One of the most frustrating aspects of today’s information environment is its fragmented nature. Many of us depend upon widely respected national sources of news and even wisdom–the Heather Cox Richardsons and others who bring scholarship and acumen to in-depth discussion of the issues that confound us. Fewer of us know about or subscribe to blogs and newsletters produced by local folks–and that’s a shame, because many of them deserve to be more widely read. I’ve updated my blogroll to include a couple, including that of my friend Michael Leppert, whose weekly posts can be accessed here. I highly recommend them.
Mike is currently a lecturer at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, and an adjunct professor at IU’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He’s also a columnist and an author. (I was honored to write the introduction to his first book, Contrary to Popular Belief.) He has worked for the State of Indiana and as a lobbyist. Because he knows how things work, his blog is a deeply informed look at politics and the policy process.
A recent post, in my humble opinion, hit it out of the park.
Leppert was considering the abortion landscape after Dobbs, and reminding voters that–on reproductive rights– We the People have the right to the final word.
In his policy classes, Leppert says he’s focused on two primary ideas: “One, that governing is choosing; and two, there is no bigger asset or burden in the public policy process more powerful than time.”
The best contemporary policy example to use for understanding American democratic processes is the debate on women’s reproductive health freedom. Not just because of the Dobbs or Roe decisions, but because it is a policy that is truly a governing choice, unimpacted by infinite conditions beyond decision-makers’ control.
Unlike economic conditions or foreign policy, which are impacted by infinite conditions beyond anyone’s control, voters have the opportunity to determine the extent of abortion rights.
In some states, unlike Indiana, voters have access to referenda or initiatives. As he notes:
Eleven states are headed for referenda votes in November on constitutional proposals to create or protect abortion rights. Nine of them were initiated by voter petition. Four of those states already effectively have bans in place. Even Arkansas reached their threshold of signatures last week just before that state’s deadline.
In states where voters can vote, they either already are, or soon will. And because of the Dobbs decision, a vote on reproductive freedom is no longer a hypothetical discussion. There is data to drive the thinking of those clinging to rational thought on the matter.
He proceeds to outline some of that data, and it’s compelling.
In Texas, which banned abortion in 2021, the infant mortality rate rose 8%, and birth defects increased by 23% (in the rest of the U.S. they decreased by 3%)
As Leppert reminds us, Texas state elected officials chose this.
Then there’s Idaho, a state that is manic in its zeal to eradicate women’s freedoms. Its bans have created a crisis of care, driving obstetricians from the state. In February, it was reported that 22 of the state’s 44 counties don’t have access to any practicing obstetrician. More than 50 of them quit practicing there since the state passed its ban in August of 2022. It already ranked in the bottom five of all states for maternal mortality outcomes….
The catastrophic choices have only begun to be impacted by the all-powerful influence of time…
Because he is a resident of Indiana, Leppert concludes by referencing just how out of touch our theocratic GOP officials are with the sentiments of Indiana’s voters.
Indiana’s time has now begun too. Judicial delays now exhausted, the bad data is being gathered in a state already ranked 44th in infant mortality, and 47th in maternal mortality. Recent polling on the issue shows the most unsurprising results I’ve ever seen, as reported by the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
Petition driven ballot initiatives aren’t available here, though 78% of voters here want it. 72% of voters are less likely to support incumbents who voted to block a referendum.
Hoosiers can and should vote accordingly.
The state’s embattled attorney general, Todd Rokita, has been aggressively seeking access to patient medical records of those who have received abortion care. 95% of voters oppose this access. “Peace on earth” wouldn’t get 95%, and even if it did, Rokita would likely fight it.
If the Republican candidates for statewide office are successful in November, we can expect Indiana to emulate Texas and Idaho (with censorship and unremitting attacks on education thrown in)… The GOP’s “Christian warrior” candidates are even more extreme than the legislators who passed Indiana’s ban.
