amna: The fierce political
debate around abortion access
comes as president Biden is
preparing to launch his
reelection campaign this week.
Here to discuss, Amy Walter of
the cook political report with
Amy Walter, and Tamara Keith of
NPR.
Good to see you both.
Let's begin with the abortion
access issue which we know rests
with the supreme court.
It is interesting to see, it is
an issue that Republicans and
Democrats are largely aligned
on.
When you look at our latest pbs
newshour NPR marist poll asking
if medication abortion should be
banned, 64% of all American said
no, it should not be banned.
That includes 55% of
Republicans.
It seems the real divide, the
larger divide, is within the
Republican party.
We heard former president trump
said it should be left to form
-- left to states.
Here is what Mike pence had to
sit.
>> I think it is more likely
that this issue is resolved at
the state level.
But I don't agree with the
former who says this is a states
only issue.
I think looking to the congress
of the United States, creating a
minimum protection, 15 weeks,
that is supported by 70% of the
American public, at the federal
level.
Amna: How does that divide
within Republicans fit within
the larger national
conversations?
Amy: It seems as if every
Republican learned a lesson from
2022, which is public and Sare
on the wrong side of this issue.
.
If we are going to win over the
swing voters, we need, in
battleground states, we need to
find a better position.
What the answer is, is a big
question mark.
In the rest of that clip, Mike
pence did go on to say he
supports the banning of
mifipristone.
Which come as we noted, is not
particularly popular.
What Republicans seem to be
doing now, we saw it in Iowa
this weekend where there was the
faith and family conference
where he made that statement,
and what we are hearing, if you
are paying attention to the
Republican primary, is the issue
of abortion which used to be a
unifying issue for Republicans
has been replaced instead by
gender and racial I shall --
racial ideology.
I was looking through a poll
done by a group, they asked
Republican voters only, what do
you think is the more important
issue?
Gender and racial ideologies, or
abortion and religions liberty
-- religious liberty?
Republicans picked the gender
and racial issues.
Abortion, which was an issue
that Mike pence made a central
part of his entire political
career, no longer having the
same place as this issue.
It does not mean Republicans
have solved it necessarily for
the general election.
Amna: How do you look at this?
Tamara: Former president trump,
he kind of wants it both ways.
He wants to take credit for the
supreme court that gave
conservatives the doubts
decision.
He absolutely wants to could
take credit for that.
He also is a very smart
politician who looks at things
like poles and looks at public
opinion and says, oh, this is
not an issue that you want to be
out front on as a Republican.
So he has this balance where he
is like, you should thank me.
But maybe we should leave it
with the Dobbs decision, and
let's not talk about it too
much.
Because, as Amy said, this is
one of those issues where, when
it was abstract, when it was
like, Republican saying, we
should have fewer abortions, it
was an easy issue for
Republicans.
It was a great base issue.
But now that it has -- that
something has been taken away,
now Republicans are in the
position of having to talk
specifics.
15 weeks, six weeks, the
abortion pill used in 55% of
abortions in the U.S.
And are talking about specifics,
it becomes a much more difficult
decision that is -- difficult
issue.
Amna: Speaking of Democrats, it
has been clear that vice
president Harris has stepped out
as the lead messenger on this
issue from the administration.
What does that say to you about
where they see this issue, and
her role in the white house?
Tamara: She had been, I think,
for some time, struggling to
find an issue that she could own
that was not a total loser
problematic issue.
Like, owning immigration is not
a great issue for the vice
president because it is
intractable politically.
No easy solutions.
It is a big ugly bunch of
headlines for the
administration.
She had taken on voting rights
as an issue she was pushing
forward on.
Then this abortion issue came up
with the Dobbs ruling, and it is
a base motivating, it is broader
than the base motivating issue.
As a woman, as a woman of color,
she is in a unique position to
talk about this in a way that an
80-year-old male president can't
talk about as comfortably.
That is setting aside the fact
that he is catholic, and has
challenges with that.
Amna: We are speaking that he
expects to make his official
announcement of reelection.
That is as polls show some 70%
of Americans don't want him to
run.
That includes 51% of Democrats.
Why announce now?
What changes when he announces?
Amy: I think it goes directly to
that piece there.
Which is you have a democratic
base that is not very excited
about the upcoming election, and
they are not feeling very
emboldened by their sitting
president.
They want to feel like they can
own this race.
He needs to hopefully, by
announcing, hopefully -- the way
his campaign things about it,
what it will do is help to
energize the base.
It will help to bring the base
back to Biden.
One thing I want everybody -- I
think we do remember this, but
when he was first running in
2020, he never had this
enthusiastic support behind him.
You look at in this most recent
poll you put up on NBC, asking,
did you vote for Biden because
you vote for Biden because he
liked what he stood for, or did
you vote for Biden because you
did not like Donald Trump?
Democrats are evenly divided on
that question.
He does not have the support
around him personally that say,
a Barack Obama did, certainly a
Donald Trump does.
But waiting to jump in would
only help to focus on the fact
that the base remains placid and
not engaged.
It is not going to change these
numbers overnight, but I think
it allows the campaign to say,
no more chit chatting about this
no more speculation about MI
running or not.
I am absolutely doing this and
let's get on board.
Amna: There are questions about
his age at 80.
He is already the oldest
president.
There are some frustrations
among journalists about access
to the president.
What does the white house say?
Tamara: In terms of access, the
white house is saying he does
all of these things where you
shot a question, he answers
quickly, so he is super
available.
I quibble with that.
We would all, the American
people, benefit from more press
conferences where the press
prepares, the president
prepares, and the president
gives longer answers that give
the public more insight into his
thinking.
Putting that aside, the white
house says there are lots of
people who are 80 years old, 82
years old come 86 years old, who
are super performers and he is
someone who is certainly not
sitting around watching cable
all day.
He is the president of the
United States and he is actively
using his mind.
And also, they say that they
really have, the white house
does not say this, officials,
not the white house, say he has
consolidated the support of the
democratic party.
He is the party's candidate.
There is not someone waiting in
the wings now.
And there is this sense that if
he were to face a legitimate
primary challenge, that you
could end up with a situation
like Jimmy Carter or George H W
bush, where they were hurt by
the primary.
This is a little weird to say,
but Democrats are risk-averse.
Don't want to take any chances,
especially if trump is the
nominee.
Amy: Donald Trump continues to
be the greater motivated for
Democrats -- motivator for
Democrats rather than Joe Biden.
Amna: Always great to see you.
Thank you both.
♪♪