A Corrupt Court, Lots of Good Economic News, Brutal New Polling for the Rs on Abortion

Sketchpad Wednesday/Paid Subscriber Hangout Today at 1pm EST

Some things I am thinking about today:

The corrupt, Imperial Supreme Court has become a very serious problem for our democracy. Our system of checks and balances is breaking down, as there is no check any longer on the Court, and that “balance “ among the three branches the Founders sought is being lost (see this new ProPublica reporting on Alito’s corruption). The corruption of the Court is part of a broader descent of the right into a post-Reagan illiberalism. When the aging white tribe is threatened, all responses, no matter how anti-democratic, find themselves on the table - stealing Supreme Court seats, legalizing a vast dark money electoral system, launching an insurrection, threatening default and economic ruin, taking $2b from the Saudis, refusing to honor Congressional subpoenas while papering the town with their own, defending a serial criminal and betrayer of the country, covering up for corrupt Supreme Court Justices…..

It’s why I think Democrats need to develop a big and bold reform agenda to clean up Washington, attack corruption and restore integrity to our democracy.

It’s also why it’s possible that the anti-Trump lane in the GOP primary is disappearing. With the whole party rallying around Trump last week it felt like the central project of MAGA had now become defending the former President. Perhaps Trump falls under the weight of his criminality and betrayal. But it’s also possible that defending the tribal leader while he’s under assault becomes their entire politics, leaving little room for others to run against him in the primary.

Certainly, with the overall electorate, all of this ongoing ugliness is a big problem for the Rs, and why I think we need to go big, expand our coalition and get to 55 next year.

Events/Videos - have dropped two new videos in recent days:

• With Democrats Things Get Better - my big presentation, updated monthly. Must see viewing for all Hopium subscribers, as it is the basis for much of the thinking and analysis you will find here.

• My Monthly Political Briefing - this was recorded on Friday, and has some new bits I’ve been developing over the past few months. Think you will like it.

In addition, our monthly paid subscriber hangout is today at 1pm EST, and be sure to sign up for our talk with youth vote expert John Della Volpe next Wed at 1pm EST.

The Country Has Become More Pro-Abortion In the Past Year -I’ve long believed that as voters came to understand how extreme the new GOP abortion restrictions were that this issue, already a disaster for Republicans, would actually get worse for them this cycle. A new USA Today poll shows this is indeed what’s happening, and it is a huge problem for the GOP:

In what was surely a case of unintended consequences, the landmark Supreme Court decision one year ago overturning Roe v. Wade is putting abortion opponents increasingly at odds with public opinion and creating political perils for candidates on their side.

In a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll, one in four Americans say state efforts that have followed to impose strict limits on abortion access have made them more supportive of abortion rights.

By almost 4-1, 23%-6%, those whose views on abortion have changed in the past year said they have become more supportive of legal abortion, not less supportive. That includes more women than men, more Democrats than Republicans, and more younger voters than seniors. The shift was pronounced among Black respondents. Almost a third, 32%, said they had become more supportive of abortion access in the past year…..

And independent women, one of the most critical swing groups in elections, by 28%-5% said they had become more supportive of abortion rights.

The nationwide poll of 1,000 registered voters, taken by landline and cellphone June 5-9, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

By almost 2-1, 58%-30%, those surveyed opposed the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade….

Jamie Nassehi, 63, a builder and a Democrat from Silver Spring, Maryland, said access to abortion has become a more important issue to him in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling. "States are criminalizing something that was a precedent for 50 years," he said. In a reference to the religious right and the more conservative majority on the high court, he said, "If they keep going, this country will be unrecognizable because they force their views on everybody and they're a minority, really."

Americans overwhelmingly oppose the next goal of many anti-abortion activists, to enact a federal law banning abortion nationwide. By 80%-14%, those surveyed opposed that idea, including 65% of Republicans and 83% of independents…..

In all, a 53% majority said abortion should be legal in most or all cases; 28% said it should be illegal in most or all cases.

We Need To Start Talking About The New DeSantis Immigration Law - Permitless carry. 6 week abortion ban. Banning books. Assaulting Disney. Okay you thought all that was bad, right? Wait to you learn about the new DeSantis immigration law:

“How can one man pass one law and destroy all these businesses in Florida?” said Williams, owner of Quincy Tomato Company. 

“It’s almost like he’s doing it on purpose. I know he’s doing it for politics, but the end results, it’s going to be hard.”  

The most anti-immigrant law passed in the modern era of American politics takes effect in Florida on July 1st, and it is going to become a huge national problem for DeSantis and the Republican Party. Expect lots more on this here in the coming days.

The Economic News in the Last Few Weeks Has Been Really Good - A reminder of some of the basic things we know about the Biden economy:

• 7 times as many jobs as last 3 GOP Presidents COMBINED - 13.1m now

• In last few months record lows in unemployment, uninsured, poverty rates

• Inflation last month was 1.2% annualized, well below the 2% Fed target

• US has had the strongest economic recovery in G7

• GDP growth under Biden over 3%, 3x what it was under Trump

• Last month’s 339,000 jobs = 3 years of job growth under Bushes and Trump, recession not on the horizon

• The deficit went up every year under Trump, has come down every year under Biden. New budget deal with Rs keeps it moving downward.

• Wages and new business formation continue to come in at very elevated levels. The Black unemployment last month was the lowest ever recorded

• Job satisfaction is at an all-time high

Keep working hard all - Simon