| Winning in opinion polls is a great thing. Know what's even more important? Winning elections so you can win the policy game. Brian Dickerson has more. But I wonder how many pro-choice Michiganders of either gender even know where candidates seeking their vote for state representative -- or state Supreme Court justice, or county prosecutor -- stand on the abortion issue. Because if you haven't identified the office seekers who share your pro-choice views, chances are Right to Life's savvy voters took them out months ago. If I can borrow a classic meme, this is pure "I'm in ur base, killin' ur doodz" strategy. While everyone else is paying attention to other things, Right to Life wins elections by going after people in the primary, where most of our seats are actually decided. Know where they got this? Back in the 80s, the Christian Coalition started doing something very similar to this by getting elected to local boards and commissions and other shit no one ever pays attention to its own people. The strategy behind doing that was that when it comes time to elect people to the next higher board or commission -- say county commission -- voters are more likely to trust someone who's already done a halfway competent job with the position they've already got. Plus, newspaper editorials, which probably do matter a bit more for races no one pays attention to, usually cite someone's tenure in public service as a qualification for even higher office. For too long, I think, pro-choice folks have sat too much on their laurels, comforted by the fact that the American people are mostly with them, according to polls. People might not like abortions, but they're not willing to impose their values on others. But, opinion polls aren't where laws and policy are crafted. That's all done in legislative halls and courtrooms, and that's where it matters most. |
