Are the Republicans Masochists?

The Democrats, and Obama in particular, should thank the Republicans. The latter are applying the precepts of the good Dr. Rove (W’s eminent former advisor) to the letter. As we all know, Rove regularly dug up social issues in an artificial way to rally Republican voters. For example, putting forward an anti-gay marriage proposal during general elections, even though no one had yet gotten worked up about that issue. The introduction of this proposal acted like a red rag to a bull and sent the GOP partisans rushing to the polling stations.

This time, Karl Rove’s strategies are being applied — involuntarily — to the Democrats. But the result is the same: mass mobilization of Barack Obama’s electorate. Here are two examples: abortion and labor unions. Let’s decipher them.

The enforcement of the health care reform suddenly revived the abortion war, which has been on-going ever since the Supreme Court legalized abortion in the Roe v. Wade case in 1973. Five states have forbidden private health care insurance, subscribed to by small businesses or individuals (as opposed to large businesses that use other health insurance), from covering abortions. Twenty-two other states are set to follow their example. And it is reported that half of these states will go even further: They will purely and simply ban abortion coverage, whatever the insurance type.

“I don’t remember the last time I saw [so many] states try to do one thing on abortion,” points out Rachel Sussman from Planned Parenthood. If this decision is confirmed, it will turn part of the Republican electorate against its own party. In fact, whether they are Republican or Democrat, a large majority of women are opposed to the state telling them what to do with their bodies. Although very strong reservations exist with regard to abortion, the pro-abortion-choice camp outweighs the anti-abortion camp.

Second story: This weekend, over 100,000 people protested against the law, passed by the Wisconsin State Assembly, depriving public labor unions from being represented at negotiations with the state administration. Even at the height of the Vietnam War, never have so many protesters gathered together.

The Democrats are hoping that this Wisconsin decision will have the same effect on its voters in 2012 as the health care reform had on the Republican voters. Already, Barack Obama’s party is using Wisconsin, in the hope that recent decisions will anger its supporters, in order to raise funding for the upcoming campaigns. Forty-two percent of American voters are opposed to Governor Scott Walker’s decision, while 31 percent are in favor. The Wisconsin State Assembly vote allows the Democrats to emphasize their thesis that the Republicans are guided by an ideological obsession and not by a desire to balance the budget. Other states are encountering the same problems, but are negotiating with the unions instead of taking away their power to negotiate with the government.

If other states controlled by the Republicans were to follow in Scott Walker’s footsteps, it’s virtually certain that the Democrats, while protesting strongly, would inwardly rejoice. A slight move in the independent vote would, in fact, be enough for one or the other party to win the presidential election.