Another Hypothetical Scenario

[Frodo]

Suppose the Supreme Court between now and November 2012 votes to overturn Roe vs. Wade (and Planned Parenthood vs. Casey), thereby returning the issue of abortion to the states -and this is assuming that Sonia Sotomayor becomes the conservative version of David Souter (he didn't start becoming an apostate of conservatives until a few years into his stay at the Supreme Court).

How would this impact the 2012 race? 

[RIP Robert H Bork]

I do not think that the race would be impacted at all.

[Mechaman]

It won't change a thing. Conservatives will still want to destroy abortion and liberals will still want it to be readily available to women everywhere.

[Lief 🗽]

A massive backlash against the decision in most of the country leads to an incredibly energized liberal base and a dispirited conservative movement (having achieve "victory", there's little else for them to do on the national stage), resulting in a large Democratic victory.

[biggzcorey]

It's more believeable that Sarah Palin will be elected president than it is that Roe v Wade will be overturned

[Mechaman]

It's more believeable that cats will dance with dogs Sarah Palin will be elected president than it is that Roe v Wade will be overturned

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

A massive backlash against the decision in most of the country leads to an incredibly energized liberal base and a dispirited conservative movement (having achieve "victory", there's little else for them to do on the national stage), resulting in a large Democratic victory.

You said this, boss!

Btw, why don't you update your TL?

[Saxwsylvania]

A massive backlash against the decision in most of the country leads to an incredibly energized liberal base and a dispirited conservative movement (having achieve "victory", there's little else for them to do on the national stage), resulting in a large Democratic victory.

You are aware that overturning Roe v. Wade would not make abortion illegal, right?  I don't understand why liberals are so intent on making abortion a national issue.  Aren't liberals above such petty wedge issues?

[RIP Robert H Bork]

I do not think that the race would be impacted at all.

Conservatives would still try to illegalize abortion (and no, repealing Roe alone would not do that), and liberals would still fight against abortion restrictions.

[zclark1994]

The only problem with this is that we don't really know or even have the slightest idea what would happen (even though this will never happen).  The issue could become irrelevant, as people realize that THE PRESIDENT DOESN'T REALLY HAVE THE POWER TO OVERTURN OR STOP ROE v. WADE FROM BEING OVERTURNED.  I don't even get why Abortion is an issue during the presidential elections, think about it, GWB promised to overturn it, and he didn't.  I think abortion is wrong, but that doesn't mean that I, as a person who will never understand the situation that a woman would be in, would never deny a woman the right to get an abortion.  Do I think that we should try and increase adoptions through a large campaign to decrease the amount of women getting abortions and increase the amount of children who will have a future, yes.

[President Mitt]

It's more believeable that cats will dance with dogs Sarah Palin will be elected president than it is that Roe v Wade will be overturned

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

It won't impact the race at all. The phony rhetoric on both sides will continue. The mass-murder of unborn children will continue. That's the sorry state this country is in.

[RI]

You would likely see the GOP split between the ones who want to keep it a state issue, and the ones who want to ban it nationally. Who wins the Republican nomination could very well determine the future direction of the party. Most Democrats would most likely fight for abortion rights on the state level, though there would be some who would want to pass legislation that would replace Roe (a minority, most likely).

[Frodo]

The only problem with this is that we don't really know or even have the slightest idea what would happen (even though this will never happen).  The issue could become irrelevant, as people realize that THE PRESIDENT DOESN'T REALLY HAVE THE POWER TO OVERTURN OR STOP ROE v. WADE FROM BEING OVERTURNED. 

Perhaps because the President has the power to nominate judges and justices, and as long as Roe vs. Wade (and Planned Parenthood vs. Casey, by extension) remains established law it will remain a federal issue. 

Personally I agree that there could very well be a backlash -primarily against the Republican Party (the one major political party that prides itself on being 'pro-life').  Obama could face some blowback as well for appointing Sotomayor, but I have my doubts -he could simply state that he was as misled as then-President George H. W. Bush was.

In the interim this could lead to Democrats regaining lost ground in 2012 from the 2010 midterm election, but then overreaching on the issue by attempting to pass some variant of the Freedom of Choice bill, leading to a Republican revival in the 2014 and 2016 elections. 

[zclark1994]

The only problem with this is that we don't really know or even have the slightest idea what would happen (even though this will never happen).  The issue could become irrelevant, as people realize that THE PRESIDENT DOESN'T REALLY HAVE THE POWER TO OVERTURN OR STOP ROE v. WADE FROM BEING OVERTURNED. 

Perhaps because the President has the power to nominate judges and justices, and as long as Roe vs. Wade (and Planned Parenthood vs. Casey, by extension) remains established law it will remain a federal issue. 

Personally I agree that there could very well be a backlash -primarily against the Republican Party (the one major political party that prides itself on being 'pro-life').  Obama could face some blowback as well for appointing Sotomayor, but I have my doubts -he could simply state that he was as misled as then-President George H. W. Bush was.

In the interim this could lead to Democrats regaining lost ground in 2012 from the 2010 midterm election, but then overreaching on the issue by attempting to pass some variant of the Freedom of Choice bill, leading to a Republican revival in the 2014 and 2016 elections. 

I'd have to agree with you completely on that last paragraph.