Abortion rights protesters at a demonstration.
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News

People Are Really Tired of Being Told To ‘Just Vote’

OK, and then what?
Image of Vivian Kane
Vivian Kane
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Published: May 6, 2022 01:53 pm

There are so many things to be angry about in the wake of the news that the Supreme Court plans to overturn Roe v Wade, but one of the most frustrating, for many people, is the continued insistence that the solution to this kind of attack on our civil rights, is to “just vote.”

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Look, I’m a big fan of voting. I think it’s essential and I think everyone should do it (and be able to do it early, by mail, or however else is the most convenient). But holy cow, if that’s the best and only solution Democrats still have to offer at this point, it is clearly not enough.

During his presidential campaign, Joe Biden promised to codify Roe v Wade into law, offering federal protections for abortion rights.

We know that’s not as simple as we would hope given the fact that Democrats technically control the White House and both chambers of Congress. Of course, we know that who actually controls the Senate is not Democrats, but Joe Manchin (with an assist from Kyrsten Sinema), as he has decided to stonewall every important piece of Democrat-driven legislation he can.

Clearly, there needs to be extreme reform or outright abolishment of the filibuster in its current state or Republicans + Manchin will kill every meaningful bill that comes up for a Senate vote. Biden must agree, right? Nope! He said earlier this week he’s “not prepared to make those judgments now.”

Oh OK, Joe! Well, feel free to take your time figuring it out!

Yes, Manchin and Sinema and every single Republican (yes even Susan Collins, despite what she wants so desperately for us to believe) are standing in the way of a clean vote to codify Roe. But there are so many other things Biden could do.

Instead, Biden and many others in positions of power are resting on the old standby classic “just vote.” And people are tired of it. How many “blue waves” do we need before the people we elect start standing up for us—which includes thinking outside the box.

Even worse are the Democrats making it clear that even if they’re upset, they see this SCOTUS decision as a political win—as a political mainspring that can get voters fired up in November. They’re also using the furor around Roe to fundraise, a lot—I know I’m not the only one who’s received a barrage of texts and emails to donate because, to quote one text, “Joe Biden here. Reproductive rights are on the ballot. It’s on us to elect more pro-choice Dems this Nov. Rush $15 to the DNC.”

If the leaked Supreme Court decision moves forward as is, it is slated to take effect in June. This means that there will be five months between then and November—and two more before anyone elected then takes office—when much of the country will not have access to safe, legal abortion.

And even if voters do get fired up enough to put more Democrats in Congress this November, then what happens? It would be nice to have any sort of sign that anything at all would change in the slightest.

(image: David Ryder/Getty Images)

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Image of Vivian Kane
Vivian Kane
Vivian Kane (she/her) is the Senior News Editor at The Mary Sue, where she's been writing about politics and entertainment (and all the ways in which the two overlap) since the dark days of late 2016. Born in San Francisco and radicalized in Los Angeles, she now lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where she gets to put her MFA to use covering the local theatre scene. She is the co-owner of The Pitch, Kansas City’s alt news and culture magazine, alongside her husband, Brock Wilbur, with whom she also shares many cats.
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