By Dave Andrusko
With the midterm elections just three weeks away, President Joe Biden attempted to gin up enthusiasm among fellow pro-abortionists by vowing to “codify Roe” as the first order of business in the new Congress. That is, if the Democrats hold the House and add two senators in the upcoming elections.
“If we do that, here’s the promise I make to you and the American people,” Biden said. “The first bill I will send to the Congress will be to codify Roe v. Wade. And when Congress passes it, I’ll sign it in January, 50 years after Roe was first decided the law of the land.”
USA Today’s Joey Garrison wrote
Biden’s new pledge came in remarks from the Howard Theatre in Washington as women standing behind the president held signs that read “defend choice” and “restore Roe.” It was a push to elevate the issue less than one month before the midterms. Republicans are widely favored to regain control of the House and perhaps the Senate.
CNN’s MJ Lee, Jeremy Diamond, and Kevin Liptak added additional urgency to the speech:
President Joe Biden on Tuesday made a major promise on a push to put abortion rights into law as his party looks to seize on the politically divisive issue in the final push ahead of the midterm elections. …
“The court got Roe right nearly 50 years ago and I believe the Congress should codify Roe, once and for all,” Biden said. …
“Together we’ll restore the right to choose for every woman in every state in America,” Biden said. “We can do this if we vote.”
While some polls have abortion as the second or third most important issue, the New York Times/Sienna poll “showed that likely voters see the economy (26%) and inflation (18%) as the most important problem facing the country, with just 5% picking abortion as their top issue.” The problem for pro-abortion Democrats is the abysmal state of the economy and the specter of inflation spiraling out of control.
CNN also noted the limitations of the overwhelming emphasis on abortion:
Dating back to the 2020 campaign, Biden has called for codifying Roe v. Wade, which had guaranteed a federal constitutional right to abortion. The Supreme Court overturned it earlier this year, transforming access to reproductive health care in the country. It is unclear how politically effective such a promise of prioritizing such a bill will be, given that Democrats have an intensely tough battle in November to keep both the Senate and House.
The Washington Post also had bad news for pro-abortion Democrats:
The commitment comes as the White House and Democrats have been focused on protecting abortion access before the midterm elections. But it is not clear if the issue is resonating with voters.