrote this about abortion:
Between 2012 and 2015, Kelly regularly contributed to a blog called "Hang Together" in which he laid out in detail — indeed, long and windy detail — his conservative views on a number of topics.
Abortion rights? Kelly said everyone knows this procedure "takes the life of an unborn child." But he said pro-choice groups still favor making abortion legal. "Why? To preserve sexual libertinism" — or, more bluntly, to let people have sex whenever they want.
Unsurprisingly, these stark differences on just this one subject is having a major impact on the race. Protosiewicz is crushing Kelly in the fundraising. However, that being said, Kelly is getting massive amounts of dark money, much from the Uihleins who bought Ron Johnson's reelection. But even right wing propagandists are openly saying that they are in deep trouble.
Another sure sign that the Republicans are in it but deep is the fact that despite controlling both houses - thanks to their gerrymandering - the Republicans have come up with an 11th hour offer for a compromise of sorts regarding the abortion ban that is currently in place and was written in 1849:
A group of Republican lawmakers released legislation Wednesday that would allow doctors to provide abortions to victims of rape and incest and in situations when the mother is experiencing serious pregnancy complications.
The move comes amid a nationally scrutinized race for a seat on the state Supreme Court that revolves around the future of the state's 19th Century abortion ban and despite a promise from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to veto such legislation in order to preserve a lawsuit he launched to overturn the state's abortion law altogether.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, a Republican from Rochester, said Republicans are moving the legislation forward anyway because he wants the state Legislature to handle abortion policy instead of turning the state's highest court into a "super Legislature."
As far as compromises go, it's an extremely cynical one, such as only being allowed during the first trimester. Even then, the Republicans openly admit that it's tied to the election and that it wouldn't pass the state senate without Democratic help - remember, the Republicans have almost a supermajority in that house.
To their credit, the Democrats are presenting with a strong, unified front from Governor Tony Evers and leaders in both houses. They're not going to settle for some half ass political stunt from the Republicans.
But even if the Republicans did find a way to some how pull off this compromise, it won't help them in the supreme court race. There are still so many other things at stake, like fair voting maps, voters rights, workers rights and student rights. The Republicans won't be able to fix all the things they broke in the past 10 years in just two weeks time.
