Bad America
The Supreme Court appears to be on the cusp of overturning Roe v. Wade Also, Matt Duss and I prepare to talk "Get Back"
I’m Michael A. Cohen, and this is Truth and Consequences: A no-holds-barred look at the absurdities, hypocrisies, and surreality of American politics. If you received this email - or you are a free subscriber - and you’d like to subscribe: you can sign up here.
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Just a quick note on tomorrow’s Zoom Cast. I’m very excited that I’ll be joined by my good friend Matt Duss, who serves as the top foreign policy aide to Senator Bernie Sanders. However, of even greater importance is that Matt is a huge Beatles fan and, like me, is obsessed with the extraordinary “Get Back” documentary that is currently playing on Disney TV.
So tomorrow, we’ll spend about 10-15 minutes talking about the Iran nuclear deal and his boss’s efforts to end US support for the war in Yemen … and then we’ll be spending the next approximately 7-8 hours discussing “Get Back.” I make no exaggeration when I say that “Get Back” is one of the most remarkable musical documentaries I’ve ever seen. It offers unparalleled insight into the creative process that drove the Beatles and the complex personalities at play in what is, arguably, the greatest and most influential band in the history of rock n’ roll.
It should make for a great conversation, and I can’t wait. Here is the link! See you tomorrow at 12:20.
The End of Roe v. Wade?
Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments about Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which deals with a recently passed abortion law in Mississippi that would limit all abortions after 15 weeks. This law fundamentally undermines the standard set by the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which established and reinforced the legality of abortions up to approximately 24 weeks.
Based on the questioning of the Court’s six conservative justices, it seems apparent that the high court will either uphold the law or possibly overturn Roe v. Wade altogether, giving states the option to set their own abortion rules. If the latter were to occur, abortions would almost certainly be banned in most of red-state America. In blue-state America, abortions will likely remain fully legal. This development will not only reinforce the partisan divide between red-state and blue-state America, but it will also increase the economic divide. In states that ban abortions, it will set back economic progress for women, increase the pressures on social safety net programs, and may even lead to higher crime rates. A total abortion ban could even cause more deaths from women seeking back-alley abortions. In short, it will be a disaster.
The least worst-case scenario is that the Court will uphold the Mississippi law and set viability at 15 weeks. This would affect a smaller percentage of abortions, but these can be the most difficult ones. As I wrote a few years ago, in recounting my own experience with the issue, late-term abortions occur when a “pregnancy is far along and when the idea of giving birth is very real. These situations … frequently occur with women and families who very much want to have children.” In addition, a late-term abortion can occur after a genetic abnormality is discovered or a fetus is found not to be viable. These are deeply traumatic experiences that affect women and families excited and planning to have a child but must terminate a pregnancy for the good of the baby and the mother. If the viability standard is lowered from 24 weeks, millions of women could be forced to carry to term babies that are unlikely to survive or will be born with life-long pain and suffering. Mandating that a woman must carry a fetus against her will is inhuman. Taking away from her the choice of how best to care for a child unlikely to survive childbirth is an abomination. But when the Supreme Court issues its decision on this case, that’s likely the America we will be living in.
The Sociopathy of Trump’s America
Over at Slate, Will Saletan has created a timeline of all the places Donald Trump went — and all the people he met — after testing positive for COVID-19. It’s horrific. Rather than quarantining after the positive test, Trump continued to interact with many people, going so far as to insist at an event for Gold Star families that masks not be worn. Of course, he also attended the first presidential debate with Joe Biden, which risked infecting the 78-year old Democratic nominee. Look how close they were together. It’s a miracle that Biden didn’t get sick.
All of this is emblematic of Trump’s profound narcissism — and frankly isn’t much of a surprise.
But what about former White House Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, whose new memoir is how we know about Trump’s positive test? Think about this for a second: Meadows knew about Trump’s positive test, but not only didn’t warn Trump aides (who nominally worked for Meadows) but didn’t warn Biden’s team about the potential threat. Even if one is to take at face value Meadows claim that he believed Trump’s subsequent negative test meant he wasn’t infected, he still had a responsibility to protect others.
Instead, he kept Trump’s diagnosis secret and endangered the Democratic nominee for president — and Trump’s aides. Perhaps even more remarkable about all this is that Meadows willingly acknowledges his own depraved indifference and is seemingly oblivious to his own horrible behavior. Every time you think these are simply the worst people in America; they provide us yet one more piece of evidence.
What’s Going On
Justice Amy Coney Barrett wins the award for the most odious argument in yesterday’s Supreme Court hearing. She suggested that adoption laws in all 50 states, theoretically, obviate the need for abortion. In other words, the government could force a woman to carry a baby to term against her will … but it’s no big deal because she can simply give the child up for adoption. It’s almost as if the exterior shell of a fetus (sometimes referred to as “a woman”) is of no concern at all to anti-abortion activists.
Friend of the newsletter, Jonathan Kirshner, has some smart thoughts about inflation.
Germany does what the US should do regarding vaccinations — punish the unvaccinated.
Check out this fascinating interview with pollster Brian Stryker on what Democrats need to do to win in 2022 — and beyond.
Musical Interlude
Preparation for tomorrow’s Zoom Chat!
The folks who brought the lawsuit to the SC made plain their desire to see Griswald, Loving, Obergefell and Lawrence all overturned. Christo-fascism is on the march. The only way I see that can stop them is some kind of a nationwide strike. And we know how likely that is.
Back when Andrew Sullivan (no supporter of abortion) had his blog he asked readers who experienced late-term abortions to write him to explain their reasons for going through with them. He printed many responses and they were heart breaking. In no case were the decisions made lightly, and harm to the child and mother were more than probable. In most cases the mother had had children and were frightened as to what the effect on their families would be. The presumed direction of the Supreme Court on abortion is very sad. An already hot and politicized issue will become more so. The writer Josh Marshall discussed how not only red states will restrict abortions but also because of gerrymandering, purple states may go in that direction too. An already angry country is about to become even more so.