Letter: Reeder wrong on abortion vote motivation

On Aug. 1, columnist Scott Reeder dismissed Democrats for relying on the abortion issue to drive voters to the polls this November.

It is true that, since Bill Clinton, mainstream Democrats have lived and often succeeded by following consultant James Carville’s admonition, “It’s the economy, stupid!” But this year much has changed. The revelations of the Jan. 6 Capitol siege Congressional Committee and recent decisions by a stacked Trump court upending decades of established law and disregarding the documented preferences of the American people, just to name a few.

The day after Reeder’s column, voters in Kansas dramatically proved Reeder, and conventional wisdom, wrong.

Kansans proved saner than Kansas, whose state government has been a bastion of right wing hate and hostility to women and their bodies. On. Aug. 2, primary election voters, including the deepest red Republicans defied the zealots and voted against their Value Them Both amendment, which was created by anti-abortion Christian groups to strip protections for abortion care from the state’s constitution. The vote had a historic turnout, nearly as high as the 2008 presidential election. Voters chose to preserve abortion rights in the state by 59% to 41%. The visceral threat to women’s health and personhood drove Republicans and independents as well as Democrats to the polls. It mattered after all.

Whatever people’s previous loyalties, the current Republican Party is on the wrong side of history. Voters will turn out in support of Gov. JB Pritzker, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Reps. Sean Casten, Bill Foster, Jan Schakowsky, Brad Schneider and Congressional candidate Lisa Haderlein. They also have strong allies in local state legislative and McHenry County Board races.

Lesson: Values matter. Votes Matter. Women, reproductive rights and progressive values can win when voter will not be bowed.

Patrick Murfin

Crystal Lake