After Republican-appointed justices on the Arizona Supreme Court cleared the way for a 160-year-old near-total abortion ban to take effect, more than a few GOP officials ran for cover. This wasn’t surprising: The Arizona law will have some fans on the far-right, but with the American mainstream, it’ll be politically radioactive.
It was against this backdrop that Sen. Joni Ernst appeared on Fox Business and was asked for her reaction. The Iowa Republican replied:
“I am a mom; I am a brand-new grandma. and I support life. Senate Republicans, the GOP, and President Trump really worked hard to overturn Roe v Wade. So, we returned that back to the states. That is the law of the land with that Supreme Court decision. So, the states are handling that. But again, we worked very hard to get this result.”
Right off the bat, it’s worth noting that the GOP senator didn’t exactly answer the question about Arizona’s abortion ban.
What’s more, Ernst touted all the hard work she and her party did to overturn the Roe precedent, which wasn’t much of a message. For one thing, a majority of Americans wanted — and still want — the protections from Roe left intact. For another, the highly controversial Arizona ruling was the direct result of the work Ernst seemed eager to boast about.
Sen. Joni Ernst: "Senate Republicans, the GOP, and President Trump really worked hard to overturn Roe v Wade" pic.twitter.com/MGKgM0Gcgj
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 9, 2024
But watching Ernst yesterday, I was also reminded of something the Iowan said four years ago.
During one of the 2020 presidential debates, after Joe Biden said the Roe v. Wade precedent was on the ballot, Donald Trump immediately pushed back. “Why is it on the ballot?” the Republican asked. “Why is it on the ballot? It’s not on the ballot.” The same day, none other than Joni Ernst insisted that the likelihood of Roe being overturned was “very minimal.” The GOP senator added at the time, “I don’t see that happening.” She conveniently neglected to mention that Senate Republicans, the GOP, and Donald Trump were “really working hard” to overturn Roe v Wade. If Republican officials and candidates wonder why the party has a real credibility problem when it comes to reproductive rights, they need only consider their own records.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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