After a few days of being told exactly what they should be thinking about the end of Roe, the American people dutifully and predictably responded to a CBS poll that shows a majority of them disapprove of the Dobbs ruling.
Americans disapprove of the decision by 59%–41%. Fully two-thirds of women oppose the ruling with only 33% agreeing with it.
A majority of Americans — 52% — believe that overturning Roe is “a step backward for America” while 31% think it’s “a step forward.” A “step backward” from what? To what? This is a blatant push poll designed to elicit answers that fit nicely on a website headline.
Views on Roe being overturned divide along partisan lines, though perhaps not as completely as political debate or legislative battles might suggest. One in six Democrats approves, and one in five Republicans disapproves.
Across demographic groups, younger people are especially likely to disapprove; most moderates disapprove along with nine in 10 liberals; two-thirds of Hispanic Americans disapprove, three-fourths of Black Americans and just over half of White Americans disapprove.
Approval is high among Republicans, those who identify as conservatives, and evangelical Christians.
Justice Alito knew the can of worms he was opening when he wrote his opinion. He knew his legal reasoning had to be impeccable. And for the most part, it was. Critics have nitpicked the decision to death, but the primary justification for overturning Roe hasn’t changed in 50 years. “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives,” Alito wrote.
Related: Will Biden Get a Political Bounce From Dobbs?
What difference does it make if a majority of Americans support or oppose a decision of the Supreme Court? The law is not a popularity contest, although it’s clear the left dearly loves the ability to send their minions into the streets to threaten justices to do their bidding.
Regardless, the people will make their feelings known in November. And tragically for Democrats, even after the repeal of Roe, few Democrats or Republicans are going to change their vote because of the Dobbs ruling.
While the overturning of Roe has elicited strong feelings, it’s not an issue most Americans say has made them any more or less likely to vote in the midterms this year. But for those who report a change in motivation right now, Democrats are more than twice as likely as Republicans to say the Supreme Court’s decision will make them more likely to vote.
And more Democrats are motivated now by the issue than they were before the decision. Fifty percent of Democrats report this decision will make them more likely to vote, up from 40% last month, when overturning Roe was a possibility, but not yet a reality.
What the CBS poll doesn’t show is that there are just as many Republicans energized to vote by the Dobbs decision as there are Democrats. The issue, as I’ve been saying for months, is a wash, and Democrats are delusional if they believe it gives them an advantage for midterms.
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