Condemnation from Democrats over the Texas abortion law which recently went into effect has been strong and swift. It was very much a theme of the Sunday morning shows.
On CNN's "State of the Union," White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain and host Dana Bash discussed the issue:
BASH: ...Is the reality that there isn't a whole lot the administration can do right now to change things in Texas?
KLAIN: Dana, I hope that's not the reality.
We have the best lawyers at the Justice Department looking for legal remedies to protect women who are seeking to exercise their constitutional rights. We have the team at HHS looking at what means we can do to try to get women the health care services they need in the face of this Texas law.
And we have the Gender Policy Council here at the White House, the first time a president's ever had a policy council devoted to gender issues, coordinating all this work to bring options forward for the president and the vice president to look at.
BASH: So, you think it's possible -- but you think it's possible that you can do something at the federal level?
KLAIN: We are going to find -- we are going to find ways, if they're at all possible -- and I think they are possible -- we are going to find ways to make a difference for the women of Texas to try to protect their constitutional rights, yes.
Bash and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) addressed ways in which Congress is dealing with the matter.
BASH: So -- so, Senator, you mentioned Congress.
Speaker Pelosi says the House will vote to codify abortion protections into law. But you know better than I do there aren't 60 votes for that in the U.S. Senate. So, realistically, what can you and your fellow Democrats do, or is the Texas law going to be allowed to stand?
KLOBUCHAR: Well, first of all, I'm glad Speaker Pelosi is showing that leadership to get this through the House immediately, basically codify or to put Roe v. Wade into law.
In the U.S. Senate, first of all, there are some pro-choice Republicans. I want to make that clear. We have seen that time and time again in votes, specifically...
BASH: But enough to get to 60?
KLOBUCHAR: No. Senator Collins, Senator Murkowski.
So, my solution to this, which is my solution for voting rights and so many other things, including climate change, where one side of the country is in flames, the other side of the country is flooded, with people dying submerged in their cars, I believe we should abolish the filibuster.
I do not believe an archaic rule should be used to allow us to put our heads in the sand, to use Justice Sotomayor's words, to put our heads in the sand, and not take action on the important issues, the challenges that are facing our country right now, now and over the next years.
We just will get nowhere if we keep this filibuster in place.
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The discussion also led to a favorite Democratic talking point, the need to get rid of the filibuster.
Perhaps the most hyperbolic comments came from Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX), in an exchange with host Wejia Jiang on CBS' "Face the Nation":
WEIJIA JIANG: ...What are you asking from the president?
REP. ESCOBAR: Well, I'm grateful that the president wants to fight for women's health care and wants to protect women from a state and frankly, a party that is not pro-life, but is instead pro birth, willing to put women's lives on the line. So, the Biden administration is looking at a whole of government approach, asking its agencies to take action. So, I'm grateful for that.
But Congress needs to act as well. We are going to bring to the floor the Women's Health Protection Act, which will put into law the protections that women need and require that we've had for decades under Roe v. Wade...
WEIJIA JIANG: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would bring a vote on that act, which you are a co-sponsor of. But this week, you also tweeted, expand the court, abolish the filibuster. Do you think that is the only way the bill stands a chance of passing?
REP. ESCOBAR: I am really afraid that because of the Senate's desire to hang on to a relic of the past, a Jim Crow relic, the filibuster, that while the House will move expeditiously to protect women from states like Texas and from a Supreme Court that is an activist court. My fear is, is that some members of the Senate will use the filibuster as an excuse to not take action.
And in the face of inaction, we will see more death in Texas. Texas is now a very dangerous place for women and children. We are going to see more states basically import this law and do everything possible to create the most hostile conditions for women in our country.
And I do believe I am a supporter of eliminating the filibuster so that the American people will be able to see progress in government. And I believe the filibuster, which voters never voted for, which is not in the Constitution and which is a relic of the past, it needs to be eliminated. But I do think we also need to expand the court. We- we've now seen SCOTUS basically engage in late night decisions through their shadow docket. We've seen them become an activist court. We need to restore integrity to the court.
While on NBC's "Meet the Press," former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) likewise discussed the issue with host Chuck Todd. She also boasted about defeating Todd Akin in 2012, who made comments about "legitimate rape" which were condemned from all sides of the aisle:
CLAIRE McCASKILL:
...And I will not accept both sides on this. This is one party that is doing this, not both parties. This is not the place for, “Oh, both sides are a problem.” No. One side is a problem. I got reelected because of an extreme position on abortion. I believe a lot of Democrats will get elected over this.
...
CHUCK TODD:
Well, and Claire, this is something -- you brought up the fact you got reelected because you had an opponent that was, went to -- had an extreme position on the idea of rape, if legitimate rape is something that Todd Akin at the time called it...
...
CHUCK TODD:
Claire, is there a reasonable middle ground for the Democratic party on -- it's hard to say sometimes there's a middle ground on abortion. But the public seems -- there is a middle ground there, which is they don't want it completely banned, and they don't want it without some limitations...
CLAIRE McCASKILL:
Well, all the noise is going to be on the far extremes... But women of America are not calm right now. The Supreme Court had an opportunity to stay this bill. If it was so bad, all they had to do was stay it. And they didn't. And that is telling. And that's why women are not calm right now. They are very upset over the idea that this is going to be allowed in any state in the United States. So is there middle ground? Yeah. And the more extreme the Republican Party keeps becoming -- and the next thing they’re going do -- Missouri says they're going to copy it...
Republicans featured on the shows who were asked about it were not in favor of the law.
Former Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA) appeared alongside McCaskill. "As someone who is pro-life and has always wanted to, you know, change hearts and minds and, you know, focus on creating a culture of life and respecting the dignity of women and the children, I don't think this is a good bill," she said, also calling it "a polarizing bill."
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) was also asked about the Texas law on "State of the Union" He mentioned he was pro-life when speaking to Bash but was against the law didn't rule out voting in favor of the pro-abortion bill Pelosi is bringing to the floor.
Democrats are now laser focused on codifying Roe v. Wade at the federal level. In doing so, it would seem that the party is trying to seize their opportunity to move on from serious issues and concerns, including and especially getting Americans out who are still stranded in Afghanistan.
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