As Leppert reminded his readers: Hoosier voters will choose…
I check Mr Leppert’s blog every day. He’s excellenmt (& thanks for including civildiscoursenow on your blogroll!)
“Because he knows how things work, his blog is a deeply informed look at politics and the policy process.”
But can, will, he speak honestly to the disloyalty, disunited members of the Democratic party or the media who have spoken against President Biden for months as if they are unaware of the desperate NEED to keep him in office to carry out the original agenda and Democratic campaign foundation which put him there? The sitting Democrats with their own agenda and the media cannot unring those bells they have been clanging for months about his age and the low key presentation at the debate. Ignoring the fact that he answered all questions intelligently and confronted Trump’s lies and distortion. It is the DEMOCRATS that have me ashamed, embarrassed, scared to death about losing America to their petty personal choices; they are leading Democratic voters away from support, needed donations and showing up at the polls in November. We KNOW what Trump’s MAGAs will do; we have no idea what the Democratic party is going to do to save this nation.
That bullet must one inch to the right and we would be fighting an election battle we could have won but are now losing.
Please excuse the poor self-editing but I am pissed and afraid. That last paragraph should read ” that bullet JUST ONE INCH to the right…”
The entire political environment of Indiana, Idaho, Texas, et. al., is a bad, unprintable story that no publisher would even look at. Why? Because it is a cliche. It is trite. It is unbelievable because it’s not science fiction. Leppert is another sane person pointing out the obviously disturbed minds of anything Republican.
Then there’s judge Aileen Cannon off-handedly dismissing a case that has many national security issues attached. Brilliant. She did her job and kept the trial away from the election season (Thanks Merrick Garland for dragging your feet.). I read somewhere that her husband was/is connected to the Trump organization. Trite. Cliche.
It’s no longer a secret that Republicans are fundamentally corrupt, against the Constitution in letter and spirit with “candidates” proudly displaying their cluelessness. For example, imagine the whiplash of J.D. Vance from being a Never Trumper badmouth to Trump’s V.P. nominee. Unbelievable. Terrible script. Trite. Cliche.
Time is something women in need of an abortion do not have the luxury of.
I’m not sure in what universe we expect, or even hope, that the Republican faithful will examine, or even know, where “their” candidate stands on referendum, etc. They are straight ticket voters to the end. I’m terribly afraid that will be very soon.
Vernon,
Yep! And Lindsey Graham talking about how much he loved DT. All the while squeezing out the crocodile tears. Vance hasn’t quite hit that level of putrid self-deceiving Kabuki, but it’s close!
Thanks to JoAnn Green for expressing her disappointment in both the media and the DNC for loosing their footing on the heels of the so-called presidential debate. Everyone should see Inside Out2 for a reminder that anxiety in the extreme can be individually and corporately destructive. Biden continues to exemplify the saying, Steady the Ship of State.
I just watched “Bad Faith” on Prime last evening. Christian Nationalism has taken over the Republican Party. The future looks very bleak.
I am concerned that the Democratic party is flailing. Many people are justifiably concerned about President Biden’s stubborn refusal to stand aside, even though it’s clear he’s frail. And we find ourselves on a precipice.
Honestly I do not know where we go from here.
Yes, voters will choose. And the stakes could not be higher. So more than 39% of us better show up this time.
If 95% of the people of Indiana oppose access to medical records, that sounds great, but what will too many voters do? Unless that message constantly gets pounded in, they most likely will revert to type.
Support for Planned Parenthood might be the best option you have. “In a democracy, the people get the government they deserve.” (deToqueville) If the will is there, there can be change.
If 95% of Hoosiers oppose access to medical records, then why are they voting for Rokita and his fellow Republicans?
It’s a question of loyalty. Even if that 95% figure doesn’t solely represent Democratic voters, it seems that some are willing to vote against their own interests. Is their loyalty to their party stronger than their disdain for its policies? It’s a matter of being loyal to your fate.
