Did abortion doom John McCain and the GOP in 2008? No, says Ross Douthat, and he's got the facts--or at least, the theory--to prove it. Despite what Kathleen Parker might say, the pro-life, "oogedy-boogedy" faction of the GOP isn't what's holding the party back.
Unfortunately, Douthat's solution to the current impasse on abortion is about as feasible as a ski resort in the Sahara. Writes Douthat:
No such compromise is possible so long as Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey remain on the books. These decisions are monuments to pro-choice absolutism, and for pro-lifers to accept them means accepting that no serious legal restrictions on abortion will ever be possible — no matter what the polls say, and no matter how many hearts and minds pro-lifers change.
But that's not going to happen. The pro-choice movement has transmogrified Roe from an ordinary case into a "super-duper precedent." Overturning Roe has become the liberal boogeyman; it's just a plot by those nasty, slimy social conservatives to keep women barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen.
That doesn't mean the pro-life movement shouldn't try. I'm just saying it's not going to be easy. In fact, it's damn near impossible. And I leave you with that cheery thought.
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