Just voted in the online poll on this story: "Should Congress intervene in the Schiavo case?" At the moment it's running 89 percent no. Not that it matters or is scientific, but it seems rather accurate.
So why are the Republicans so strongly allying themselves with what appears to be an overwhelmingly unpopular position?
"'Their gamble is that the general public will be divided on the issue and will not vote on the subject come 2006, but that the Republican-base ... group of conservative Christians will remember this vote forever,' says Larry Sabato, a political scientist at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville."
Nailed it. This is a classic example of an issue where strength of opinion outweighs the numbers. That 89 percent likely have varying feelings on right to die, ranging from activism to mild support. And those mild supporters may well vote for someone who's in the Save (sic) Terri faction based on other issues. Far too often, libertarian leaning voters support cultural conservative Republicans bases on economic issues (that "what's in it for me" of taxation.)
But that 11 percent - they'll base their entire voting decision based on issues like these. So there's little to no gain in being with the majority, and potential for great loss in irking the minority. This is why ERA died in the late 70s, and in retrospect that looks like the first big shot in the Kulturkampf.
AFTERNOON UPDATE: All over the blogosphere; MyDD has the must read. It's interesting how much left blogging on this one is prefaced with reluctance: "I wan't going to write about this, but."
And I just realized one more reason this is feeling so much like Elian Gonzalez: the calendar. Once again this frenzy is climaxing right at Easter, which might explain the Messianic zeal...
Politics
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