May 3

May 3 Alito's Leak I

Chicago, Demonstrations, Street, Urban Landscapes

“Baby, should I mess with you or not?
Baby, should I mess with you or not?
If I mess with you, undress with you,
Might have to spend the rest of my life with you.
Baby, should I mess with you or not?

Baby, should I have an abortion or not?
Baby, should I have an abortion or not?
If I have an abortion, forget about salvation.
The Pope says ‘Nope.’ It’ll be blown up out of proportion.
Baby, should I have an abortion or not?

Gather around. I want you to feel free to express yourself at this point. Sing on out as loud as you like.”

— Cindy Lee Berryhill, Baby (Should I Have the Baby?) from Naked Movie Star (1989)

I flipped on the TV last night as Rachel Maddow was in the middle of her handoff to Lawrence O’Donnell. The chyron read “Breaking News,” as it usually does. But for once, there was breaking news, which sucked all the air out of Ukraine, inflation, Covid, the Ohio primary, and Trump’s shenanigans. Justice Samuel Alito’s draft decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization had been leaked to Politico. According to Alito,

“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division. It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”

[Note: The Blue Book does not contain a citation form for leaked United States Supreme Court decisions.]

Within an hour or so, demonstrators began gathering outside the United States Supreme Court.

Not surprisingly, a group of demonstrators assembled in the Loop today to protest what is a foregone conclusion. They began outside of a DePaul University building on State Street, and then marched to Federal Plaza, arriving shortly after 4:30 PM. By the time the demonstration broke up at 6:15 PM, the Calder Flamingo loomed over about 250 people.

It was wet and cold, so these were the hardcore proponents of legalized abortion. They were very vocal—and maybe too vocal if the goal is to preserve imperiled abortion rights. One speaker declared that he was a socialist; another criticized the Democratic Party as a tool of the elite; and still another demanded affordable housing and any number of other Progressive programs.

While the youthful idealism and passion is admirable, much of the rhetoric may prove to be counter-productive. Those who favor abortion rights have limited options at this point. They can take a page out of the Republican playbook, spending two or three generations working to reshape the Court’s majority. Or, they can take the legislative route, although the Senate filibuster will likely prove an insurmountable obstacle. In solidly red states, they can propose legislation, but it is likely to go nowhere.

At the end of the day, the most viable solution is the suburban swing districts, but at best, gaining the sort of congressional majority necessary to pass legislation is several election cycles away. If the idealists use abortion as a mean to push a much broader Progressive agenda, they most likely will alienate moderate and conservative suburban voters, thereby putting a solid Democratic majority out of reach.

I left the demonstration convinced that Planned Parenthood needs to quickly gain control of the narrative and the civic demonstrations in order to protect the right to choose, which will be lost in many states once Justice Alito’s decision on behalf of the Court issues in final form.

As for the next several weeks: There will be a demonstration in Federal Plaza on Sunday May 7, 2022, and what appears to be a larger one on May 14, 2022 at 1 PM in Millenium Park. I will be very surprised if tens of thousands of people fail to turn out for the May 14th demonstration.

On the 7th, the Socialist Alternative is sponsoring a conference at 3:00 PM at the Logan Square Park near the monument. Their agenda goes well beyond abortion rights.

A Note About Today’s Images. My images today are a bit off. In photographer terms, I was dragging the shutter, but dragged it a little bit too much. Live and learn.