"Supreme Court has voted to overturn abortion rights, draft opinion shows"

[Frustration]

Because both parties are perfectly willing to draw voting districts so as to ensure they win elections. Also, there aren't really any simple ways to ensure that the district boundaries are fair, so people are always trying to redraw them, and even an attempt to be unbiased can still be accused of favoring one group over another. There are plenty of absurd cases, too, which no reasonable person could see as anything but gerrymandering, but it's not actually a straightforward problem to fix.

[Rocketboy1313]

Because both parties are perfectly willing to draw voting districts so as to ensure they win elections. Also, there aren't really any simple ways to ensure that the district boundaries are fair, so people are always trying to redraw them, and even an attempt to be unbiased can still be accused of favoring one group over another. There are plenty of absurd cases, too, which no reasonable person could see as anything but gerrymandering, but it's not actually a straightforward problem to fix.

There are definitely ways to combat gerrymandering and voter suppression.

The idea that, "both parties do it" makes it somehow inevitable is just wrong.

The fact that people think having only two parties is acceptable rather illustrates the point. You could design a voting system that incorporates ranked choice voting, where each voter places the candidates in order based on their preference. In my preferred reforms this system would replace the current system used in the House of Representatives.

Here is and old CGP Grey video explaining the concept,
https://youtu.be/3Y3jE3B8HsE

Additionally, proportional list voting could be used. Essentially all parties put out a list of candidates that they would use to fill the open legislative seats, based on the percentage of votes they get, that is how many seats they get to fill using the candidates from their lists. In my world this would replace the Senate (who would also have a number of seats according to proportional representation).

Lastly, to help combat voter suppression, I would write into law automatic voter registration, mandatory time off for the purposes of voting, large voting time frames, and what they use in Australia, mandatory voting (where a citizen can be fined for not voting).

Mandatory voting is listed last, because the ranked choice and list voting will need a cycle or two before they can offer up robust meaningful options in regard to party and candidate variety, once there are a healthy number of selections to choose from telling people they have to vote will not evoke the Giant Douche/Turd Sandwich problem of having only two bad options.

[CharlesPhipps]

I got tired of "Both Sides are awful" a while ago.

Maybe they are but it seems one side is manifestly worst lately.

This being the biggest example but hardly the only one.

[hammerofglass]

So many people acting surprised when this has been the one big stated objective of the Republican party for 50 years. What did people think those partisan Federalist Society hacks they placed all over the Federal courts were selected to do?

[ProfessorDetective]

So many people acting surprised when this has been the one big stated objective of the Republican party for 50 years. What did people think those partisan Federalist Society hacks they placed all over the Federal courts were selected to do?

Threaten it but not actually do it. There are a LOT of single-issue voters that the Right's been stringing along for decades over abortion laws and they're about to let them finally win... and finally stop caring about politics and, thus, stop bothering to vote.

My guess is the GOP thinks most of the single-issue voters will move on to fighting gay marriage or that they'll have things so locked down they won't need the numbers, anymore.

[hammerofglass]

So many people acting surprised when this has been the one big stated objective of the Republican party for 50 years. What did people think those partisan Federalist Society hacks they placed all over the Federal courts were selected to do?

Threaten it but not actually do it. There are a LOT of single-issue voters that the Right's been stringing along for decades over abortion laws and they're about to let them finally win... and finally stop caring about politics and, thus, stop bothering to vote.

My guess is the GOP thinks most of the single-issue voters will move on to fighting gay marriage or that they'll have things so locked down they won't need the numbers, anymore.

Personally I doubt it's a strategic decision at all. The party leaders like McConnell are purely mercenary with no actual principles (even by lifelong politician standards), but the people they put on the court are True Believers who were raised to see voting straight Republican for the purpose of getting a conservative majority for this exact reason as the Most Important Thing. There was probably no way to stop them.

[ProfessorDetective]

So many people acting surprised when this has been the one big stated objective of the Republican party for 50 years. What did people think those partisan Federalist Society hacks they placed all over the Federal courts were selected to do?

Threaten it but not actually do it. There are a LOT of single-issue voters that the Right's been stringing along for decades over abortion laws and they're about to let them finally win... and finally stop caring about politics and, thus, stop bothering to vote.

My guess is the GOP thinks most of the single-issue voters will move on to fighting gay marriage or that they'll have things so locked down they won't need the numbers, anymore.

Personally I doubt it's a strategic decision at all. The party leaders like McConnell are purely mercenary with no actual principles (even by lifelong politician standards), but the people they put on the court are True Believers who were raised to see voting straight Republican for the purpose of getting a conservative majority for this exact reason as the Most Important Thing. There was probably no way to stop them.

Well, the lifetime appointments WERE meant to make them influence-resistant.

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

I should have seen this coming but it was still a nasty surprise.

Marched in a protest the day after the leak, for all the good that does.

Now is a great time to give to local abortion funds if you've got the spare cash.

This is part of a coordinated, strategic attack on bodily autonomy, related to all the anti-trans legislation. They are also going to come for birth control and same sex marriage.

[Draco Dracul]

So many people acting surprised when this has been the one big stated objective of the Republican party for 50 years. What did people think those partisan Federalist Society hacks they placed all over the Federal courts were selected to do?

Threaten it but not actually do it. There are a LOT of single-issue voters that the Right's been stringing along for decades over abortion laws and they're about to let them finally win... and finally stop caring about politics and, thus, stop bothering to vote.

My guess is the GOP thinks most of the single-issue voters will move on to fighting gay marriage or that they'll have things so locked down they won't need the numbers, anymore.

Personally I doubt it's a strategic decision at all. The party leaders like McConnell are purely mercenary with no actual principles (even by lifelong politician standards), but the people they put on the court are True Believers who were raised to see voting straight Republican for the purpose of getting a conservative majority for this exact reason as the Most Important Thing. There was probably no way to stop them.

I mean there is, it's just not legal.

[CharlesPhipps]

Personally I doubt it's a strategic decision at all. The party leaders like McConnell are purely mercenary with no actual principles (even by lifelong politician standards), but the people they put on the court are True Believers who were raised to see voting straight Republican for the purpose of getting a conservative majority for this exact reason as the Most Important Thing. There was probably no way to stop them.

The great irony being abortion was promoted by Phyllis Schlafly as a religious issue in order to try to increase support for segregating schools again. If that doesn't make sense, understand abortion was considered a "weird Catholic issue" in the 1960s and they believed any judge who would be willing to ignore precedent there would be willing to ignore precedent to overturn desegregation.

Then it became an actual issue.