General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The false link between Amy Coney Barrett and The Handmaid's Tale, explained: vox.com [View all]radius777
(3,635 posts)The Vox piece that purports to 'debunk the libs' is the typical both-siderist crap that intentionally misses the big picture.
Atwood's work is a novel, not a documentary - thus there is no need to be precise, as the fictional world/cult at the center of her novel is an amalgam of Charismatic Catholic groups (of the type Barrett was part of, which also used the 'handmaid' term). Such misogynistic religious sects were (and are) a backlash to feminism and civil rights. IOW, it's about the hateful ideology inherent to such groups - and how that could've shaped the views of a prospective Supreme Court justice such as Barrett, whose decisions could have far ranging effects on the lives of Americans of all types.
Nobody cares what the hardcore conservatives think - they aren't voting for us anyway. We care about our base as well as gettable moderates, swing voters and independents.
The archetypal swing voter is the moderate suburbanite who is pro-choice. Polls show about 2/3 of voters overall are pro-choice, including about 1/5 of Trump's 2016 voters in many states. Morning Joe (a Republican) was talking about this the other day, that he went through some of the data in swing states and there is a possibility those pro-choice voters could worry about Roe being overturned. What seemed unlikely years ago with a fairly divided court could become all too real with a hard-right 6-3 court.
The issue of choice is inextricably tied to women's rights and to the liberalism that RBG (and hopefully everyone posting on a site like this) believes in. It is a core belief that must be fought for. It is also a class issue as the anti-choice position merely equates to 'coat hangers' and backalley abortions for poor women, while rich women will still have access to safe procedures.
This does not mean we focus solely on this issue, or to the exclusion of other 'bread and butter' issues like the economy, jobs, healthcare, prescription drugs etc. We can focus on both social and economic justice while tying it all together as fighting for an America that is better for the wide spectrum of middle and working class women and men of all colors and creeds. Everything Biden and Dems have been saying recently points to this strategy.