As others have noted, the Democrats aren’t much better. They are stuck with a political body that caters to the needs of the oligarchy rather than voters. That’s why the working class is aligning itself with Republicans. The Democrats have abandoned them over identity politics.
I have to laugh at all the cries for being civil and “stop the divisiveness” by both parties and the media after the assassination attempt. LOL
Quite frankly, divisiveness is all the media and politicians have in 2024. As the stats show, first-trimester abortions shouldn’t be all that controversial, but all it takes is a few lies like Trump during the debates (the Ds want to kill babies after they are born) to inflame the emotions of the right wing. It always works!
And a note for the record: the only ones who’ve been in denial about Joe’s dementia status are the media. They should have started calling for a replacement two years ago because many of us saw it happening. They excused his dementia symptoms with “a stutter” and other nonsense. If those around Joe spoke up earnestly, it wouldn’t have become a last-minute “October surprise” moment.
I feel bad for the strong Hoosier D ticket, which will be hurt by what’s happening with the POTUS race.
“The catastrophic choices have only begun to be impacted by the all-powerful influence of time…”
Whatever state issues will appear as referendum or not in any number of states; the primary question for me is which Democrat of Trump’s level of genius will name an acceptable replacement for President Joe Biden, create a campaign foundation, find support within the 50 states and 5 territories to get donations, staff polling places, begin this presidential campaign to run the remaining days now from early September through October and to November 5th and believe they can maintain the Democratic Presidency?
The talk of replacing President Biden appears to have died down but remains the primary question before the nation and globally. What happened to the NATO meeting once Trump’s injured ear stole the spotlight? This issue is being faced as Trump’s criminal trials are being removed or stalled out till after the election. The abortion issue has been with us for centuries and has continued legally or illegally with no statistics on the death count. It will continue after the election no matter who wins or who loses. The main event is the General Election on November 5th and it is being swept aside by Trump’s injured ear and the arguing over who was primarily responsible for his security and continued insults of President Joe Biden’s speech patterns and content of his speeches. Trump is now the heroic figure who continued ranting and pumping his fist after the shooter missed his primary target by one inch.
I’ll bet without checking that a number of the states who do not allow citizen referendums are blue. Politicians and parties want power and they don’t want to share it with “The People”.
Love those DEMS. After spending 10’s of millions on 1 NY Primary for a sure DEM seat….we learn about this:
There are a number of districts within the range of winnable districts that Democrats aren’t contesting or are barely contesting:
FL-04 – Freshman Aaron Bean is benefiting from Democratic reticence in Florida, where he will coast to victory in a seat Trump won by 6.7 points. No Democrat has raised even a dollar to challenge him.
WI-01 – This district, which once belonged to Speaker Paul Ryan, was only won by Trump by 2 points. Despite the fact that it is the type of district that may be moving back towards Democrats, they will not be able to benefit from any favorable trends because they aren’t running a serious challenger. The leading candidate has just $5,000 on hand.
FL-15 – Trump won this district by only 3 points, but Democrats aren’t seriously challenging first-term incumbent and former Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee. The leading Democrat has less than $1,000 on hand.
OH-15 – Another Ohio seat that Democrats are not contesting, Trump won this seat by 6.8 percent in 2020, but incumbent Mike Carey’s leading challenger has only $100,000 on hand.
IA-02 – Trump won this district by 4.4 points in 2020, but Democrats have held this district in the recent past. Still, this cycle they are conceding it, perhaps believing Iowa is moving in the wrong direction federally. The leading Democrat has less than $80,000 on hand.
FL-07 – First-term incumbent Cory Mills has thus far avoided a serious challenger in this district Trump won by 5.5 points, part of a broader theme of Democrats avoiding Florida seats. The leading Democratic challenger has less than $40,000 on hand. We covered this district in a WelcomeStack post this spring.
