Alright, fellas, listen up. I have no idea why I'm writing this, really. I got bigger fish to fry. I got a dog with either advanced dysplasia or DM. I gotta pitbull puppy I never asked for trying to eat my cats' food. And my feet, actually, even as I type this. I got a contract recertification survey for our 1915c Medicaid waiver program breathing down my neck. But I was listening to the latest wild and outlandish conspiracy theories on American Family Radio this morning and it hit me. 2016 will be about abortion.
Here's why the RNC will do it.
First, grant me that they rely on hot-button issues to drum up support for their otherwise transparent fascist pro-corporate plans, masked under a light icing of religious conservatism to bring in the rubes. Given that, they've only got so many buttons left.
-They can't make it about gay marriage. Smart people know they've already lost on that issue, and it's only gonna motivate the people who are gonna vote and vote Republican anyway. And it may motivate some people to vote against 'em.
-They can't make it about supporting the cops. Talk about a divisive issue!
-They can't make it about Medicare. They aren't far enough along to do that yet.
-They can't make it about guns. Let's face it, they've already won where that's concerned.
-They can't make it about immigration. Sure, Trump's doing great in Republican circles, but let's face it, he'll never pull enough votes to beat Hillary, and the last thing the RNC wants is an issue that'll alienate almost all the Hispanic vote.
-They can't quite make it about Islam. Only the hardcore liberals and conservatives really care what's happening in Syria right now, and since there hasn't been a major terrorist attack, this stuff isn't going to sway Ma and Pa Independent. They'd LOVE a major terrorist attack, but it hasn't happened.
-They can't make it about Hillary's indiscretions. Despite all their pumping, this stuff is inane and BORING. Benghazi makes your average indepenent's eyes glaze over faster than Organic Chemistry.
What, short of an alien invasion, does that leave the Republican Party to bank on? It's gonna be about abortion. This latest round of made-up "secret recordings" by conservative activists is a test run, to see if they can rile the independents to raise Cain about it. If it flies, it's going to set the tone for the whole campaign. It plays well ("Won't somebody think of the children!"), and it attracts attention, and it's an issue that Democrats have pretty much abandoned. In the absence of a cohesive Democratic message, it's a glaring weak spot for Republicans to exploit, and they've been extremely successful so far in doing so the last few years.
Heads up, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the issue of 2016.