Before the abortion ban, Gov. Kay Ivey tested a deeply conservative agenda in Alabama

[IronLionZion]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/05/16/before-abortion-ban-gov-kay-ivey-tested-deeply-conservative-agenda-alabama/?utm_term=.f2b881dae825

With a quick scribble of her pen Wednesday afternoon, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) essentially made abortion in her state illegal in all circumstances, with zero exceptions for rape or incest. Doctors who perform the procedure face a penalty of up to 99 years in prison.

As other Republican-controlled states are rubber-stamping abortion restrictions in a legal gambit to challenge Roe v. Wade, Alabama’s new law has left even some staunch abortion opponents tepid. On Wednesday, televangelist Pat Robertson called the bill “extreme” and said Alabama politicians had “gone too far.”

But it’s also no surprise the nation’s most stringent abortion law came out of Alabama. Since 2010, the state’s Republican Party has had a supermajority in both houses of the legislature. Republicans also control all statewide offices. Ivey’s reelection in 2018 to her first full term continued the GOP’s easy grip on the state’s levers of power.

And under Ivey’s watch, Alabama has been at the forefront of conservative legislation, passing laws that would face tougher opposition in states with a more robust Democratic presence.

From guns in schools to gay rights to the death penalty to Confederate monuments, the governor has signed laws from the conservative movement’s wish list, turning the Alabama into a test kitchen for an unopposed GOP agenda. The track record has turned Ivey, a quiet veteran of state politics who eschews the carnival barker-antics that typically land governors in the national spotlight, into a front-line figure in the culture war.

Any state that is ranked 50th in education, clearly doesn't give a shit about children.

Alabama has always been conservative but is enacting more extreme laws without any opposition.

[Hortensis]

1. We really need to avoid hyperpartisan bigotry,

because those who won't become dangers to our democracy same as them. Experts in fallen democracies say they fall from internal divisions.

So we don't need to create phony ones. Residents of Alabama love their children just as much as people of other states.

Interesting article, though. Of course, this law is illegal and is not actually in effect. It is destined for the courts intentionally, but will also be waiting in place to become active law the minute the Supreme Court oversets Roe.

Btw, this has been building to this point right out in public for years. Everyone who didn't vote Democratic every election owns a piece of it.

Well, it's out in the open now. Let's hope for a sudden diminution of gross stupidity and hypocrisy.

[hlthe2b]

4. "Residents of Alabama love their children just as much as people of other states. "

Yes.. but they don't appear to love the children of others.


Especially if they are among the privileged and/or State Politicians.

[Hortensis]

7. Better, but no cigar.

Those who tend to demonize others will do a lot less damage by sticking to attacking Republican politicians.

Some are strong religious and social conservatives, but all these days are willing agents in corrupt, betraying systems and are cynically using people's beliefs against them. When the pols lie to them about us, we're all murderers who hate children of course.

[hlthe2b]

8. Not attacking anyone nor pushing any tactic- just speaking the truth which we are foolish to ignore

[Hortensis]

10. '"Politics of demonization' breeding division and fear"'

Amnesty International:

“2016 was the year when the cynical use of ‘us vs them’ narratives of blame, hate and fear took on a global prominence to a level not seen since the 1930s. Too many politicians are answering legitimate economic and security fears with a poisonous and divisive manipulation of identity politics in an attempt to win votes,” said Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Amnesty International.

“Divisive fear-mongering has become a dangerous force in world affairs. Whether it is Trump, Orban, Erdoğan or Duterte, more and more politicians calling themselves anti-establishment are wielding a toxic agenda that hounds, scapegoats and dehumanizes entire groups of people.

“Today’s politics of demonization shamelessly peddles a dangerous idea that some people are less human than others, stripping away the humanity of entire groups of people. This threatens to unleash the darkest aspects of human nature.”

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/02/amnesty-international-annual-report-201617/

Remember, this little exchange started with the claim that the people of Alabama hated children. One angry, frustrated little comment isn't exactly a hate crime, of course, but it is part of a very dangerous development. First they infected the right, demonizing Democrats, for the purpose of dividing and conquering us, and now it's spreading to the left to finish the job.

Say no to the Dark Side, or we could end up living in it. And then we'd have to control what we say in public big time.

[hlthe2b]

11. Politicians are not the population of Alabama. I reject your inappropriate retort totally.

Pointing out the selfishness of the privileged and extremist politicians is not the politics of hate. On the other hand, your accusing me of such, is beyond inappropriate. Given my desire to be civil, I will leave it at that. The shame is on YOU.

[IronLionZion]

9. Yes, they love their children, but where are their legislative priorities?

They can do more on education, healthcare, and economic development, but they decided to go in a much more extremist direction on abortion, guns, gay rights, confederate monuments, death penalty, and other stuff conservatives love.

[Hortensis]

12. Absolutely. Their culture, which tends to be authoritarian,

with habits of taking much on faith, makes some of them especially vulnerable to corruption of intellect and belief, though, and those were lead much farther down those roads. I'm truly hoping we're seeing their darkest moments now, and that things like these laws will be eye openers that cut through some of the massive deceptions they've been taking on faith.

But remember the people who elected Doug Jones and why. They've not all been turned into the worst political versions of themselves.

I'm not happy to be living in the south these days, though. I imagine the entire Bible Belt will be much slower to re-establish dominant Enlightenment-type thinking than other red states and could conceivably get much worse.

[IronLionZion]

13. They're also passing voter suppression laws to deal with that surprise upset

because they've seen what happens when their side is discouraged and our side is energized, so they look for creative ways to disenfranchise minority voters. This is a bigger influence in North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, which have a lot of transplants and demographic changes.

[Hortensis]

14. Georgia here. Believed well over a million registrations

total were ashcanned, lead BY the top candidate it was done to elect, plus subversions of the election all around the state. I know. The entire world watched. Many here deplore. At least half on the right are already turning into good fascists, though, not just going along.

On the plus side, let's always remember that if they hadn't done it Georgia would almost certainly have a black woman governor now, PoC are a third of the electorate, and then there are the rest of us.

Plus, nationally WE are a large, solid majority. Just need to vote our potential power to overcome their advantage in the electoral college. I'm (once again) hoping these current abortion revelations will act as smacks upside the heads of those who need it and get some more of them properly oriented and engaged.

[Funtatlaguy]

2. Two women in Alabama could stop this nonsense.

I don’t know their politics, but the two most popular women in the state of Alabama are the wives of the football coaches at Auburn and Alabama.
If they came out against this bill, it would die.

[Hortensis]

3. :) It's signed into law now, but love the idea.

There has to be some degree of truth to it, so thanks. I needed a smile.

[Sherman A1]

5. Later today I will be emailing the

Convention and Visitors Bureau of Georgia and Alabama letting them know that their state is off my vacation list for the future based upon these restrictive laws just passed. I would encourage others to do likewise.

I see no reason to spend my money in these places.

[world wide wally]

6. Why are Alabama and Mississippi even states of the USA?

They fought to leave the Union and they don't respect our Constitution in so many ways.
Fuck 'em. See ya later

[Hugin]

15. So, Alabama is the new Kansas.

I'll expect the same result.