TX-23 – While Tony Gonzalez faced a tough primary, he isn’t facing any general election competition, possibly due to his moderate approach to gun violence after the Uvalve shooting (the source of his primary challenge). Trump won this seat by 7 points, but Democrats thus far aren’t contesting it. The leading Democratic challenger has around $2,000 on hand.
NY-11 – Nicole Malliotakis’s seat went for Trump by 7-and-a-half points, but she isn’t facing any general election competition, with the leading Democratic challenger boasting only $56,000 on hand.
Michael Leppert is a talented writer, college profesor, who lives in the real worldl. He effectively paints the true picture of political facts of Hoosier and national politics. He interperts it for the ordinary person to understand. We should br proud to call him a Hoosier.
Using your forum to highlight others is a good move, Sheila, and a much appreciated one. So much misinformation doing so much damage, we need the voices of reason, and sanity, and the facts that Leppert makes a solid effort to provide as, of course, do you… Thank you!
Civility, lol! What does that mean Lester, 🙈🙉🙊. (S)
I’d love for them to repurpose snippets from the GOP that talked about Barack Obama and “All” the vile statements made for years. Michelle said don’t go low go high, so either you use All of that Highballing, to point out the hypocrisy. No use complaining if you don’t have any oompf behind it. The tale of the tape doesn’t lie. So, resurrect and use it!
If you remember, Obama beat McCain because all financing was pretty much equal, and McCain didn’t know how to budget. After that they made sure they changed the law. Money actually talks better than politicians! Lobbyists are really political charlatans, they just don’t come out into the light as often. Obama knew that shoe leather was the best insecticide against the roaches. Unfortunately, everyone has to reinvent the wheel. If it wasn’t so sadly pathetic, it would be funny!
Sorry, take either out of there!
It seems to me that Democrats are just doing what is natural for the party that celebrates diversity and promotes free exchange of ideas. They are debating among themselves and some media are interpreting that as fatal strife. Be glad that Democrats, unlike Republicans, are not in unbreakable lockstep with party leadership. Democrats will debate, arrive at a consensus, and then get behind their candidates. The money issues are, perhaps, a bigger problem. But I still think the majority of Americans have had more than their fill of Trump regardless of what the polls show. I am far from complacent but still very hopeful. Just keep working. Despair and chaos is what autocrats feed on.
The only “consensus” the DEMs can present at the top of the ticket is….”Biden is not his opponent”. That is all the voters who are not the base of the DEM party will get. And they are not going to emotionally respond to that. History shows that emotional voting is what counts in presidential elections, especially in the last few elections.
Hey John, not to contradict your theory about why Obama beat McCain, but you should have mentioned Sarah Palin. McCain later admitted it was a mistake, but I still wonder what he was thinking and why none of his inner circle talked him out of it.
Obama spoke the language of progressivism to young people and minorities who helped GOTV. Sadly, he bailed on all of them once elected. 🙁
Todd. Don’t forget that Obama managed to pass the Affordable Care Act, probably the most progressive piece of legislation since the Civil Rights Act.
In regards to having Joe step down, there was an old saying when I was growing up: you dance with the one who brung ya.
RJD – 21st Century revision – “you dance with the one who can dance without stumbling and the whole community trusts”
When the Chamber of Commerce realizes that young families cannot stay and can’t be recruited to locate in Indiana and risk becoming pregnant AND that OB/GYNs and Obstetricians are leaving the state because of our abortion bans, here’s hoping the doctors rise up to ask the legislature to codify Roe v. Wade into Indiana Code. That would guarantee that most abortions occur in the first trimester of pregnancy and. patients would have to meet ever high standards for abortion in later months of pregnancy. That’s the sensible, scientific healthy thing to do for all concerned. Doctors designed Roe v Wade.trimester system. We should put it into law.
OB/GYN are leaving rather than proctice in a state which bans abortions and is losing obstetricians. women’s and infant mortality will increase hre.